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
Equity Doctoral Fellowships
Equity MASTER'S FELLOWSHIPS
Master's recruitment fellowships to promote incusion and diversity by supporting students who represent a broad array of life experiences and perspectives.
DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS IN THE HUMANITIES & 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 Campus Visit program.
ASPIRE MASTER'S FELLOWSHIPS
Master's recruitment fellowships for participants in the Graduate College's Aspire Campus Visit program.
Travel Grants for Master’s Projects AND Dissertation Research
Dissertation Completion Fellowships
Specialized Awards:
Conference PRESENTATION Awards
Diffenbaugh Fellowships
Marion Morse Wood Fellowships
Emergency Grants
Competition Schedule for 2024-2025
|
COMPETITION |
NOMINATION DEADLINE |
Anticipated Notification of Results |
| Travel Grants (Fall) - Dissertation / Master's | Nov. 11, 2024 | Dec. 20, 2024 |
| Illinois Distinguished Fellowships (Rd 1) | Jan. 10, 2025 | Feb. 14, 2025 |
| Equity Doctoral and Equity Master's Fellowships (Rd 1) | Jan. 10, 2025 | Feb. 14, 2025 |
| Distinguished Graduate Fellowships in Humanities & Arts (Rd 1) | Jan. 10, 2025 | Feb. 14, 2025 |
| Aspire Doctoral and Aspire Master's Fellowships | Jan. 10, 2025 | Feb. 14, 2025 |
| Diffenbaugh Fellowships | Jan. 29, 2025 | Feb. 28, 2025 |
| Marion Morse Wood Fellowships in Interpersonal Communication | Jan. 29, 2025 | Feb. 28, 2025 |
| Illinois Distinguished Fellowships (Rd 2) | Feb. 19, 2025 | Mar. 28, 2025 |
| Equity Doctoral and Equity Master's Fellowships (Rd 2) | Feb. 19, 2025 | Mar. 28, 2025 |
| Distinguished Graduate Fellowships in Humanities & Arts (Rd 2) | Feb. 19, 2025 | Mar. 28, 2025 |
| Travel Grants (Spring) - Dissertation / Master's | Mar. 14, 2025 | Apr. 25, 2025 |
| Dissertation Completion Fellowships | Apr. 2, 2025 | May 9, 2025 |
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.