The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology encourages students to apply to a multitude of means of support. The information presented on this page includes a list of funding opportunities, including fellowships and grants, for which students may be eligible. 

2024-2025 Funding Period

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Fletcher Jones Fellowship

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students nominated through School
  • Application period: 9/23/25-10/31/24
  • Award: $10,000 stipend for Winter or Spring (3 awards)
  • Eligibility: 
    • Citizenship requirements: Must be U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident, AB540 Status
    • Applicants must have advanced to candidacy
    • Financial need
    • Strongest consideration given to dissertations filed in Spring/Summer 2025.

Chancellor’s Club Fellowship

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students nominated through School
  • Application period: 9/23/24-10/31/24
  • Award: $23,000 stipend over Winter and Spring (2 awards)
  • Eligibility: 
    • Citizenship requirements: None
    • Must be a first-generation student
    • MFA or Ph.D. must be completed by the end of the Fall 2025 quarter.
    • Must have advanced to candidacy by 10/31/24 (Ph.D. applicants)
    • ≥3.7 UCI GPA
    • Financial need
    • Willingness to present dissertation at Chancellor’s Club dinner or other associated functions
    • Must demonstrate leadership and interpersonal abilities

Graduate Scholar Success Fund

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students nominated through School
  • Application period: 9/23/24-2025 Academic Year
  • Award: $9,500 with matching (multiple awards for each quarter).
  • Eligibility: First-generation students with urgent financial need

Otto W. Shaler Scholarship

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students nominated through School
  • Application period: 10/7/24-11/15/24
  • Award: $9,000 stipend for Spring Quarter, as well as resident fees
  • Eligibility:
    • International Ph.D. students
      • Students in self-supporting programs ineligibile
    • Financial need, good academic standing

Faculty Mentor Program (FMP)

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students nominated through School
  • Application period: 3/3/25-4/18/25
  • Award: Resident tuition and fees, $500 travel stipend, and $29,4000 stipend
  • Eligibility:
    • Citizenship requirements: Must be U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident, AB540 Status
    • Applicants must qualify as a diversity student as defined by the University of California, as well as demonstrate hardship.
    • Demonstration of high promise and potential 
    • Interest in academic career in research and teaching
    • ≥3.0 cumulative GPA
    • Full-time enrollment

Graduate Dean Dissertation Fellowship (GDDF)

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students nominated through School
  • Application period: 3/3/25-4/18/25
  • Award: $5,000 summer stipend
  • Eligibility:
    • Citizen requirements: Must be U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident, AB540 Status, or an International Student
    • Full-time enrollment in Ph.D., MFA program, nearing completion of thesis

President’s Dissertation Year Fellowship (PDY)

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students nominated through School
  • Application period: 3/3/25-4/18/25
  • Award: Full resident tuition, fees, $500 travel stipend, and $29,400 stipend
  • Eligibility:
  • Citizenship requirements: Must be U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident, AB540 Status
  • Must be in last year of graduate study, have advanced to candidacy by  Fall 2025

Fulbright Fellowship

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students apply through Grad Division
  • Application period: 4/1/24-10/8/24
  • Award: See website for more information.
  • Eligibility:
    • Citizenship requirements: Must be a U.S. Citizen
    • Master’s and Ph.D. candidates who display both general knowledge of history, current events, and culture of the countries they are applying to as well as the ability to study or research independently
    • Candidates without recent experience abroad in the country to which they are applying are preferred

Public Impact Fellowships

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students apply through Grad Division
  • Application period: 9/18/24-10/23/24
  • Award: $10,000 and $1,000 stipends
  • Eligibility:
    • ≥3.7 UCI GPA
    • Must not be in a self-supporting program
    • Full time doctoral or MFA student
      • If doctoral student, must have advanced to candidacy by October 23, 2024
    • Must conduct research with “critical public impact”
    • Willingness to have research highlighted on Graduate Division, UCI websites, brochures, social networks.
    • Must be able to discuss research in lay terms with legislators, donors, media during Winter, Spring quarters
    • Finalists must give a brief Zoom presentation to selection committee without visual aids and give an interview

Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students apply through Grad Division
  • Application period: 9/20/24-11/1/24
  • Award: $31,000 over 12 months
  • Eligibility:
    • Ph.D. candidate
    • STEM candidates may apply questions pertinent to ethics, values, and religious understanding central to dissertation
    • Must have completed all pre-dissertation requirements
    • Must be in writing of dissertation—all fieldwork and other research are complete (between April 1st-August 31st the year of the award)
    • Not previously held similar national award in the final year of dissertation

UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

  • Direct application or school nomination: Apply directly to UCOP
  • Application period: 9/3/24-11/1/24
  • Award: Benefits, $5000 research/travel stipend, $66,737
  • Eligibility:
    • Citizenship requirements: Must provide documentation indicating one can legally work in the United States; deferred action status under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals encouraged to apply
    • Applicants must receive a terminal degree.

Brython Davis Fellowship

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students apply through Grad Division
  • Application period: 10/7/24-11/15/24
  • Award: $9000 spring stipend, resident fees
  • Eligibility:
    • Citizenship requirements: U.S. Citizen
    • Must be in a Ph.D. or master’s program—cannot be in a self-supporting program
    • Good academic standing
    • Child of regular U.S. Navy or Marine Corps member

Gordon Hein Scholarship

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students apply through Grad Division
  • Application period: 10/7/24-11/15/24
  • Award: $9000 spring stipend, resident fees
  • Eligibility: 
    • Must be blind/legally blind
    • Must be in a Ph.D. or master’s program—cannot be in a self-supporting program
    • Good academic standing
    • Financial need

La Verne Noyes Fellowship

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students apply through Grad Division
  • Application period: 10/7/24-11/15/24
  • Award: $5000 Spring stipend
  • Eligibility: 
    • Citizenship requirements: U.S. Citizen
    • Must be direct descendant of WWI U.S. Army or Navy veteran. 
      • See Grad Division site for more information.
    • Good academic standing
    • Financial need

Miguel Velez Scholarship

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students apply through Grad Division
  • Application period: 10/7/24-11/15/24
  • Award: $9,000 Spring stipend, resident fees
  • Eligibility: 
    • Citizenship requirements: Citizen of Latin American country or have AB540 status
    • Colombian citizens or those who can prove they descend from Miguel Velez are given preference
    • Good academic standing
    • Financial need

HHMI Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study

  • Direct application or school nomination: Candidates and their advisors must apply directly. 
  • Application period: 10/21/25-12/2/24 (tentatively)
  • Award: $53,000 per year, up to 3 years
  • Eligibility:
    • Citizenship requirements: U.S. Citizen, U.S. permanent resident, DACA or undocumented childhood arrival
    • Advisors and students must jointly apply
    • Must demonstrate commitment to promoting scientific research that is equitable and inclusive

Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students apply through Grad Division
  • Application period: 11/18/24-12/13/24 (tentatively)
  • Award: $18,000 stipend and tuition
  • Eligibility: 
    • Citizenship requirements: U.S. Citizen
    • Field of study must be in the humanities, natural sciences, or social sciences
      • Selection committee strongly prefers to support scholarly endeavors
    • Candidate must be pursuing a graduate degree
    • Applicants must have outstanding graduate and undergraduate records

DLC – Community Impact Fellowship

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students apply through Grad Division
  • Application period: 2/3/25-3/3/25
  • Award: $500 stipend for Spring
  • Eligibility: 
    • ≥3.7 UCI GPA
      • ≥ quarters of graduate research 
    • Full-time MFA or doctoral student
      • Must have advanced to candidacy by 3/3/25
    • Research must have a high community impact in the vicinity of Orange County

Tom Angell Fellowship

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students apply through Grad Division
  • Application period: 2/3/25-3/3/25
  • Award: $500 stipend for Spring
  • Eligibility: 
    • For graduate applicants:
      • Excellent mentorship of UCI students
      • Satisfactory academic progress
    • For postdoctoral applicants:
      • Excellent mentorship of UCI students or other postdoctoral fellows

Guru Gobind Singh Fellowship

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students apply through Grad Division
  • Application period: 4/1/25-4/16/25
  • Award: $30,000 academic year stipend
  • Eligibility:
    • Must be a graduate of Indian or Pakistani university from specified area:
    • Must be committed to returning to country of origin after degree completion
    • Must not have conducted graduate study at any other U.S. educational institution
    • Priority given to students who already have a master’s degree

NSF Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students

  • Direct application or school nomination: External application
  • Application period: Rolling deadline
  • Award: See website. 
  • Eligibility:
    • NSF Graduate Research Program Fellow or working under a PI with an NSF grant
    • Fellows must be active during the period of internship
    • Completion of at least one year in graduate program
    • Satisfactory progress towards degree completion

Graduate Dean’s Recent Alumni Fellowship

  • Direct application or school nomination: Students apply through Grad Division
  • Application period: Rolling deadline
  • Award: Unpaid, but will gain access to career and networking resources
  • Eligibility: See website.

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program

  • Direct application or school nomination: External application
  • Application period: Rolling deadline
  • Award: See website
  • Eligibility: 
    • Citizenship requirements: U.S. Citizen, permanent resident, or national
    • Must be enrolled in Ph.D. or master’s program
    • Must be enrolled in accredited institution in the U.S. in STEM by at least the fall of the award selection
    • Must not have terminal degree
    • Must not be greater than a first [academic] year graduate student
    • Must not have previously applied to the GRFP.

Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need Fellowship Program

  • Direct application or school nomination: TBA
  • Application period: 10/24–11/18
  • Applications due on November 18, 2025
  • Award: TBA
  • Eligibility:
    • Citizenship requirements: U.S. Citizen
    • Financial need

Fulbright-Hays DDRA Program

Direct application or school nomination: Direct application

Application period: Deadline is 1/15/24.

Award: See [https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/grants-higher-education/ifle/fulbright-hays-doctoral-dissertation-research-abroad#Past-Awards-&-Funding website].

Eligibility:

Citizenship requirements: Must be a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States

Must have advanced to candidacy

Must plan a teaching career in the U.S. following graduation

Must possess adequate skills in given language to complete dissertation in other countries