Graduate & PhD Programs

Fellowships and funded programs for master's and doctoral students

Graduate-level funding is more competitive but significantly larger — NSF, DOE, and private foundations offer multi-year fellowships worth $30,000–$50,000+ per year. This page covers every graduate and PhD-level program in the directory for women in STEM.

52Programs
50With Funding
20Women-Only
3Program Types

Fellowships (28)

Funded Women-Only

AAUW Selected Professions Fellowships

Deadline: November

Fellowships supporting women pursuing their first full-time master's or professional degree in fields where women remain underrepr…

View details →
Funded

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

Deadline: October

The NSF GRFP provides three years of funding to outstanding graduate students pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degree…

View details →
Funded

Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship

Deadline: October

One of the most prestigious PhD fellowships in the US, providing up to five years of support for exceptional graduate students in …

View details →
Funded Women-Only

AAUW American Fellowships

Deadline: November

The oldest non-institutional source of graduate funding for women in the US, established in 1888, providing dissertation fellowshi…

View details →
Funded Women-Only

L'Oréal USA For Women in Science Fellowships

Deadline: February

An annual program awarding five women postdoctoral scientists $75,000 each for their contributions to STEM research and commitment…

View details →
Funded

Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship

Deadline: September

A fellowship supporting exceptional PhD students in computing and related disciplines, providing tuition, stipend, and a paid rese…

View details →
Funded

Google PhD Fellowship Program

Deadline: Spring

A fellowship recognizing outstanding PhD students doing innovative research in computer science and related fields, providing up t…

View details →
Funded Women-Only

P.E.O. Scholar Awards

Deadline: November

Merit-based awards of $20,000 each for women from the US and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral-level degree and are near completi…

View details →
United Kingdom

Women's Engineering Society (WES)

A UK professional membership society founded in 1919 that supports women in engineering through its MentorSET cross-sector mentori…

View details →
Funded Women-Only United Kingdom

L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science UK & Ireland Rising Talent Programme

Deadline: Spring

Annual fellowships of £15,000 each awarded to early-career women researchers in the UK and Ireland conducting postdoctoral researc…

View details →
Funded Canada

Mitacs Globalink Research Award

Deadline: March

A $6,000 award enabling Canadian and international senior undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows to conduct 1…

View details →
Funded Canada

NSERC Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering

A program established in 1996 that funds five regional Chairs across Canada to increase the participation and retention of women i…

View details →
Funded Women-Only Australia

L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Australia & New Zealand Fellowships

Deadline: March

Annual fellowships of AU$25,000 each for early-career women scientists within five years of completing their PhD at Australian or …

View details →
Funded Women-Only Other

L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Fellowships

Deadline: November

A global program founded in 1998 that has supported over 4,400 women scientists from 110 countries, awarding up to $40,000 each to…

View details →
Funded Women-Only Other

Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship

Deadline: November

Established in 1938 and named for aviator Amelia Earhart, this fellowship awards $10,000 each to up to 30 women annually pursuing …

View details →
Funded Women-Only Other

Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowship

Deadline: November

A fellowship program launched in 2004 awarding women from developing and emerging economies up to $50,000 per year to pursue PhD o…

View details →
Funded Women-Only Other

OWSD PhD and Early Career Fellowships

Deadline: March

Fellowships for women scientists from Science and Technology-Lagging Countries (STLCs) to pursue PhD or early-career research in n…

View details →
Funded

NIH Re-Entry into Biomedical Research Career Development Supplements

NIH / Office of Research on Women's Health

NIH administrative supplements that enable researchers returning to biomedical research after a career break of two or more years …

View details →
Funded

JPMorgan Chase ReEntry Program

JPMorgan Chase

A paid 15-week returnship program at JPMorgan Chase for experienced professionals, including technologists, who have been out of t…

View details →
Funded Women-Only Europe

Women TechEU

European Innovation Council (European Commission)

A European Commission initiative under the European Innovation Council providing female-led deep-tech startups with €75,000 in gra…

View details →
Funded United Kingdom

Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship

Royal Society

Deadline: October

Up to 1.87M GBP over 8 years for early-career researchers who need a flexible working pattern due to caring responsibilities or he…

View details →
Funded Women-Only

Graduate Women New Zealand Fellowship

Graduate Women New Zealand (GWNZ)

Fellowship for outstanding New Zealand female graduates undertaking doctoral study, providing financial assistance and honorary GW…

View details →
Funded

NASA Harriett G. Jenkins Pre-doctoral Fellowship

NASA Office of STEM Engagement

Competitive fellowship for graduate students from underrepresented groups in STEM including women, ethnic minorities, and persons …

View details →
Funded Women-Only

AWM Karen EDGE Fellowship

Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM)

$8,000 per year for three years ($24,000 total) to propel the research careers of women mathematicians. Founded through a gift by …

View details →
Funded

Palantir Path Fellowship

Palantir Technologies

Deadline: November

A fellowship designed for students from underrepresented backgrounds in tech, offering mentorship, networking, and a pathway to Pa…

View details →
Funded Online

MLH Fellowship

Major League Hacking

Deadline: Rolling

A 12-week remote program where participants contribute to open source projects, work on production software, and receive mentorshi…

View details →
Funded Online

Outreachy

Software Freedom Conservancy

Deadline: February

Three-month paid remote internships with free and open source software organizations for people subject to systemic bias and under…

View details →
Funded Online

Linux Foundation LFX Mentorship Program

Linux Foundation

Deadline: Rolling

Connects students and open source newcomers with mentors from Linux Foundation-hosted projects including Linux kernel, Kubernetes,…

View details →

Graduate Programs (11)

Funded Canada

NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarships — Master's Program

Deadline: December

NSERC's flagship master's-level scholarship providing $17,500 for one year to high-caliber students beginning their graduate studi…

View details →
Funded

NOAA Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship

NOAA

A prestigious NOAA scholarship supporting master's and doctoral students in oceanography, marine biology, and maritime archaeology…

View details →
Funded Women-Only

Palantir Women in Technology Scholarship (WITA)

Palantir

A $7,000 scholarship for women pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees in computer science or a related technical field at US o…

View details →
Funded Women-Only

IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

An IAEA fellowship providing up to €40,000 in total support for women pursuing a master's degree in nuclear science, engineering, …

View details →
Funded Women-Only

ACS WCC/Merck Research Award

American Chemical Society / Merck

Recognizes up to 8 women in their third or fourth year of graduate school for excellence in chemistry research. Recipients receive…

View details →
Funded Women-Only United Kingdom

British Council Women in STEM Scholarships

British Council

Fully funded one-year Master's degrees at UK universities for women from 30 eligible countries across Asia, Latin America, and Sou…

View details →
Women-Only

Rising Stars in EECS Workshop

Rotating (MIT, Berkeley, CMU, Stanford, Georgia Tech)

Deadline: September

Intensive two-day annual workshop for women graduate students and postdocs pursuing academic careers in EECS. Hosted at rotating t…

View details →
Funded Online

Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans

Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans

Deadline: November

Supports graduate education of immigrants and children of immigrants across all disciplines including STEM. Provides up to $90,000…

View details →
Funded Online

National GEM Consortium Fellowship

National GEM Consortium

Deadline: November

Provides opportunities for underrepresented minority students to pursue graduate education in applied science and engineering thro…

View details →
Funded

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

National Science Foundation

Deadline: November

One of the oldest graduate fellowships in the US, GRFP awards three years of support — $37,000 annual stipend plus $16,000 cost-of…

View details →
Funded Other

ESA Young Graduate Trainee Programme

European Space Agency

Deadline: November

The European Space Agency's YGT programme offers one-year paid placements for recent graduates in engineering, science, and relate…

View details →

PhD Programs (13)

Funded

DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (CSGF)

Krell Institute / U.S. Department of Energy

One of the most prestigious computational science fellowships in the US, providing $36,000 per year plus full tuition and fees for…

View details →
Funded

DOE SCGSR Graduate Research Program

U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science

The Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program supports PhD dissertation research at DOE national laboratories by providing…

View details →
Funded

DOE NNSA Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship (SSGF)

Krell Institute / DOE NNSA

A fully funded graduate fellowship supporting PhD students whose research addresses challenges in stewardship science, including h…

View details →
Funded

Meta Research PhD Fellowship

Meta

A two-year fellowship for exceptional PhD students conducting research in areas relevant to Meta's research agenda, including AI, …

View details →
Funded Women-Only

AWIS Distinguished Doctoral Research Scholarship

Association for Women in Science (AWIS)

$10,000 scholarship supporting pre-doctoral women conducting dissertation research expected to make important and original contrib…

View details →
Funded

NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship Program

NVIDIA

Deadline: September

Up to $60,000 for PhD students doing outstanding research in computing, AI, graphics, autonomous vehicles, and related fields. Now…

View details →
Funded

HHMI Gilliam Fellows Program

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)

Deadline: November

Supports PhD students from underrepresented backgrounds — including women — in the life sciences with up to 3 years of stipend sup…

View details →
Funded

Microsoft Research Ada Lovelace Fellowship

Microsoft Research

Fellowship for second-year PhD students from underrepresented groups in computing including women. Covers tuition and fees for thr…

View details →
Funded Women-Only

AWM Dissertation Prize

Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM)

Deadline: September

Annual award recognizing outstanding PhD dissertations by female mathematical scientists. Up to three prizes of $500 each presente…

View details →
Funded Online

NDSEG Fellowship

U.S. Department of Defense

Deadline: December

Sponsored by the Department of Defense, NDSEG fellowships support US citizens pursuing doctoral degrees in science and engineering…

View details →
Funded Online

Hertz Fellowship

Fannie and John Hertz Foundation

Deadline: October

One of the most prestigious US graduate fellowships, supporting innovative PhD research in applied physical, biological, and engin…

View details →
Funded Online

Ford Foundation Fellowship Programs

Ford Foundation / National Academies

Deadline: December

Administered by the National Academies, Ford Foundation Fellowships increase faculty diversity by supporting predoctoral, disserta…

View details →
Funded

Microsoft Research Internship

Microsoft Research

Deadline: November

Microsoft Research offers paid internships for PhD students to collaborate with world-class researchers on projects in AI, machine…

View details →

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the top fellowships for women pursuing a PhD in STEM?

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship ($34,000/year stipend + $12,000 cost of education) is the most broadly applicable. The Hertz Foundation Fellowship ($50,000/year) is highly competitive. Microsoft Research Ada Lovelace Fellowship and Meta Research PhD Fellowship ($42,000/year + tuition) are top tech-industry awards. AAUW American Fellowships support doctoral and postdoc women.

Are there fellowships for women in STEM at the master's level?

Yes — AAUW Selected Professions Fellowships, P.E.O. Scholar Awards, and NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarships support master's students. The NSF GRFP also funds master's students, though it's more competitive at that level. Many corporate fellowships (Google, Microsoft) have master's tracks.

When is the best time to apply for NSF GRFP and similar fellowships?

NSF GRFP applications are due in October each year — typically the third or fourth week. First-year PhD students and the year before starting a PhD program are both eligible. The L'Oréal USA For Women in Science Fellowships target postdocs specifically. Plan to apply during your last year of undergrad or first year of grad school.

Browse by career stage: