Distinguish Your Application
Our office of grants and fellowships is dedicated to supporting our graduate students as they apply for external grants and fellowships. And, there are a myriad of funding opportunities available to talented students before they even step foot on campus. Applying to these prestigious awards show our admissions team that you have invested time and energy not just into applying to our graduate programs, but into the research you hope to pursue while you are at Notre Dame. Feel free to review this list of awards and also peruse the list of upcoming fellowship deadlines through our Office of Grants & Fellowships.
The application process requires an investment of time and resources, but careful planning can help you create an application that stands apart from the competition. The Notre Dame Graduate School provides opportunities to applicants to waive your application fee based on financial need, academic excellence, and previous experience. Many students are eligible for this waiver by applying for and submitting applications for any nationally recognized fellowships. If you would like to apply for a fee waiver, please reach out to gradapp@nd.edu.
BECAS
Sponsored through the Fulbright Foundation, the BECAS helps fund education for students from Latinx countries to study in the United states. Applications are usually due from mid-July to late August, depending on the year, and are not contingent on any certain field of study.
Beinecke Scholarship
The Beinecke Scholarship was created to provide substantial scholarships for the graduate education of men and women of exceptional promise. The Scholarship is awarded during the student’s junior year of undergraduate study and is awarded to students who plan to enter a research-focused master’s or doctoral program, or MFA, in the arts, humanities, or social sciences.
Bill and Melinda Gates Millenium Scholarship
While the Gates Millenium Scholarship is used to fund undergraduate education, alumni of the program may request a fellowship for a degree program in one of the following: Computer Science, Education, Engineering, Library Science, Mathematics, Public Health, or Science.
China Scholarship Council
Doctoral applicants admitted to the Graduate School typically receive full funding; Chinese citizens may also benefit from Notre Dame’s relationship with the China Scholarship Council (CSC). If you wish to be considered for additional funding through the CSC, notify us through the online application.
Coverdell Fellowship
The Coverdell Fellowship is available to Peace Corps Volunteers and alumni of the Peace Corps programs. The application is due in May and winners are announced in July.
Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF)
The DOE CSGF provides outstanding benefits and opportunities to students pursuing doctoral degrees in fields that use high-performance computing to solve complex science and engineering problems.
Ford Fellowship
The Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by helping students achieve their higher education goals. Individuals with superior academic achievement should apply by December to be considered for this prestigious award.
Fulbright Fellowship
The Fulbright Programs provide grants for students to study abroad in pursuit of their academic goals. Most programs accept applications until mid-October with winners being announced in late March.
Gates Cambridge Scholarship
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship offers 80 full-tuition scholarships to applicants from outside the UK to pursue a postgraduate degree in any subject at the University of Cambridge. While this scholarship does not support education at the University of Notre Dame, applicants who are alumni of this program are considered as highly qualified candidates.
GEM Fellowship
The GEM Fellowship was designed to focus on promoting opportunities for underrepresented STEM students to enter industry at the graduate level. The fellowship also offers exposure to a number of opportunities in academia and industry.
Goldwater Scholarship
During their sophomore or junior year, students may be nominated by their undergraduate institution for the Goldwater Scholarship. While the funding is only awarded during the student’s undergraduate education, applicants who are alumni of this program are considered as highly qualified candidates for Notre Dame.
Graduate Fellowship for STEM Diversity (GFSD) Fellowship
The GFSD’s goal is to increase the number of American citizens with graduate degrees in the physical sciences and related engineering fields, emphasizing recruitment of a diverse applicant pool.
LASPAU
The Fulbright LASPAU scholarship provides an opportunity for Guatemalan university professors to pursue a master’s degree at a university in the United States. Applications are open from February to May the year before the funding period.
Lilly Fellowship
The Lilly Fellowship is specifically for students in the Humanities and Arts and supports them for three years of their graduate studies. The Lilly Fellowship specifically funds graduate studies at religious schools, such as the University of Notre Dame.
Marshall Scholarship
Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a graduate degree in the United Kingdom. While this scholarship does not support education at the University of Notre Dame, applicants who are alumni of this program are considered as highly qualified candidates.
Mellon Mays Foundation
The Mellon Mays Graduate Initiatives Program serves those students who are alumni of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program both in the early stages of graduate school to the post-PhD years. The program offers conference opportunities as well as dissertation writing retreats, and much more. The Mellon Mays Graduate funds are not limited to schools in the Mellon Mays network.
Mitchell Scholarship
The Mitchell Scholarship is awarded to help students pursue a year of postgraduate study in any discipline offered by an institution of higher learning in Ireland. While this scholarship does not support education at the University of Notre Dame, applicants who are alumni of this program are considered as highly qualified candidates.
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG)
NDSEG serves to increase the number of US citizens trained in science and engineering disciplines of military importance. You can apply for NDSEG as long as you have at least three remaining years left of your degree program.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
The NSF GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are conducting unique and impactful research. The NSF GRFP is a well-known and prestigious fellowship which is available for application by students who are college seniors to 2nd year graduate students.
Payne Fellowship
The Payne Fellowship is awarded to students who are pursuing a 2-year master’s degree program in any field. Payne Fellows are given the opportunity to intern in Washington, DC working closely with a USAID Foreign Service Mentor.
QUAD Fellowship
The Quad Fellowship is a newer fellowship started in 2021 as a first-of-its-kind scholarship program designed to build ties among the next generation of scientists and technologists. Started by the Schmidt Futures initiative which has partners in Australia, Japan, India, and the United States, the fellowship empowers exceptional STEM graduate students to advance research and innovation with a lens toward positive social impact.
Rhodes Scholarships
The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest and most celebrated international fellowship award around the world and gives its scholars the opportunity to do graduate study at Oxford University. While this scholarship does not support education at the University of Notre Dame, applicants who are alumni of this program are considered.
Science without Borders
The Science without Borders program is open to Brazilian students interested in studying in the fields of natural science, health, technology, and engineering. The program is open to students seeking funding for their entire or part of their PhD education and also has Postdoctoral funding opportunities as well.
Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Fellowship
The SMART program provides STEM students with the tools needed to pursue higher education and begin a career with the Department of Defense. The program also includes summer internships for their fellows to pursue during their time in the program.
Segal Americorps Education Award
The Segal Award is awarded to students after their successful completion of an AmeriCorps term of service and enrolling in the National Service Trust. Recipients of the award are announced annually in October with rolling deadlines across the calendar year.
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
The SSHRC is a Canadian research funding agency that promotes and supports research and training in the humanities and social sciences. Their fellowship is only available to students who are Canadian citizens.
Soros Fellowship
The Soros Fellowship for New Americans honors the contributions of immigrants and children of immigrants to the United States. The fellowship can be applied to any field of study and to any full-time graduate program.
Truman Scholarship
Truman Scholars are nominated by their institution each year and one scholar is award from each state and US territory. The Scholarship is geared towards students who have a vested interest in working in government or the nonprofit and advocacy sectors.