Graduate Fellowships and Awards

We are excited that you are interested in applying for nationally and internationally competitive fellowships and awards. Our office provides services for enrolled students to support them through every aspect of the fellowship application process—from selecting fellowships aligned with student goals to final submission. Learn more about our office below.

Recent Success Stories

Juliana Antonio

Juliana Antonio has been awarded a fellowship from the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). The NSF-GRFP seeks to broaden participation in science and engineering of underrepresented groups. Juliana, who studies computational chemistry, hopes to eventually mentor students who do not have the resources to conduct research. 

 

Cailyn Stewart

Cailyn Stewart ’23, was selected for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Award to Poland. Cailyn completed her M.Ed. this year, and she is a Teach for America educator in Dallas ISD who is passionate about science education. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. 


Nicolette Edwards

Ph.D. candidate in anthropology, Nicolette Edwards, was chosen as a Humanities Without Walls (HWW) 2023 fellow. Her research addresses the impact of women’s roles on patterns of diet and nutritional stress among forest foragers in the Central African Republic. Nicolette will participate in the Humanities Without Walls Career Diversity Summer Workshop, which is an intensive two-week interactive experience for PhD students in the humanities that is facilitated and curated by the HWW team.


Overview of the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards Resources

  • Individual advising appointments
  • Group advising for specific fellowships (including NSF-GRFP and Fulbright)
  • Fellowships writing support
  • Boot Camps and Intensives
  • Asynchronous Canvas course
  • Management of internal fellowships process for nationally and internationally competitive awards (Fulbright, Boren, and limited submission for graduate student awards)

Book an Appointment

Rachel Ball Phillip

Dr. Rachel Ball-Phillips

Dr. Rachel Ball-Phillips, Director of Graduate Fellowships and Awards, wants to talk with you about fellowship opportunities. Enrolled graduate students are invited to make an appointment at the link below. She may also be reached by email at rmball@smu.edu.

Book Appointment

Matthew O’Donohue

Matthew O’Donohue, our Graduate Fellowship Consultant, joined the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards in the fall of 2023. A Boren Fellow, Matthew is an advanced Ph.D. candidate in the Applied Science program in the Lyle School of Engineering. Matthew meets with SMU graduate students that need help finding fellowships or with writing support for their applications.

Book Appointment

Annual Graduate Fellowships Workshop

The Fellowships Writing Boot Camp is for graduate students to understand all components of a successful fellowship application and complete a strong draft of the application components for the fellowship of their choice.

“For international students, it is necessary to understand how academic processes work in this country. This class not only teaches students how to apply to fellowships, but how to understand the processes behind them.” -STEM graduate student and fellowship workshop attendee

"This boot camp was a great way to develop my skills for grant writing, and also served as a place to connect with students outside my discipline and grow my network here at SMU. It was so nice to collaborate with other students and share ideas with people from a variety of scholarly backgrounds."-humanities graduate student and fellowship workshop attendee.

Learn more about our Graduate Fellowships Workshop

STEM Fellowships Workshop Syllabus

Humanities and Social Sciences Workshop Syllabus


Other SMU Funding Resources

Students who are looking for financial aid should reach out to the Graduate Financial Office. Additionally, the document below provides an overview of the types of funding support that may be available for graduate study at SMU and whom to contact.

Who can help me find funding for my graduate program?

Upcoming Events

No events are scheduled.
 

 

External Fellowships Databases

These databases are resources that graduate students will find helpful as they search for external funding.

The University of Illinois is a great tool for graduate students looking for awards. This database includes options to filter based on citizenship, degree type, and general field. Start broadly with search terms, and then use the keyword text search to narrow down the results.

Access Illinois Fellowship Finder

All SMU students have access to the SPIN database. This database provides a broad array of funding opportunities, so it is necessary for students to identify applicant type under preferences. There are many helpful tutorials for the SPIN database under the “Help” tab.

Access SPIN Database

The UCLA database is a great tool for graduate students looking for both graduate and post-doctoral awards. Students have options to filter by award type, citizenship, degree program, and academic level. Start broadly, and use the search bar at the top to narrow your results.

Access Database