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Internal Fellowships for Prospective Students

UC Davis awards a select few (approximately 30) prestigious fellowships to prospective students.  The fellowship application is a part of the online application for admission.  This means that all applicants who complete the online application for admission by the program deadline are considered for fellowships.  Please read the 'About Internal Fellowships' information for eligibility and notification information.

Fellowships

  • Chuang, Yen - Taiwan Fellowship
  • This fellowship is open to entering students based on the following eligibility criteria:
    • Incoming first-year graduate students who self-identify as Taiwanese citizens and who have received their undergraduate degrees from a university within Taiwan.
    • Graduate students who are pursuing degrees in disciplines relevant to the economic development of Taiwan. Examples include, but are not limited to, agriculture, engineering, health, and other life science disciplines.

    Additional preference may be given to:
    • Incoming first-year graduate students who are from the southern portion of Taiwan, specifically from the following municipalities: Ping Tung, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi.
    • Chung Shan Medical University graduates who wish to pursue a graduate degree in nursing.

    Students will be awarded a stipend.  Approximately five fellowships will be awarded each year.
  • Elliott, Marjorie and Charles
  • This fellowship is open to entering master’s, M.F.A., Ph.D., international and domestic, graduate students who demonstrate financial need. Each fellowship includes a  stipend, fees and tuition, and nonresident supplemental tuition (if applicable).  One or two fellowships will be awarded.
  • Gibeling, Jeffery and Marsha
  • This fellowship will support one graduate student each year in marine natural sciences, specifically in the areas of marine biology, marine ecology, evolution of marine environments, and oceanography.
  • Jones, Fletcher
  • This fellowship is open to entering students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents with financial need. The fellowship includes a stipend, fees and tuition, and nonresident supplemental tuition (if applicable).  One fellowship will be awarded each year.
  • Kraft, Herbert
  • This fellowship is open to entering students studying Agricultural Sciences. Students are only eligible if they have graduated from a high school in California. Preference is first given to graduates of high schools (or whose parents resided) in Tehama County; then to graduates of high schools in Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Mendocino, Plumas, Shasta, and Trinity counties; or finally to graduates from all other California counties. The fellowship includes a stipend and payment of fees and tuition.  One fellowship will be awarded each year.
  • Lurie Graduate Student Award
  • This fellowship is open to entering students pursuing medically related scientific research. Recipients will be students who are former foster youth or those with greatest need.
  • McCalla, Alex and Phyllis - International Graduate Student Support Award
  • This fellowship is open to entering students to enable qualifying graduate programs to offer recruitment incentives to one or more top international applicants each year.
  • Provost’s First Year Fellowships in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
  • For highly qualified doctoral and master of fine arts students in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Each fellowship includes a 12-month stipend (October through September) and payment of fees and tuition. Individual graduate programs are responsible for providing any necessary nonresident supplemental tuition awards. Students will not be allowed to hold academic appointments during the tenure of the fellowship. Students from these graduate programs are eligible: Agricultural and Resource Economics, Anthropology, Art Studio, Communication, Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies, Design, Dramatic Art, Economics, English, French, Geography, German, History, Human Development, Linguistics, Music, Native American Studies, Performance Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish, and Study of Religion.
  • Schwall, Floyd and Mary
  • This is a 21-month fellowship open to entering Ph.D. students who are U.S. citizens with financial need and are engaged in medically related research (human focus). Recipients will receive a combination of a stipend, fees and tuition, nonresident supplemental tuition (if applicable), and research and travel funding. Nonresident supplemental tuition will be covered for the first year only (if applicable). Students will not be allowed to hold academic appointments during the tenure of the fellowship. One or two fellowships will be awarded.
  • Steindler, John F.
  • This is a 21-month fellowship open to entering Ph.D. students studying in the general areas of Agricultural Production, Food and Nutrition, Molecular Biology in Plants, Agricultural Commodity Marketing, and Rural/Urban Social Studies. The student’s prospective major professor must have an appointment within the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. This fellowship provides a stipend, fees and tuition, and nonresident supplemental tuition (if applicable) for one year. One fellowship will be awarded. Additional criteria: The graduate program must provide international students nonresident supplemental tuition during their second year.
  • Vanderhoef International Graduate Student Fellowship
  • This fellowship is open to entering international students to offer recruitment incentives. One or two fellowships will be awarded.
  • Wydick, Judy - Guardian Professions Fellowship
  • This fellowship is open to entering students to support graduate students in the Guardian Professions Program. One $6,000 stipend will be awarded each year.
  • Zolk, George and Dorothy
  • This fellowship has no restrictions. It is open to entering master’s, M.F.A., Ph.D., international and domestic, graduate students. Each fellowship includes a stipend, fees and tuition, and nonresident supplemental tuition (if applicable). Approximately two fellowships will be awarded.

Fellowships to Support Campus Diversity

The Vice Provost – Graduate Education and Dean – Graduate Studies at the University of California Davis is committed to supporting the diversity of the graduate student body and promoting equal opportunity in higher education.  This commitment furthers the educational mission to serve the increasingly diverse population and educational needs of California and the nation. Both the Dean of Graduate Studies and the University of California community affirms that diversity is critical to promoting lively intellectual exchange and the variety of ideas and perspectives essential to advancing research. Our graduate students form the pool of future scholars and academic leaders, thus high value is placed on achieving a diverse graduate student body to support the University of California’s academic excellence.

  • Cota Robles, Eugene
  • This is a 21-month fellowship for entering Ph.D. students in any discipline. Students will be awarded a stipend, fees and tuition. Nonresident supplemental tuition will be included during the first year (if applicable). Students will not be allowed to hold academic appointments during the tenure of their fellowship.
     

    Eligibility Criteria for the Eugene Cota-Robles Fellowship:

    To be eligible for a fellowship that promotes diversity, applicants must have an interest in an academic career in teaching and research, be a United States Citizen, Permanent Resident, or qualify for California AB 540, and meet one or more of the following criteria:

    1. Demonstrate potential to bring to their academic research the perspective that comes from their understanding of the experiences of groups historically underrepresented in higher education or underserved by academic research generally.

    2. Provide evidence of academic achievement while overcoming barriers such as economic, social or educational disadvantage.

    3. Demonstrate potential to contribute to higher education through the understanding of the barriers facing women, domestic minorities, students with disabilities, and members of other groups underrepresented in higher education careers, as evidenced by life experiences and educational background. Examples include, but are not limited to: a. attendance at a minority serving institution; b. ability to articulate the barriers facing women, racial minorities and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented; c. participation in higher education pipeline programs, such as Puente, MESA, Summer Research Opportunity Programs or McNair Scholars.

    4. Exhibit a record of service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented.

    5. Exhibit a record of leadership or significant experience teaching and mentoring students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education.

    6. Express a commitment to research focusing on historically underserved populations and understanding issues of racial or gender inequalities. For example: a. research that addresses issues such as race, gender, diversity, and inclusion; b. research that addresses topics such as health disparities, educational access and achievement, political engagement, economic justice, social mobility, civil and human rights, and other questions of interest to historically underrepresented groups; c. artistic expression and cultural production that reflects culturally diverse communities or voices not well represented in the arts and humanities.

  • IRT (Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers) Undergraduate Preparation Fellowship
  • This fellowship is for entering graduate students who participated in the Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers programs.  Students will be awarded a stipend, fees and tuition, and nonresident supplemental tuition during their first year (if applicable). Students will not be allowed to hold academic appointments during the tenure of the fellowship. One fellowship will be awarded.
     

    Eligibility Criteria for the IRT Undergraduate Preparation Fellowship:

    To be eligible for a fellowship that promotes diversity, applicants must have an interest in an academic career in teaching and research, be a United States Citizen, Permanent Resident, or qualify for California AB 540, and meet one or more of the following criteria:

    1. Demonstrate potential to bring to their academic research the perspective that comes from their understanding of the experiences of groups historically underrepresented in higher education or underserved by academic research generally.

    2. Provide evidence of academic achievement while overcoming barriers such as economic, social or educational disadvantage.

    3. Demonstrate potential to contribute to higher education through the understanding of the barriers facing women, domestic minorities, students with disabilities, and members of other groups underrepresented in higher education careers, as evidenced by life experiences and educational background. Examples include, but are not limited to: a. attendance at a minority serving institution; b. ability to articulate the barriers facing women, racial minorities and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented; c. participation in higher education pipeline programs, such as Puente, MESA, Summer Research Opportunity Programs or McNair Scholars.

    4. Exhibit a record of service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented.

    5. Exhibit a record of leadership or significant experience teaching and mentoring students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education.

    6. Express a commitment to research focusing on historically underserved populations and understanding issues of racial or gender inequalities. For example: a. research that addresses issues such as race, gender, diversity, and inclusion; b. research that addresses topics such as health disparities, educational access and achievement, political engagement, economic justice, social mobility, civil and human rights, and other questions of interest to historically underrepresented groups; c. artistic expression and cultural production that reflects culturally diverse communities or voices not well represented in the arts and humanities.

  • McNair
  • This is fellowship is open to entering Ph.D. graduate students who participated in an undergraduate McNair Scholars Program. This fellowship provides a stipend, fees and tuition, and nonresident supplemental tuition (if applicable). Students will not be allowed to hold academic appointments during the tenure of the fellowship. One fellowship will be awarded.
     

    Eligibility Criteria for the McNair Fellowship:

    To be eligible for a fellowship that promotes diversity, applicants must have an interest in an academic career in teaching and research, be a United States Citizen, Permanent Resident, or qualify for California AB 540, and meet one or more of the following criteria:

    1. Demonstrate potential to bring to their academic research the perspective that comes from their understanding of the experiences of groups historically underrepresented in higher education or underserved by academic research generally.

    2. Provide evidence of academic achievement while overcoming barriers such as economic, social or educational disadvantage.

    3. Demonstrate potential to contribute to higher education through the understanding of the barriers facing women, domestic minorities, students with disabilities, and members of other groups underrepresented in higher education careers, as evidenced by life experiences and educational background. Examples include, but are not limited to: a. attendance at a minority serving institution; b. ability to articulate the barriers facing women, racial minorities and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented; c. participation in higher education pipeline programs, such as Puente, MESA, Summer Research Opportunity Programs or McNair Scholars.

    4. Exhibit a record of service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented.

    5. Exhibit a record of leadership or significant experience teaching and mentoring students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education.

    6. Express a commitment to research focusing on historically underserved populations and understanding issues of racial or gender inequalities. For example: a. research that addresses issues such as race, gender, diversity, and inclusion; b. research that addresses topics such as health disparities, educational access and achievement, political engagement, economic justice, social mobility, civil and human rights, and other questions of interest to historically underrepresented groups; c. artistic expression and cultural production that reflects culturally diverse communities or voices not well represented in the arts and humanities.

  • NIH Undergraduate Preparation Fellowship
  • This fellowship is for entering students who participated in RISE (Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement), Bridges to Doctorate (NIGMS), MARC U-STAR (Maximizing Access to Research Careers - Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research).  Students will be awarded a stipend, fees and tuition, and nonresident supplemental tuition during their first year (if applicable). Students will not be allowed to hold academic appointments during the tenure of the fellowship. One fellowship will be awarded.
     

    Eligibility Criteria for the NIH Undergraduate Preparation Fellowship:

    To be eligible for a fellowship that promotes diversity, applicants must have an interest in an academic career in teaching and research, be a United States Citizen, Permanent Resident, or qualify for California AB 540, and meet one or more of the following criteria:

    1. Demonstrate potential to bring to their academic research the perspective that comes from their understanding of the experiences of groups historically underrepresented in higher education or underserved by academic research generally.

    2. Provide evidence of academic achievement while overcoming barriers such as economic, social or educational disadvantage.

    3. Demonstrate potential to contribute to higher education through the understanding of the barriers facing women, domestic minorities, students with disabilities, and members of other groups underrepresented in higher education careers, as evidenced by life experiences and educational background. Examples include, but are not limited to: a. attendance at a minority serving institution; b. ability to articulate the barriers facing women, racial minorities and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented; c. participation in higher education pipeline programs, such as Puente, MESA, Summer Research Opportunity Programs or McNair Scholars.

    4. Exhibit a record of service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented.

    5. Exhibit a record of leadership or significant experience teaching and mentoring students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education.

    6. Express a commitment to research focusing on historically underserved populations and understanding issues of racial or gender inequalities. For example: a. research that addresses issues such as race, gender, diversity, and inclusion; b. research that addresses topics such as health disparities, educational access and achievement, political engagement, economic justice, social mobility, civil and human rights, and other questions of interest to historically underrepresented groups; c. artistic expression and cultural production that reflects culturally diverse communities or voices not well represented in the arts and humanities.

  • NSF Undergraduate Preparation Fellowship
  • This fellowship is for entering students who participated in LSAMP (Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation) or UC CAMP.  Students will be awarded a stipend, fees and tuition, and nonresident supplemental tuition during their first year (if applicable). Students will not be allowed to hold academic appointments during the tenure of the fellowship. One fellowship will be awarded.
     

    Eligibility Criteria for the NSF Undergraduate Preparation Fellowship:

    To be eligible for a fellowship that promotes diversity, applicants must have an interest in an academic career in teaching and research, be a United States Citizen, Permanent Resident, or qualify for California AB 540, and meet one or more of the following criteria:

    1. Demonstrate potential to bring to their academic research the perspective that comes from their understanding of the experiences of groups historically underrepresented in higher education or underserved by academic research generally.

    2. Provide evidence of academic achievement while overcoming barriers such as economic, social or educational disadvantage.

    3. Demonstrate potential to contribute to higher education through the understanding of the barriers facing women, domestic minorities, students with disabilities, and members of other groups underrepresented in higher education careers, as evidenced by life experiences and educational background. Examples include, but are not limited to: a. attendance at a minority serving institution; b. ability to articulate the barriers facing women, racial minorities and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented; c. participation in higher education pipeline programs, such as Puente, MESA, Summer Research Opportunity Programs or McNair Scholars.

    4. Exhibit a record of service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented.

    5. Exhibit a record of leadership or significant experience teaching and mentoring students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education.

    6. Express a commitment to research focusing on historically underserved populations and understanding issues of racial or gender inequalities. For example: a. research that addresses issues such as race, gender, diversity, and inclusion; b. research that addresses topics such as health disparities, educational access and achievement, political engagement, economic justice, social mobility, civil and human rights, and other questions of interest to historically underrepresented groups; c. artistic expression and cultural production that reflects culturally diverse communities or voices not well represented in the arts and humanities.