There are many fellowships out there that graduate students can apply for. In addition to the ones listed here, the chemistry department regularly updates the online graduate student bulletin board with new fellowship/scholarship information.  The graduate division also sends a monthly e-mail newsletter to each graduate student that features new and/or niche fellowships.

• Fullbright Fellowship for International Study
• Hertz Graduate Fellowship
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
• NDSEG Felllowship
• SMART Fellowship
• DOE Office of Science Graduate Fellowship

Applying for a fellowship is highly recommended! Here are some reasons:

1. Receiving a fellowship is an award for your achievement. It is an honor, and a vote of confidence in your abilities.
2. With a fellowship, your advisor will not have to pay your stipend, leaving more money for other things in the lab.
3. Some fellowships come with extra money designated for your use to buy a computer or books, or for travel to conferences.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Many fellowships are highly competitive, so apply for several. Applications are usually due in the Fall.
2. If the fellowship amount is for less than the chemistry department annual stipend, then the Department will make up the difference between the two, so you will still receive at least the normal stipend amount.
3. If you are on an outside fellowship and acting as a GSI, you will receive a GSI position and salary commensurate with the requirements of your fellowship. (In some cases this will result in net earnings above the basic stipend level, in other cases the department will make up the difference to make your earnings match the basic stipend requirement.) This may be different for each fellowship and for more information concerning relevant details contact the Graduate Unit Manager. If your fellowship has extra money designated for “computer or books, etc.” then this is given to you for that purpose and does not count as part of the stipend (although it is taxable).
4. If you receive a fellowship, taxes will not be automatically deducted from your paycheck. Since taxes are normally taken regularly throughout the year, if you wait until the end of the year to pay taxes, you could be charged late fees. To avoid this, you should make quarterly estimated tax payments, which is not as hard as it sounds. You will need to estimate your income and taxes once at the beginning of the year and then make your payments in four installments. This will also mean you don’t end up paying thousands of dollars at once when you file your taxes. To make estimated tax payments, use the 1040-ES form for federal taxes, and California form 540-ES for state taxes.