The Graduate College offers several fellowship and grant programs to support University of Illinois graduate students. Students do not apply directly for these awards. Instead, departments submit nominations according to the competition schedule shown below. Students wishing to be nominated should contact their department’s Director of Graduate Studies for details.
Major Awards:
Illinois Distinguished Fellowships
Doctoral recruitment fellowships for the University’s top incoming students.
Graduate College Doctoral Merit Fellowships
Doctoral recruitment fellowships to promote inclusion and diversity by supporting students who represent a broad array of life experiences and perspectives.
Graduate College Master's Merit Fellowships
Master's recruitment fellowships to promote inclusion and diversity by supporting students who represent a broad array of life experiences and perspectives.
Distinguished Graduate Fellowships in the Humanities and Arts
Doctoral recruitment fellowships for the University's top incoming students in select humanities and fine arts programs.
ASPIRE Doctoral Fellowships
Doctoral recruitment fellowships for participants in the Graduate College's Aspire Early Application & Campus Visit program.
ASPIRE Master's Fellowships
Master's recruitment fellowships for participants in the Graduate College's Aspire Early Application & Campus Visit program.
Travel Grants for Master’s Projects and Dissertation Research
Grants for students who need to travel off-campus to complete a master’s project or conduct dissertation research.
Dissertation Completion Fellowships
Fellowships supporting doctoral students as they finalize their dissertations.
Specialized Awards:
Conference Presentation Awards
Small grants supporting students traveling to a professional conference (or participating in an online conference) to present a paper, poster, or other creative work.
Diffenbaugh Fellowships
Fellowships supporting students from Missouri.
Marion Morse Wood Fellowships
Fellowships supporting research in interpersonal communication.
Career Exploration Fellowships
Fellowships supporting doctoral students with mentored work experiences.
Emergency Grants
Small grants for students facing acute and unexpected financial distress.
Competition Schedule for 2023-2024
|
COMPETITION |
NOMINATION DEADLINE |
Anticipated Notification |
|
Travel Grants (Fall) - Dissertation / Master's |
Dec. 1, 2023 (extended) |
Jan. 12, 2024 |
|
Jan. 11, 2024 |
Feb. 14, 2024 |
|
|
Doctoral Merit Fellowships and Master's Merit Fellowships (Rd 1) |
Jan. 11, 2024 |
Feb. 14, 2024 |
|
Distinguished Graduate Fellowships in Humanities & Arts (Rd 1) |
Jan. 11, 2024 |
Feb. 14, 2024 |
|
Jan. 11, 2024 |
Feb. 14, 2024 |
|
|
Jan. 29, 2024 |
Feb. 28, 2024 |
|
|
Marion Morse Wood Fellowships in Interpersonal Communication |
Jan. 29, 2024 |
Feb. 28, 2024 |
|
Feb. 19, 2024 |
Mar. 28, 2024 |
|
|
Doctoral Merit Fellowships and Master's Merit Fellowships (Rd 2) |
Feb. 19, 2024 |
Mar. 28, 2024 |
|
Distinguished Graduate Fellowships in Humanities & Arts (Rd 2) |
Feb. 19, 2024 |
Mar. 28, 2023 |
|
Travel Grants (Spring) - Dissertation / Master's |
Mar. 19, 2024 |
Apr. 26, 2024 |
|
Apr. 2, 2024 |
May 10, 2024 |
Fellowship Board & the Selection Process
The Fellowship Board selects recipients of the Graduate College’s main grant and fellowship programs. The Board consists of faculty members from across campus. See details on the selection process and the Board’s current membership.
Fellowship Nominations
Use this link to submit fellowship nominations.
Contact Information
217-333-0036