Generous donors have provided MIT with permanent funds in support of fellowships, many of which have unique restrictions. The Office of Graduate Education administers a number of these endowed fellowships through an annual competition in March. All nominations (both for new awards and for renewal requests) must be submitted by the departmental graduate office on behalf of the student. Students who qualify for one of the fellowships should contact their graduate administrator in order to be considered for nomination. Although these fellowships value strong academic and research prowness, the OGE is also very interested in each applicant’s community involvement at MIT (or prior institutions if an entering student). Please note the addition of an essay below asking students to elaborate on their community involvement (except for the Ida M. Green Fellowship).
The following symbols are used in the fellowship descriptions:
US citizens may apply
Permanent residents may apply
Internationals may apply
OGE fellowships: Deadline March 6th
Nominations for the following fellowships are typically due in March. Awards will be decided by the first week or two of April, with the exception of the Hugh Hampton Young. (Finalists for the Hugh Hampton Young will be chosen by mid-late April; those finalists will then be interviewed, with final awards to be decided in early May). The department, as the nominator, will be notified first of all decisions. Students will receive confirmation of any award via written letter by May 1; prior to that date, they may contact their department for updates. Students who are chosen for fellowship renewal should please note that any stipend increases take effect in September.
Nominations
With the exception of the Ida M. Green Fellowship and the Endowed Fellowships of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the OGE accepts only one nomination per department for each award. Graduate administrators may contact Scott Tirrell for copies of the nomination form or with questions about submitting nominations to the Office of Graduate Education.
Nomination packets include the following for each new candidate (and for Hugh Hampton Young renewals):
- A completed copy of the nomination form, preferably with an endorsement from the Department Head
- A curriculum vitae
- A transcript (for currently enrolled students, unofficial transcript or grade report is fine)
- A brief (1-2 page) research summary from the student, or, for first year students, a copy of the nominee’s “statement of objectives” from his or her application for admission
- NEW- A brief (1-2 page) summary of current or past community involvement. The OGE highly values positive impact on the MIT community. Please explain past or current community involvement on MIT’s campus (or prior campuses if you are an incoming student) and how you feel this involvement has benefitted the community (except for the Ida M. Green Fellowship)
- At least two letters of recommendation preferably from MIT faculty (for currently enrolled students), or from the applicant’s admissions folder (if entering)
Renewal candidates will be considered along side new candidates for funding requests. Note: If the department chooses to nominate a current fellow for renewal of a fellowship, then it may not also nominate a new student. Requests for a renewal should include the following:
- A copy of the nomination form as the cover page (available from the graduate administrator)
- An updated CV
- A current unofficial transcript or grade report
- NEW- A brief (1-2 pages) update on progress and how the fellowship has benefitted you in the prior year
- A renewal request from the student’s advisor, indicating that the student is in good standing, a brief description of progress, and anticipated date of degree.
A complete listing of these competitive fellowships follows. Please note that fellowship stipend amounts for 2020-2021 may change once Institute RA/TA stipends have been set for FY2021.
-
- William Asbjornsen Albert Memorial Fellowship
- Eli and Dorothy Berman Fund Fellowship
- Collamore-Rogers Fellowship
- Endowed Fellowships of the Arab Republic of Egypt
- Ida M. Green Fellowship
- John S. Hennessy Fellowship
- T.S. Lin Fellowship
- Wellington and Irene Loh Fund Fellowship
- John A. Lyons Fellowship
- Donald O’Brien Fellowship
- Henry C. (1926) and Frances Keany Rickard Fund Fellowship
- Fundacion Mario Santo Domingo Fellowship
- Chyn Duog Shiah Memorial Fellowship
- Luis Francisco Verges Fellowship
- George and Marie Vergottis Fellowship
- Whitaker Health Sciences Fund Fellowship
- Hugh Hampton Young Memorial Fund Fellowship
- Zakhartchenko Fellowship
- Mexico Fund For Graduate Students
- Angela Leong Fellowship Fund
- Louis B. Seigle Fellowship
- UNITEC Blue Fund (new)
- UNITEC Bio Fund (new)
William Asbjornsen Albert Memorial Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 1 |
| Field: | Science and Engineering |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | Nine months, not renewable |
| Eligibility: |   Any graduate student conducting research in any phase of modern science and engineering. |
Eli and Dorothy Berman Fund Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | Not offered FY21 |
| Field: | Unrestricted |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | One semester (fall or spring), not renewable |
| Eligibility: | First preference is given to Israeli graduate students, graduates of the Technion in Israel or students doing research with MIT profressors affiliated with Technion. |
Collamore-Rogers Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 1 |
| Field: | Unrestricted |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | Nine months, not renewable |
| Eligibility: | Women graduate students |
Endowed Fellowships of the Arab Republic of Egypt 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 12 (including renewals) |
| Nominations/ Department: |
There is no limit upon the number of nominees for this fellowship per department. |
| Field: | Unrestricted |
| Amount: | Full tuition, student health insurance and a premium stipend |
| Tenure: | Nine months, possibility of renewal, possibility of summer stipend support |
| Eligibility: | For citizens of the Arab Republic of Egypt with demonstrated excellence in their chosen field, with engineering and economics preferred, and then the sciences. Nominees must have a commitment to public service and the advancement of Egyptian society, and have a stated interest in working for the betterment of the people of Egypt after graduation. |
| Additional materials: | In addition to the usual nomination materials, nominations for this fellowship must include:
Note: Students will be expected to return to Egypt within two years of graduation to begin working, except in the case of a masters’ student pursuing a higher degree at MIT. The OGE will share any nominations with the Ministry of Finance of the Arab Republic of Egypt so that nominees can receive the Ministry’s recommendation. As part of this process, the Ministry may contact students directly about their work plans after graduation. See the Ministry of Finance (Arab Republic of Egypt) web site for the Ministry’s criteria in providing its recommendations. |
Ida M. Green Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 7 full, 3 summer |
| Nominations/ Department: |
Each department may nominate one MIT undergraduate senior woman who will be entering a graduate program at MIT (for a 9-month fellowship), one non-MIT woman entering a graduate program (for a 9-month fellowship), and one MIT senior OR non-MIT woman for 3 months of first-year summer stipend support. *** Each department may nominate 1 student in each of these 3 categories. |
| Field: | Unrestricted |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance, and a premium stipend, OR 3 months of summer stipend support |
| Tenure: | Nine months OR Three months, not renewable |
| Eligibility: | Nominees must be entering women graduate students |
John S. Hennessy Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 1 |
| Field: | Environmental studies |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | One semester (fall or spring), not renewable |
| Eligibility: | Any graduate student pursuing environmental studies |
T.S. Lin Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 3 |
| Field: | Unrestricted |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | Nine months, not renewable |
| Eligibility: | First preference for graduate students from the Tatung Institute, or a student from the Republic of China recommended by the Tatung Institute. Second preference for graduate students of Chinese ancestry. |
Wellington and Irene Loh Fund Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 1 |
| Field: | Unrestricted |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | One semester (fall or spring), not renewable |
| Eligibility: | Support for Graduate students of Chinese ancestry. |
John A. Lyons Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 1 |
| Field: | Unrestricted |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | Nine months, not renewable |
| Eligibility: | Preference is given to students that fit one or more of the following criteria: 1. The student is a recent graduate of Boston College; 2. The student was born in a city or town all or part of which is within a twenty-mile radius of the State House in Boston, Massachusetts. |
Donald O’Brien Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 2 |
| Field: | Unrestricted |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | Nine months, possibility of renewal for second year |
| Eligibility: | A graduate student who is a graduate of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of New Hampshire. |
Henry C. (1926) and Frances Keany Rickard Fund Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | Not offered FY21 |
| Field: | Life sciences* |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | One semester (Fall or Spring), not renewable |
| Eligibility: | *For a graduate student in the life sciences, or for a student in any field who received undergraduate scholarship assistance from the EDWARD M. RICKARD FUND at MIT. Additionally, preference will be given to graduates of the Haverhill High School of Haverhill, MA; however, this is not a requirement for eligibility. |
Fundacion Mario Santo Domingo Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 3 |
| Field: | School of Science, School of Engineering, or School of Architecture and Planning |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | Nine months with possibility of renewal |
| Eligibility: | Support for graduate students from Colombia in the Schools of Science, Engineering or Architecture and Planning with a preference for entering first year students. Students must demonstrate financial need as determined by the Fundacion Mario Santo Domingo. The students selected by OGE’s internal competition will be provided a separate application for their financial information that will be sent to the foundation for verification. |
Chyn Duog Shiah Memorial Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 1 |
| Field: | Engineering |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | Nine months, not renewable |
| Eligibility: | Support for a graduate student of Chinese ancestry, with some preference to students majoring in chemical engineering |
Luis Francisco Verges Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | Not offered FY21 |
| Field: | Research related to the sugar industry |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | Nine months, not renewable |
| Eligibility: | Any graduate student conducting work in the field of the sugar industry |
George and Marie Vergottis Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 2 |
| Field: | Unrestricted |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | Nine months, not renewable |
| Eligibility: | Any graduate student of Greek nationality |
Whitaker Health Sciences Fund Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 2 |
| Field: | Life Sciences or Bioengineering |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | 12 months, possibility of renewal for a second year |
| Eligibility: | A doctoral student in the life sciences or bioengineering, devoting more than 50 percent time to thesis research |
Hugh Hampton Young Memorial Fund Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | Variable |
| Field: | Unrestricted |
| Amount: | Standard tuition and/or stipend as determined by the Hugh Hampton Young Selection Committee |
| Tenure: | Variable, awardees may be nominated for a new award in successive cycles |
| Eligibility: | Nominees are recommended to the Hugh Hampton Young Memorial Fund Council for final selection. Candidates must have completed at least three years of undergraduate education. Candidates must have spent at least one year enrolled at MIT (either as a graduate or undergraduate student). The committee weights exceptional personal and character strengths more heavily than academic achievement; it also weights heavily the degree to which a candidate’s objectives would have a positive impact on humanity. A desirable candidate is one who has demonstrated: 1) High integrity and moral character 2) Strong will and determination to accomplish 3) Clear coordination and leadership skills 4) Exceptionally broad interests 5) Interdisciplinary training and development 6) Creativity in cross-disciplinary concepts.Nominees are encouraged to review the biography of Hugh Hampton Young. It was the objective of the anonymous founder of this Fellowship to foster the development of outstanding individuals with the great breadth of vision and interests, and the capacity for technical leadership as exemplified by Hugh Hampton Young. For some accomplishments of former Hugh Hampton Young fellows, see these news items. |
Zakhartchenko Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 1 |
| Field: | See Eligibility |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | Nine months, not renewable |
| Eligibility: | Graduate students with preference to those interested in or performing research in one of the following areas: 1) Time as a basic energy of the universe; 2) Unconventional aircraft, flight theories and transportation methods; 3) Hypersonic flight. |
Mexico Fund for Graduate Students Fellowship 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 2 |
| Field: | See eligibility requirements below |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | 9 months |
| Eligibility: | Preference will be given in the following sequence:Mexican citizens who are PhD candidate in the Department of Economics
|
Angela Leong Fellowship Fund 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 1 |
| Field: | Unrestricted |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | 9 months, not renewable |
| Eligibility: | Preference will be given in the following sequence:
|
Louis B. Seigle Award 2020-2021
| Number of Awards: | 1 |
| Field: | Unrestricted |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | 9 months, not renewable |
| Eligibility: | For a graduate student pursuing entrepreneurial activities, or one who has proposed such activities; must be a Texas citizen. First priority given to citizens of the Houston Texas area with a second priority available to other Texans. |
UNITEC Blue Fund
| Number of Awards: | 1 |
| Field: | Semi-conductors and nanotechnologies |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | One semester (Fall or Spring), not renewable |
| Eligibility: | For students pursuing research in semi-conductors and nanotechnologies, with first preference for graduate students from Argentina and second to graduate students from Latin America. |
UNITEC Bio Fund
| Number of Awards: | 1 |
| Field: | Biotechnology and bioengineering |
| Amount: | Standard tuition, student health insurance and standard stipend |
| Tenure: | 9 months, not renewable |
| Eligibility: | Students pursuing research in biotechnology and bioengineering fields, with first preference for graduate students from Argentina or Armenia and second to graduate students from Latin America |
Last updated January 27, 2020