National Fellowship Opportunities

Students are encouraged to apply for fellowships or grants from national, international, industrialÌýor foundation sources. Below we have listed some of the major national fellowships available for graduate study.Ìý


  • Provides dissertation funding for minority students studying anthropology.

  • Grants for students writing dissertations on educational policy.

  • Funding for a student wishing to complete a dissertation on the history of the atmospheric, or related oceanic or hydrologic sciences.

  • This two-year research fellowship provides funding for dissertation work that focuses on Africa and/or the African Diaspora.

  • Fellowships that promote ethical or religious values in all areas of human endeavor.

  • Funding for dissertation research in human dominance, aggressionÌýand violence. Applications especially encouraged from students in biological and social sciences.
  • Ìý
    The Foundation'sÌýÌýis for up to $25,000 for advanced doctoral students who are completing dissertations that further understanding of the educational pathways and experiences of high-achieving, low-income students. Minimum eligibility includes demonstration of superior academic ability and achievement, successful defense of the dissertation proposal, and unmet financial need.

  • Provides funding for doctoral students completing their dissertation. All fields are welcome to apply, but special consideration is given to students in the humanities.

  • Applicant is not required to be a U.S. citizen, but doctorate must be sought at a U.S. university.

  • Supports dissertation research in anthropology.

  • Supports research about women in society, history, the psychology of women, and women as seen in literature and art. A separate grant promotes research on issues relating to women's health.

  • Administers various scholarship programs. Each program has its own eligibility criteria, open/close datesÌýand required documents.

  • Awarded to talented women, pursuing advanced studies in the typically male-dominated fields of aerospace-related sciences and engineering.

  • Administers various scholarship programs. Each program has its own eligibility criteria, open/close datesÌýand required documents.
  • Ìý
    Fellowships are awarded to graduate students pursuing careers or research in liberty-advancing fields, including economics, philosophy, law, political science, historyÌýand sociology.

  • Offers several fellowships in fields related to education, Western civilizationÌýand history.

  • Provides funding for graduate students at the master’s or PhD level who are working for the development and implementation of scientifically valid alternatives to the use of animals in research, product testingÌýand education. The foundation will consider students in fields such as sciences, humanities, psychologyÌýand journalism.
  • Ìý
    Several funding opportunities related to international development.
  • Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowships
    Provides graduate school fellowships in any recognized field of study in the humanities, social scienceÌýor natural sciences, including law, medicine, engineering, architectureÌýor other formal professional training.

  • The supports a wide range of initiatives to strengthen the humanities, arts, higher education and cultural heritage.ÌýIn addition to its defined grantmaking areas, the program provides funding for competitive fellowships and institutional awards.
  • Ìý
    Several fellowship opportunities for students to conduct research at Smithsonian institutes.

  • ​Fellowships that support the development of future leaders at a variety of career stages in several critical fields.

  • The objective of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is to advance the arts, sciencesÌýand technology of aeronautics and astronautics. The AIAA Foundation Graduate Award program was established to promote graduate student and university research interest in technical fields.
  • Ìý
    This society provides funding for students in the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic fields.

  • This is a two-year, $50,000/year fellowship for graduate students interested in pursuing leadership positions within the environmental field.

  • Fellows develop basic skills essential to working or participating in science policy at the federal, state or local levels. Areas of study may include any social/behavioral science, medical/health discipline, physical or biological science, any field of engineering, law/business/public administration,Ìýor any relevant interdisciplinary fields.

  • Provides outstanding benefits and opportunities to students pursuing a PhDÌýin areas of interest to stewardship science, such as high-energy-density physics, low-energy nuclear science, or properties of materials under extreme conditions and hydrodynamics.ÌýFellows also participate in research at a DOE laboratory.

  • The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and various other organizations and institutions offer fellowship opportunities across the country—from Washington, D.C., to Dayton, Ohio, to Golden, Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ, and beyond—for students and faculty alike.Ìý

  • Fellowships are awarded to applicants who will pursue a doctoral degree in, or closely related to, an area of DoD interest.

  • The Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship empowers outstanding young people pursuing a PhD degree in the applied physical, biological, and engineering sciences with the freedom to innovate and explore their genius in collaboration with leading professors in the field.

  • Fellowships and grants supporting biomedical research.

  • Since 1951, the IBM PhD Fellowship Program has collaborated with faculty, students, and universities by recognizing and supporting exceptional PhD students that address focused areas of interest in technology.

  • Supports doctoral students engaged in research that advances .

  • US Graduate students with the top proposals in three categories (gene silencing, depot formulation, and engineering/ materials science approaches to non-surgical sterilization of cats and dogs) will be awarded a $15,000 cash prize and will have the opportunity to apply for grant funding for their proposal in collaboration with a faculty advisor.

  • Provides financial support for students conducting computer science research.

  • The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine and National Research Council offer several fellowships in science, engineeringÌýand medicine.

  • Fellowships and internship opportunities in science fields such as astronomy, chemistry, computer science, geology, materials science, mathematical sciences, physicsÌýand related engineering fields: chemical, computer, electrical, environmental, mechanical.

  • Fellowships to graduate students in the U.S. in the areas of water resources and treatment.

  • Support for promising doctoral candidates who will be performing dissertation research and training in scientific health-related fields relevant to the missions of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers.
  • Ìý
    ​Provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant achievements in science and engineering research.
    • Graduate School NSF GRFP Workshop: Every fall the graduate school sponsors an NSF GRFP Workshop where faculty members who have served on NSF review committees, as well as current fellows, provide insights into applying for and winning an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Learn more about this year's workshop here.
    • Note, the GRFP application deadlines start at the third week of October and extend over the next few days depending on the discipline.ÌýMore information about the NSF GRFP opportunity can be found on .
    • Graduate School NSF GRFP WorkshopsÌý- offered annually by theÌýInstitute of Behavioral Science (IBS)

  • This fellowship opportunity invites a broad range of research proposals to be reviewed and conducted in Rocky Mountain National Park, including wildlife management, vegetation and riparian studies, fire ecology, cultural sciences, archeologyÌýand historic structures preservation, as well as other topics in botany, zoology, geology, history, ecologyÌýand ornithology.

  • Supports undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, EngineeringÌýand Mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

  • The program awards grants of up to $1,000 to students from all areas of the sciences and engineering.

  • Intended for graduate students from underrepresented communities, the UCAR Next Generation Fellowships offerÌýthree distinct tracks: Earth System Science, Diversity & Inclusion, and Public Policy.

  • Funding for students pursuing doctoral degrees in fields of study that use high performance computing to solve complex science and engineering problems.

  • Provides funding for graduate students to conduct research and study for a year at Cambridge University.ÌýContact: topscholarships@colorado.edu

  • Disburses approximately 6,000 scholarships annually for American Indian students seeking to better their lives through higher education.

  • The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) is a national, nonprofit organization focused on substantially increasing the representation of American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, First Nations and other indigenous peoples of North America in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) studies and careers.

  • Provides financial support, professional development activitiesÌýand guidance to promising doctoral students and postdoctoral trainees with the goal of moving them toward high achievement in areas related to ethnic minority behavioral health research or services.

  • The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) programÌýsupports African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American and Hispanic American students with high academic and leadership promise who have significant financial need, in order to increase the representation of these target groups in the disciplines of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health and the sciences.

  • Administers various scholarship programs. Each program has its own eligibility criteria, open/close datesÌýand required documents.

  • Scholarship for minority students in one of the following fields: public administration, accounting, finance, political science, economics or business administration.

  • The Morris K. Udall and John S. McCain III Native American Graduate Fellowship in Tribal Policy (Native American Graduate Fellowship) recognizes outstanding Native American and Alaska Native graduate students who are currently pursuing advanced degrees in health care fields—including, but not limited to, health administration, health education, public health, medical practice, policy, research, or related-degrees—and who have demonstrated a commitment to Native health care.

  • Provides fellowships for minority students at the master’s and doctoral level in science and engineering fields. The fellowship also provides access to internships in research and development, product developmentÌýand other high level technical careers.

  • Provides fellowships for graduate students in all fields of study who are permanent residents, naturalized citizensÌýor children of naturalized citizen parents.

  • A listing ofÌýminority scholarships for college and graduate school students, fellowships, internships and grants.

  • Administers various scholarship programs. Each program has its own eligibility criteria, open/close datesÌýand required documents.

  • ​Intended for graduate students from underrepresented communities, the UCAR Next Generation Fellowships offerÌýthree distinct tracks: Earth System Science, Diversity & Inclusion, and Public Policy.

  • This program encourages students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilitiesÌýand individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to seek research doctoral degrees in the biomedical and behavioral sciences.

  • Offers financial support for graduate research in the history, theory, and criticism of art, architecture, urbanismÌýand photographic media.

  • Competitive fellowships supported by the Kress Foundation are awarded to art historians and art conservators in the final stages of their preparation for professional careers, as well as to art museum curators and educators.

  • Provides grants for graduate students completing research in Native American linguistics, ethnohistoryÌýand the history of studies of Native Americans, in the continental United States and Canada.

  • This fellowship is aimed at those pursuing doctoral degrees in clinical, counseling, and school psychology, or other behavioral health services areas.

  • Supports dissertation research, graduate studies, and travel in archaeological fields.

  • Multiple fellowships are offered in the fields of education, Western Civilization, and for those with an intention to teach at the collegiate level.

  • Fellowship and grant programs engage themes ranging from global issues facing the U.S. and Japan, to security, drugs and democracy in Latin America, to approaches to the study of contentious politics. Our largest fellowship program, the International Dissertation Research Fellowship supports the next generation of scholars in the humanities and social sciences pursuing research that advances knowledge about non-U.S. cultures and societies.

  • The German Chancellor Fellowship offers you an opportunity to take the next career step in Germany – irrespective of your field of work.

  • Fellowships for graduate students conducting research for their doctoral dissertations in India.

  • These fellowships provide up to $30,000 to U.S. graduate students to add an important international and language component to their graduate education through specialization in area study, language study, or increased language proficiency. Boren Fellowships support study and research inÌýareas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests, including Africa, Asia, Central Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin AmericaÌýand the Middle East.ÌýContact: topscholarships@colorado.edu

  • The Confucius China Studies Program is a fellowship progam that offers generous funding to doctoral students focusing on China.

  • The Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) offers PhDÌýcandidates who are in the dissertation writing stage of their doctoral work and Post-doctoral scholars/researchers an opportunity to fund regional and trans-regional research. The fellowship is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. State Department. The fellowship is only open to U.S. citizens.

  • Funding for dissertation or postdoctoral research at libraries, archives, institutes, or laboratories in Germany; U.S. citizens; 2-6 months during calendar year.

  • The Dorot Fellowship is designed to assemble and empower a network of young Jewish lay leaders to enliven the American Jewish landscape. The Dorot Fellowship encompasses both individual and communal learning experiences for one year in Israel.

  • Sponsored by the Institute for International Education. Students in any field may apply but must be U.S. citizens.

  • Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Provides funding for students in modern foreign languages and area studies. Applicants must be U.S. citizens.ÌýIf you are interested in submitting a proposal to the Fulbright-Hays DDRA program, contact Amy Hoak, Proposal Analyst, 303-735-6738.

  • IEFA is a resource for financial aid, college scholarship and grant information for US and international students wishing to study abroad.

  • Provides stipends, language training, and individualized professional placement in Asia for students who have limited exposure to Asia.

  • Promotes international understanding and friendly relations among people of different parts of the world.

  • Funding in the social sciences, humanities; graduate students must be enrolled in U.S. institutions.

Information about grants, a free scholarship searchÌýand other funding opportunities can be found at:

Office of Contracts & Grants

The Office of Contracts and Grants (OCG is available to assist Graduate Students in applying for funding from sponsors outside the University. Visit theÌýÌýfor more information and to contact the proposal analyst assigned to your department.