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Graduate Fellowships
Fellowship Basics and University Funding
Fellowships provide essential support for living expenses, with current 2026 stipends typically ranging from $30,000 to $37,000 per year, often accompanied by a full tuition waiver. In high cost-of-living areas, some top-tier programs now offer stipends exceeding $50,000. These awards can make a significant difference in your graduate experience, as they often remove the requirement for additional teaching or research assistant duties, allowing you to focus entirely on your dissertation.
Many universities offer one- to several-year fellowships to entering, top-ranked graduate students as an enticement to attend. If one of these applicants goes somewhere else, the fellowship is offered to the next-ranked student on the list. Usually the fellowship “ranking” is based on the graduate application.
Competitive External Fellowships
A number of competitive fellowships are also available, usually with application deadlines in mid- to late fall. We recommend searching the web to find a good fit. Also note the following fellowships in biology: