UW–Madison sponsored fellowships
There are many merit-based Graduate School and departmental fellowships that are awarded to graduate students, including fellowships designed to enhance diversity on campus. Nominations and/or selection of most fellowship awards for incoming students are made by the graduate program(s) to which students are applying. To inquire about eligibility and application procedures, please contact your graduate program. If you have a Graduate School-funded fellowship, please scroll down for information about your fellowship.
- Graduate School fellowships
- Graduate Research Scholars
- Kemper Knapp University Fellowship
- Straka Fellowship
- Dickie Fellowship
- Albert Markham Fellowship
The UW–Madison Graduate School directly supports over 200 fellowships each year to both current and incoming students. Fellowship recipients are selected by their graduate program.
Graduate Research Scholar fellowships (also called GRS or AOF) support underrepresented students. GRS Communities are organized by the schools and colleges with funding from the State of Wisconsin Advanced Opportunity Program and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation to support students throughout their graduate school career for a range of social, academic, professional development opportunities.
The Kemper Knapp Fellowship provides 12-month fellowships to incoming PhD, DMA-, or MFA-bound underrepresented students, such as students of color and low-income first-generation students in the Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences. Academic programs may nominate incoming PhD-, DMA-, or MFA-bound students.
The Jerome A. and Mary Jane Straka Fellowship supports middle-class, middle-income dissertators pursuing a course of study in engineering, physical sciences, biological sciences, mathematics, or economics (concentrating on the advantages of the free-enterprise system).
The Dickie Family Sauk County Educational Fellowship supports graduate students in science, math, or engineering who are residents of Sauk County when they begin their graduate studies at UW–Madison. Preference is given to returning adult students.
The Albert Markham Fellowship supports recent PhD recipients conducting postdoctoral international research. The students must have completed their PhD in linguistics, a foreign language, and/or cultural studies.
External funding opportunities
In addition to funding through their program, graduate students are strongly encouraged to apply for fellowships from federal agencies, professional organizations, and private foundations. To aid with this search, the UW–Madison Graduate School recommends reviewing the Fellowship Finder provided by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).
Please note that this portal is publicly accessible but designed for UIUC students. If you or your advisors would like assistance interpreting the eligibility requirements or selection criteria for fellowships you find there, please contact the UW–Madison Fellowship Officer at funding@grad.wisc.edu.
Each particular fellowship will have its own unique set of benefits and responsibilities. You should make sure you understand the terms and conditions of any fellowship/scholarship for which you are applying: award/stipend amount, tuition coverage (if any), other supplemental funds (e.g., travel funds, research funds, conference presentation funds). Graduate programs and the UW–Madison Graduate School may supplement some externally-funded fellowships. Please talk to your program staff about the opportunity to receive tuition assistance and benefits if you are selected for an externally-funded fellowship.
Select opportunities are listed below.
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
- Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships
- National GEM Consortium
- Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Fellowship
UW–Madison is a leading institution in NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recipients. The GRFP provides three years of financial support to U.S. citizens and permanent residents for graduate study to advance science and engineering research and innovation. Recipients receive a $37,000 annual stipend and $12,000 in tuition assistance for the three years.
The U.S. Department of Education funds Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships for graduate students enrolled in foreign language courses and pursuing regional or international studies.
The National GEM consortium is a national network of universities and employers committed to achieving greater diversity in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields by advancing the careers of talented graduate students from underrepresented groups. GEM Fellows receive funding for their first year of graduate studies.
The Big Ten Academic Alliance and the Smithsonian Institute partner to provide fellowship opportunities for dissertators to conduct paid research at the Smithsonian Institute.
Find more funding opportunities
Information for current graduate school fellows
Please see below for key information on your Graduate School fellowship and any external fellowship supplemented by the university. When a funding agency’s regulations are more restrictive than those of the university’s, the agency’s regulations apply. For more information, please contact the Fellowship Officer at funding@grad.wisc.edu.
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Fellowship period and stipend
Graduate School fellowship stipends for 2022-23 are:
Academic year: $23,727
Semester: $11,864
Annual: $29,000
Summer: $7,909
Graduate School fellowship stipends for 2023-24 are:
Academic year: $24,545
Semester: $12,272.50
Annual: $30,000
Summer: $8,182
All fellows should receive a confirmation letter outlining the details of their fellowship appointment. Contact your graduate program or your payroll coordinator for a copy of the letter.
Your confirmation letter should outline the start and end date of the fellowship and the payment schedule. If the amount of a payment is incorrect, or if you do not receive a payment, contact the payroll coordinator who administers your fellowship on campus. If you are overpaid, you must pay back the overpayment.
Direct deposit
To receive your stipend, you must authorize direct deposit of your check to a bank or credit union. Download a direct deposit authorization form, and return the form to your graduate program as soon as possible. If you already have a direct deposit authorization form on file with your department or the university, your stipend check will be deposited directly into your bank account.
Tuition and fees
Most fellowships cover the full cost of tuition and segregated fees during the fellowship period. If you have a 9-month fellowship appointment (September through May), and you wish to take credits during the summer following your fellowship period, you will be responsible for paying the in-state tuition rate for those credits. If you have a 12-month fellowship, your full summer tuition and fees will be covered by the fellowship.
Health insurance benefits
Fellows with appointments lasting at least one semester (4.5 months) are eligible to receive health insurance for the fellowship period. If you have had graduate student health insurance at UW–Madison immediately preceding your fellowship appointment, those benefits will automatically continue; you will not need to submit any new forms. If you have not had graduate student health insurance benefits and would like to start them, you can learn more about your health insurance options and access the forms you need to fill out by visiting the benefits website. Forms must be completed and returned to your graduate program within 30 days of the start of your appointment to secure benefits. Once your health insurance has been activated, your monthly premium will be deducted from your stipend check.
If you have a nine-month fellowship and anticipate that you will hold an appointment eligible for benefits (e.g., graduate assistantship) in the fall following the fellowship period, your health insurance will be continued over the summer. Additional premiums to cover the summer months will be taken out of your checks in the spring. Any questions about health insurance should be directed to the benefits coordinator in your graduate program.
Full-time study
All fellows must register full time during all terms in which you have a fellowship appointment. If you do not register by the end of the first week of classes, your stipend check may be held. Full-time study for non-dissertators is a minimum of eight (8) credits of graduate level coursework (courses numbered 300 and above) each fall and spring semester. Full-time study for dissertators is exactly three (3) credits (usually Research/Thesis) each fall and spring semester. If you have a summer fellowship appointment, non-dissertators must register for two (2) credits and dissertators must register for three (3) credits; these credits must be taken during the 8-week general summer session (DHH). You must take this coursework for grades rather than as audits or for Pass/Fail. A progress grade in Research & Thesis (990) is acceptable.
Satisfactory progress
Fellows must make satisfactory progress toward their graduate degrees. Satisfactory progress is at the discretion of a student’s program, the Graduate School, and a student’s faculty advisor. At a minimum, the Graduate School requires that students maintain a graduate GPA of at least 3.00 in all graduate-level work (300 or above, excluding research, audit, credit/no credit, and pass/fail courses) taken as a graduate student unless probationary admission conditions require higher grades. The Graduate School also considers Incomplete (I) grades to be unsatisfactory if they are not removed during the subsequent semester of enrollment; however, the instructor may impose an earlier deadline.
Income taxes
University faculty and staff are not authorized to provide tax advice. However, the University of Wisconsin Service Center has put together a useful website with general information about tax filing.
U.S. citizens and permanent residents: Since a fellow’s stipend is not considered wages (although it is reportable income), the university does not withhold taxes from your stipend. As a result, you may need to pay estimated taxes on a quarterly basis directly to the IRS and the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Consult the UW Service Center’s website for tax filing resources. To help you prepare annual income tax forms, Employee Compensation and Benefits (EC&B), 21 N. Park Street, Suite 5101, will send each fellow an information letter in January reporting the amount of stipend paid the previous tax year. Address questions regarding that letter or other withholding issues to EC&B at (608) 265-2257. Fellows will not receive a W-2 form since W-2 forms are for wages only.
International students (nonresident aliens): Please consult the UW Service Center’s website for relevant information and tax filing resources.
Concurrent appointments
Fellows can hold a concurrent appointment as a TA, RA, PA, or student hourly with their fellowship within the limits set out in the current university policy. Whenever assistantships (RA, TA, or PA) are combined with fellowships or traineeships, total compensation cannot exceed the department’s full-time RA rate that was reported to the Graduate School for the current year. For more information about full-time RA rates and the Concurrent Appointment policy go to the Graduate School’s relevant Academic Policies and Procedures page.
For externally funded fellowships concurrent appoint policies will vary across agencies/donors. Please review the terms and conditions of the externally funded fellowship to know what the specific policy is about concurrent appointments. For example, students with NSF Fellowships may not hold concurrent appointments funded by federal dollars.
If you have questions about holding multiple fellowships at one time, check with your graduate coordinator about the program’s policy pertaining to holding multiple fellowships.
For specific questions about concurrent appointments, contact the Graduate School at funding@grad.wisc.edu.
Financial aid with fellowships
If you are applying for financial aid, please be aware that your fellowship could affect your eligibility. You must inform the Office of Student Financial Aid (608) 262-3060 and any granting agency of all types of support you receive, including fellowships. This is to ensure appropriate calculation of financial need. If you need short-term financial assistance, contact the Office of Student Financial Aid. You may be able to receive a no-interest $500 short-term loan on a limited basis.