Fellowship Competitions

Source: https://grad.illinois.edu/faculty-staff/toolkits-guides/funding-business-operations/fellowship-competitions Parent: https://catalog.illinois.edu/graduate/las/anthropology-phd/

Graduate College Faculty & Staff Toolkits and Guides Funding and Business Operations Fellowship Competitions

Fellowship Competitions

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

Doctoral recruitment fellowships for the University’s top incoming students.

Equity Doctoral Fellowships

Doctoral recruitment fellowships to promote equity and inclusion by supporting students who represent a broad array of life experiences and perspectives.

Equity Master's Fellowships

Master's recruitment fellowships to promote equity and inclusion 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

Grants for students who need to travel off-campus to complete a master’s project or conduct dissertation research.

Dissertation Completion Fellowships

Fellowships supporting doctoral students as they finalize their dissertations.

Specialized Awards:

Conference Presentation Awards

Small grants supporting students traveling to a professional conference (or participating in an online conference) to present a paper, poster, or other creative work.

Diffenbaugh Fellowships

Fellowships supporting students from Missouri.

Marion Morse Wood Fellowships

Fellowships supporting research in interpersonal communication.

Emergency Grants

Small grants for students facing acute and unexpected financial distress.

Competition Schedule for 2025-2026

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.

Contact Information

GradFellowships@illinois.edu

217-333-0036