MIT established a prestigious program of Presidential Fellowships in 1999 in order to recruit the most outstanding students worldwide to pursue graduate studies at the Institute.
Since then, the program has grown to support over 120 new graduate students annually as Presidential Fellows.
The Presidential Graduate Fellowship Award
Presidential Fellowships are nine-month fellowships that fund the tuition, monthly stipend (not to exceed the approved Science and Engineering Doctoral RA salary rate), and the student extended insurance plan of awardees for their first academic year at MIT.
Presidential Fellows are selected by the President and Provost from a pool of candidates nominated by the School deans, as well as the heads of departments and interdisciplinary programs. Students cannot apply directly for these fellowships.
Each Presidential Fellow receives a special certificate signed by the President of MIT emphasizing the prestigious nature of the award and identifying the benefactor responsible for the award presented at the Presidential Fellowship Reception each fall.
Department and academic administrators submit their nominations based on their Presidential Fellowship allocation for the upcoming year directly to the Director of Graduate Fellowships.
The program is administered by the MIT Office of Graduate Education in coordination with the Office of the Provost. For questions regarding this program, please contact the OGE Fellowships Team at grad-fellowships@mit.edu.
Two graduate student women make a heart with their arms while holding their Presidential Fellowship certificates.
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Two Presidential Fellowship recipients talk at the reception, smiling.
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Vice Chancellor Ian Waitz talks with two Presidential Fellowship recipients around a table.
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A Presidential Fellowship recipient poses for an iPhone photo, taken by someone in the foreground, as she holds her certificate.
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Two Presidential Fellowship Recipients talk, smiling, while holding plates of food. The Boston skyline is visible through the window behind them.
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The Boston skyline, visible from the background during the Presidential Fellowships Reception.
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A Presidential Fellowship recipient leans over to shake hands with another graduate student at the reception, smiling.
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Three Presidential Fellowship recipients pose for a photo at the reception, holding glasses and smiling.
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Denzil Streete, O.G.E. Senior Associate Dean and Director, speaks from a podium at the reception.
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A group of graduate students stand together at the reception, talking warmly.
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Kevin O'Brien, O.G.E. Director of Graduate Fellowships, smiles as he applauds recipients from the podium.
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Three graduate students pose together in a warmly-lit seating area, holding their certificates.
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A group of three Presidential Fellows gesture broadly as they talk together, laughing.
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Denzil Streete laughs with two Presidential Fellows at the reception.
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Five graduate students pose together, holding up their certificates, in front of the windows.
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Four Presidential Fellows strike a pose with their certificates.
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Photography by Justin Knight.
