Graduate Fellowships

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Below is a list of fellowships available to graduate students in mathematics and closely related areas. Click on the links to find their webpages, or click on "Additional Information" for a brief description of the award and eligibility requirements as well as some tips for your application from Berkeley graduate students who have held the fellowships.

Note: Though we are doing our best to keep this information up to date, deadlines and even eligibility requirements may change without notice. Please go to the fellowships' websites (linked below) for current deadlines and other pertinent information.

* This number reflects the approximate annual number of awards offered to students in ALL eligible areas of study, not just in mathematics.

Additional Information

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/

Description: According to their website, "the National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science, mathematics, and engineering in the United States and to reinforce its diversity." This 3-year graduate fellowship comes with a stipend and cost-of-education allowance. Fellows must use the fellowship the fall after it is awarded, but can defer any of the remaining years. However, the fellowship expires after 5 years whether or not 3 years of support have been used. There is also a one-time international research travel allowance. Though they do award a large number of fellowships, this is still a highly competitive award since it is likely the most well known fellowship.

Eligibility: The NSF GRF program is Open to United States citizens, nationals, or permanent resident aliens only. Applicants can be college seniors or first-year graduate students, or others who have completed a limited amount of graduate study. "Women and minorities are encouraged to apply."

National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship

http://www.asee.org/ndseg/

Description: According to the NDSEG Fellowship website, "the Department of Defense is committed to increasing the number and quality of our nation's scientists and engineers." As part of that commitment, they offer this 3 year fellowship to support graduate work in the sciences. Unlike the NSF, the 3 years must be used consecutively upon receiving the award. The current structure is that fellows receive 30,500 during the first year, 31,000 during the second year, and 31,500 during the third year, and tuition and fees are also covered. By accepting an NDSEG fellowship, "NDSEG Fellows do not incur any military or other service obligation." This program offers a limited number of fellowships and as such is highly competitive.

Eligibility: The NDSEG Fellowship Program is open only to United States citizens or nationals (not permanent residents). It is open to those students at the beginning of their graduate work, i.e. college seniors or first year graduate students. If you have been a part-time graduate student, you may be able to be in your second year. Also, if you are changing your subject area, provided you do no already have a Ph. D. in one of the sciences, you are also eligible. "Applications are encouraged from women, persons with disabilities, and minorities."

DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship

https://www.krellinst.org/csgf/

Description: "This program works to identify and provide support for some of the very best computational science graduate students in the nation." This fellowship offers a generous stipend as well as an annual 1,000 research allowance and up to 2,500 for a computer workstation in addition to covering tuition and fees. There is an obligation of three months work at "a practicum assignment at a DOE labratory" upon accepting the award. They have a lab at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as well as other locations listed on their website.

Eligibility: Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien planning full time Ph. D. work. Fellows must engage in coursework from all three areas of: Computer Science, Mathematics, Scientific or Engineering discipline, and be willing to partake in a 3 month practicum at a DOE laboratory.

National Physical Sciences Consortium Graduate Fellowship

http://www.npsc.org/index.html

Description: The NPSC Graduate Fellowship offers a smaller stipend than most others, but is renewable for up to 6 years, far longer than most others. The stipend is for the academic year only, and does not cover the summer term. The NPSC pays the stipend and the university pays for tuition and fees for the student. Fellows are obliged to partake in a "paid summer employment and technical experience for at least 2 years from leading national employers in the U.S." Note that this obligation often requires the fellow to pass a US security screening, and the fellowship may be withdrawn if the fellow does not obtain the appropriate security clearance."NPSC welcomes all qualified students with emphasis towards the recruitment of minorities and females."

Eligibility: Applicant must be a U. S. citizen planning to pursue graduate work at an NPSC member institution (UC Berkeley is an eligible institution). Applicants must be one of the following: seniors with a minimum 3.0/4.0 GPA, first year graduate students pursuing a Ph.D., in a terminal master's program or returning from the workforce with no more than a master's degree.

Hertz Foundation Fellowships

http://www.hertzfoundation.org/dx/fellowships/fellowshipaward.aspx

Description: The Hertz Foundation Fellowships offer a substantial personal stipend and cover the cost of education, and are renewable for up to 5 years. The fellowship is only for applied sciences, and fellows are obligated to make a written moral commitment upon accepting the award. This is an extremely competitive and highly selective fellowship program.

Eligibility: Applicants for Hertz Fellowships must be US citizens or permanent residents and "willing to morally commit to make their skills available to the United States in time of national emergency" (their split infinitive, not mine). Applicants can be college seniors or graduate students (presumably not far into the program) pursing a Ph. D. in an applied science or mathematics.

Ford Foundation Fellowship Programs

http://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/fordfellowships/index.htm

Description: From their website: "Through its Fellowship Programs, the Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, to maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and to increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students. Predoctoral, Dissertation, and Postdoctoral fellowships will be awarded in a national competition administered by the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies on behalf of the Ford Foundation." The fellowship covers cost of education in addition to offering a personal stipend and all expenses paid to attend three Conferences of Ford Fellows. The fellowship is for 3 years, some of which may be deferred, but the fellowship expires after 5 years. Since this fellowship is not limited to the sciences and a small number of fellowships are awarded each year, it is extremely competitive.

Eligibility: Applicants must be US citizens or nationals and a member of one or more of the following groups: Alaska Natives, Black/African Americans, Mexican Americans/Chicanas/Chicanos, Native American Indians, Native Pacific Islanders or Puerto Ricans. Applicants may be either seniors or graduate students with at least 3 years of graduate study remaining who "aspire to a teaching and research career at the college or university level".