Central Campus Fellowships
Fellowship Support
A fellowship is any payment to a student that is not salary or direct reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses such as travel costs. Fellowship funds could provide payment of any of the following: tuition and fees, health insurance, non-resident supplemental tuition, and stipend. Funds are awarded on the basis of merit and the promise of productive scholarship. Types of university awards and funding sources include centrally administered fellowships, department and campus gift and endowment funds, and departmental block grants. All fellowships must be processed and disbursed by the Graduate Division.
Except for a selection of continuing fellowships (listed below), graduate students do not apply directly for central campus fellowships. Central fellowship awards are based on nomination by departments and selection by a central faculty fellowship committee. Departments may also award department-specific fellowships to incoming students based on their application materials or to continuing students based on nomination. Please contact your department’s graduate program assistant or graduate advisor for information about fellowships available to you.
For other fellowship opportunities, see Extramural Funding or Other Campus Funding Opportunities as well as the International Doctoral Recruitment Fellowship (IDRF) for international students.
Quick Links
Self-Nominated Fellowships
Continuing graduate students may apply directly to these fellowships by clicking the DocuSign forms in the links below.
Department-Nominated Fellowships
Continuing graduate students may be approached by their departments to provide materials for the below department-nominated fellowships.
Applications for the below fellowships are due via Docusign no later than March 7, 2025.
Broida-Hirschfelder Fellowship
Application Basics
Deadline: March
Eligibility: Applicants must be STEM doctoral students and advanced to candidacy at the time of application. Registration status may impact eligibility. Check the application for more information.
Funding Amount: $10,834
The UCSB Affiliates (formerly the UCSB Shoreliners and Faculty Women’s Club), with matching support from Graduate Division, makes two awards from the Broida-Hirschfelder Endowment to domestic and/or international students from STEM disciplines every year.
Brython Davis Graduate Fellowship
Application Basics
Deadline: March
Eligibility: Applicants must be the child of one or more parent(s) who have served as a regular member of the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps. They may not hold an active multi-year central fellowship package. Registration status may impact eligibility. Check the application for more information.
Funding Amount: Up to $10,834
The Brython Davis Graduate Fellowship is designated for children of regular members of the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps. It provides one-quarter of fellowship support for a continuing graduate student.
Olivia Long Converse Graduate Fellowship
Application Basics
Deadline: March
Eligibility: Applicants must be conducting research on plants. They may not hold an active multi-year central fellowship package. Registration status may impact eligibility. Check the application for more information.
Funding Amount: Up to $32,500
The Olivia Long Converse Fellowship supports graduate research on terrestrial plants in Mexico. Fellowships will be granted for field-oriented studies. Supportable areas of research are in one or more of the following with a strong preference for research in Mexico: systematic, floristic, vegetational, ecological, and phytogeographic botany studies. Some applications will also be considered for research on botany in other locations.
James D. Kline Fund for International Studies Award
Application Basics
Deadline: March
Eligibility: Applicants must research international understanding and world peace. Graduate students from all disciplines at UCSB may apply. Registration status may impact eligibility. Check the application for more information.
Funding Amount: $1500 - $2500
This award is intended to support top caliber master's thesis or doctoral dissertation research by UCSB graduate students engaged in programs of study that promote international understanding and world peace. This fund is dedicated to James D. Kline, who was active in the Fulbright Program and devoted a lifetime to international education.
Humanities and Social Sciences Research Grant
Application Basics
Deadline: March
Eligibility: Applicants must be MFA or PhD candidates in education, social sciences, fine arts, or humanities disciplines. Registration status may impact eligibility. Check the application for more information.
Funding Amount: Up to $3000
This award is given to assist talented graduate students in education, social sciences, fine arts, and humanities as they pursue original research over the summer. Since these disciplines traditionally have limited access to extramural funds, this program helps redress an imbalance in funding for graduate research.
Graduate Division Dissertation Fellowship
Application Basics
Deadline: March
Eligibility: Applicants must be nominated by their department and advanced to candidacy. Registration status may impact eligibility. Check the application for more information.
Funding Amount: $10,834
The Graduate Division Dissertation Fellowship is intended for doctoral students from all academic disciplines who have advanced to candidacy and who are in the final stages of completing their dissertation. Students who have not had regular support, such as GSR positions, for dissertation research will be given priority. This is a one-time, non-renewable award and is expected to be the final award before the degree is conferred.
Graduate Opportunity Fellowship / Graduate Research Mentorship Program
Application Basics
Deadline: March
Eligibility: Applicants must be nominated by their department and must make a contribution to the diversity of the graduate population in the nominating department or the university. Registration status may impact eligibility. Check the application for more information.
Funding Amount: $32,500
The award provides an academic year fellowship for a continuing graduate student. It is intended to assist recipients in acquiring and developing sophisticated research skills under faculty mentorship. The fellowship’s goal is to increase the number of students who contribute to the diversity mission of the university who persist towards the doctoral degree and show promise as candidates for faculty appointments. This award is particularly appropriate for support in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th year of studies.
Graduate Humanities Research Fellowship
Application Basics
Deadline: March
Eligibility: Applicants must be nominated by their department and must be pursuing a degree in the humanities or fine arts or conducting research of a humanistic nature. Registration status may impact eligibility. Check the application for more information.
Funding Amount: $32,500
The Graduate Humanities Research Fellowship is intended for doctoral students from the humanities or fine arts or doctoral students who are conducting research of a humanistic nature. This award is intended to free the student from employment obligations, enabling full attention to research.
President’s Dissertation Year Fellowship
Application Basics
Deadline: March
Eligibility: Applicants must be nominated by their department and must make a contribution to the diversity of the graduate population in the nominating department or the university. Registration status may impact eligibility. Check the application for more information.
Funding Amount: Up to $32,500
The UC President’s Dissertation Year Fellowship allows doctoral students to devote full attention to completing the dissertation in a twelve-month period. The award requires a clearly defined, vital mentor relationship between the student and their dissertation advisor that will encourage completion of the doctoral degree during the tenure of this fellowship.
Fellowship Eligibility and Terms and Conditions
Review the eligibility, terms, and conditions set by the Graduate Division.
Examples of Diversity Fellowship Criteria
Read examples of candidates who fulfill fellowship requirements.
Fellowships for New and Continuing Students
Explore other fellowships offered by the central campus for graduate students.