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Resources to help graduate students and postdoctoral scientists find and apply for fellowships, travel funds and more.

Fellowships, Travel & More

Are you a College of Natural Sciences graduate student or postdoc looking for fellowship funding? This page provides links to external fellowship programs and other resources to help you search for fellowship opportunities and has information about workshops available to help you apply. Jump to:

The number of available fellowship opportunities can appear overwhelming. You should always consult with your advisor to select a fellowship opportunity that best suits your individual career plans.

If you've found a fellowship you'd like to apply for, but aren't sure what to do next, contact the College of Natural Sciences' Strategic Research Initiatives team at CNS_SRI@austin.utexas.edu. We can help you take the necessary steps to get your application out the door.

For assistance with NSF GRFP and NIH NRSA applications, participate in one of our workshops. 

Get our Full calendar of fellowship opportunities

Workshops for Fellowship Applicants

Program contact:  Dr. Angel Syrett, ANGELITA@AUSTIN.UTEXAS.EDU

  • NIH NRSA Writers' Workshop | Held twice annually in fall and spring

    NIH NRSA F31 and F32 Fellowships for Graduate and Postdoctoral Researchers

    The NIH NRSA F31 and F32 Workshop is taught by Dr. Angel Syrett and is offered twice per year, in the Spring and Fall. It is designed to coach graduate and postdoctoral researchers through the process of writing and applying for NIH NRSA F31 and F32 fellowship applications. Workshops are preceded by a 1-hour information session and sign-up and begin two months before the NIH deadlines of April 8th and December 8th.

    Workshop Features
    • Weekly individual coaching sessions
    • Structured, step-wise timeline
    • Access to correctly formatted templates
    • Access to successful fellowship application examples
    • Peer-review and critique
    • Slack workspace-based peer network

  • NSF GRFP Information Session and Writers' Workshop | Held Annually in Fall

    NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

    The NSF GRFP Writers' Workshop is taught by Dr. Angel Syrett and is offered in the Fall of each year. It is designed to coach graduate and undergraduate researchers through the process of writing and applying for NSF GRFP applications. Workshops are preceded by a 1-hour information session led by Dr. Syrett and a panel discussion by past GRFP awardees. The information session is hosted by the Office of Graduate Studies, and after the information session, attendees are invited to sign up for the GRFP Writers' Workshop.

    Workshop Features
    • Weekly Writers' Group meetings featuring Past Reviewer Guest Speakers and Past Awardee Guest Speakers
    • GRFP Support Network including Past Reviewers, Past Awardee Peer-Mentors
    • Access to a large collection of resources and successful examples
    • Peer-review and critique guided by GRFP Merit Review 
    • Slack workspace featuring Past Reviewer, Peer-Mentor and Peer network

More Resources

Fellowship Aggregators

UT Austin Graduate School page of fellowship opportunities - includes federal and private fellowship opportunities as well as fellowships offered by Departments, Colleges, and the Graduate School

National Academies list of fellowship opportunities - links to federal and private fellowship opportunities

Funding Database 

To search an even broader portfolio of funders for fellowship opportunities, use the Pivot online database. Pivot tracks both federal and private foundation funding opportunities and enables to you conduct advanced searches for funding opportunities that meet your self-determined criteria (e.g., open to international students, student- or postdoc-only opportunities, type of research and more). Those searches can be scheduled to run automatically on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, with the results emailed directly to you.

Federally Supported Fellowships

Several federal agencies offer graduate and postdoctoral fellowships. More information about some of these programs is provided below.

NSF GRFP & NIH Training

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP)

NSF GRFP fellowships provide three years of full salary and tuition support to graduate students. College seniors and first- and second-year graduate students are eligible to apply. You must be a U.S. citizen, national or permanent resident to be eligible.

National Institutes of Health Research Training Portal

This comprehensive website provides information and links to active funding opportunities for various NIH fellowships and career development grants, including:

  • Predoctoral (graduate student) fellowships (F31) - U.S. citizens/permanent residents only
  • Postdoctoral fellowships (F32) - U.S. citizens/permanent residents only
  • Pathway to Independence (postdoc-to-faculty transition) awards (K99/R00) - open to international postdocs

Other Federal Fellowship Opportunities

Non-Federal Fellowship Opportunities

Below is a list of select fellowships recently awarded to College of Natural Sciences graduate students or postdocs. Many other fellowship opportunities exist - it would be impossible to list them all! You can consult the lists above (under "Where Can I Search for Fellowship Opportunities?") or search the SciVal Funding database to find even more fellowship opportunities.

Opportunities for International Students, Postdocs & Research

Below is a short list of fellowships that are open to international students and postdocs. This list is not exhaustive; to search for even more opportunities, use SciVal Funding (see above) and filter your search results to display opportunities for international applicants. 

Internal Funding Opportunities and Travel Awards