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University Fellowships and Grants

The Graduate School sponsors a number of internal fellowship and grant competitions for students at all stages of their graduate experience.  Please read the details of each fellowship and grant application to determine eligibility.  Applications for these competitions can be downloaded from links found at the bottom of each individual fellowship or grant page. 

 

The Graduate School Fellowship Calendar for Competitions with due dates during 2009/2010.


Fellowship

NU Graduate Student Who Should Apply

Deadline

12:00 noon on Friday

Course Level During award

Award length

Amount Awarded Renewable?

Presidential Fellowships

Stellar students who will participate in the Society of Fellows

Oct 23, 2009

PhD – 500

MFA - 588

PhD – 24 months

MFA – 12 months

Tuition payment and a monthly stipend No

Nicholson Fellowships

Outstanding students enrolled in PhD and MS programs in the sciences or engineering and the PhD programs in Management

Jan. 8, 2010

Any

9 months

Full tuition and a stipend for 9 months

Recipients may reapply

Ryan Fellowships

Students dedicated to the exploration of nanotechnology

Jan 22, 2010 (incoming students)

Any

24 months

 $7500 award, $5000 as additional stipend, $2500 for research

Must then apply for "continuing"

 

 

May 21, 2010 (continuing students)

Any

36 months or until graduation, whichever comes first

 $7500 award, $5000 as additonal stipend, $2500 for research

Yes, up to 3 years, but not longer

 

 

ARCS Foundation Scholarships Outstanding sutdents specializing in natural sciences and engineering. Must be a U.S. citizen, must have an undergraduate and graduate grade point average of 3.5+  February 26th, 2010

  Any                              

 

  9 months Last year was $10,000 Recipients may reapply
Center for Interdisciplinary Research in the Arts Any full-time NU graduate student working on a project that challenges traditional notiosn of art in an innovative way.  April 2nd, 2010  Any For the duration of the project  Max amount = $9,000 No
Conference Travel Grant Any full-time NU graduate student who has completed 3 quarters of residency presenting at a conference.

Applications must be received before travel occurs. Final due date is June 11th, 2010.

(We are no longer accepting applications for the 2008-9 year)

Any beyond 3 quarters of full-time tuition and residency Covers the period of conference travel $700 or $500 depending on program Yes, each academic year
Graduate Research Grant (GRG) PhD students in the social sciences/humanities and MFA students pursuing scholarly research or completing a creative endeavor. First Friday of the quarter: September 25, January 8, April 2 Any beyond 3 quarters of full-time tuition and residency Awarded quarterly, for the duration of the project  Up to $3000 Recipients may reapply the following academic year for up to $1500
Summer Language Grant (SLG) PhD students in social sciences/humanites, SESP, School of Communications, and School of music who must study over the summer months to acquire proficiency in a foreign language not available through ordinary enrollment.   March 05, 2010

1st, 2nd, 3rd year PhD students


From the end of the Spring quarter to the start of the Fall quarter  Up to $2000  Yes

 

The Presidential Fellowship is the most prestigious fellowship awarded by Northwestern.  Fellowships are awarded for two years, and recipients become part of Northwestern University’s Society of Fellows.  The fellowship will be awarded to candidates who combine outstanding intellectual or creative ability with the capacity to play an active part in the life of the Society of Fellows. The Society of Fellows, which meets twice per quarter, enables stellar students from across the university to have interdisciplinary interactions with their peers in other fields. The goal is to create future leaders who are enthusiastic and literate about the broad scholarship of the university. Applications are by nomination only.
 
Dr. John N. Nicholson Fellowships
These fellowships are for doctoral and master's degree students in the basic sciences and engineering, and doctoral degree students in management. Preference is given to United States citizens of Greek heritage.
 
Ryan Fellowships
Ryan Fellowships support the finest students of nanoscale science in the country, providing them with the education and experience to assume leadership roles in the realm of nanotechnology.

ARCS Foundation Scholarships--Achievement Rewards for Young Scientists
The Chicago Chapter of the ARCS Foundation is dedicated to helping the best and brightest United States students by providing scholarship support in the natural sciences, medicine, and engineering. ARCS awards are administered through Northwestern University.

Center for Interdisciplinary Research in the Arts

CIRA has been committed to cutting-edge, interdisciplinary arts research since its inception in 1986. CIRA encourages bordercrossings: between artists and scholars; between disciplines and schools; between faculty, staff, and students; and between Northwestern and outside communities. Since 1996, CIRA's focus has been to promote and fund art works that are interdisciplinary and/or collaborative in their creation, production, or dissemination. Traditionally the arts have been an area in which new ideas are tested, norms are challenged, and possibilities are entertained. CIRA supports such innovative work.


Conference Travel Grant

The Conference Travel Grant is available on an annual basis to PhD and MFA students beyond their first year of graduate study at Northwestern.  The grant provides some funds to assist PhD and MFA students traveling to conferences and/or seminars to make presentations on behalf of the University.  The award is not designed to support attending classes at other institutions, general educational or research travel.

 

The Graduate Research Grant (GRG) is intended to help PhD and MFA students in historically underfunded disciplines to meet expenses related to scholarly research and creative endeavors.  PhD students in the social sciences and humanities (including students in WCAS and the schools of Communication, Education and Social Policy, and Music) as well as MFA students are eligible for the GRG.
 
The Summer Language Grant (SLG) is intended to assist PhD students with expenses related to language acquisition during the summer.  The grant is intended for students who must travel outside the Chicago metropolitan area to obtain language training necessary for their research and/or to meet degree requirements. First-, second-, and third-year PhD students in the social sciences and humanities (including students in WCAS and the schools of Communication, Education and Social Policy, and Music) are eligible. Students may apply for an SLG to pursue immersion language training either at a domestic university or via a study abroad program.
 
University Fellowships 
University fellowships provide tuition and a stipend, usually paid in monthly installments. Fellowships are awarded for a period of one academic year. Recipients are eligible to apply for renewal with their departments.
 
Walter P. Murphy Fellowships 
Murphy Fellowships are designated for graduate students in the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
 

The Alumnae Dissertation Fellowship, Dissertation Year Fellowship, and Research Fellowship are no longer offered due to the Graduate School's improved funding packages for graduate students.  Incoming PhD students in WCAS Humanities and Social Science, Math, and Statistics programs are now guaranteed five years and four summers of funding.

Last updated: Jul 20 2009 1:18PM