Students in the UCI Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) are provided financial support that includes all tuition and fees for the duration of the program, as well as a monthly stipend that is the standard level of support for graduate students in the life sciences at UCI. The fellowships are awarded at the time of admissions on a rolling basis throughout the year, so it is to your advantage to have all of your application materials complete as early as possible. Alternative support is available during the graduate study years from each of the graduate departments. All students in the program receive additional funding to help pay the costs of attending one scientific meeting each year, as well as support for travel during the final year of the program while interviewing for residency programs.
In addition to MSTP support, many students in the program have applied for and received individual fellowships from a variety of prestigious organizations. Grants received in recent years have included:
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AHA Medical Student Fellowship
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AHA Individual Predoctoral Fellowship
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Fulbright fellowship
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ACA summer fellowship (project in Mexico)
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Dean's Office Summer Research Fellowship Regents Fellowship
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Schneiderman Fellowship
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UCI Committee of 1000 Graduate Students Fellowship
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UCI Developmental Biology Center (NIH) Predoctoral Training Grant
Some sources of information about individual fellowship opportunities are:
The Office of Research and Graduate Studies has more information on finding extra funding as well as an excellent grant search engine.
EXTERNAL FELLOWSHIPS AND FUNDING SOURCES
Fellowship Information compiled by Karen M. Thanks.
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
American Fellowships: Dissertation Fellowship
WHAT: 50 Dissertation Fellowships; $20,000
WHO: Women in all fields of study (except engineering) who have completed all requirements for the doctorate, except for the dissertation, by application deadline
WHEN: November
WHERE: www.aauw.org
American Diabetes Association (Karen)
Medical Scholars Program
WHAT: $20,000 stipend, etc.; $10,000 for research supplies; 1 year max.
WHO: MD or MD/PhD students; research related to diabetes
WHEN: January
WHERE: http://www.diabetes.org/main/professional/research/opportunities.jsp
American Heart Association (Sindy)
Western States Affiliates Research Award
WHAT: $18,500 stipend + $3,000 annual departmental allowance: 2 years max.
WHO: Doctoral student in any of the basic or clinical biomedical sciences, social or behavioral sciences, epidemiology or public health. Research broadly related to cardiovascular function and disease, stroke or to related basic science, clinical, bioengineering or biotechnology, public health. Students with well-developed research proposals and will have completed their required course work (i.e. qualifying examination) by fellowship start date.
WHEN: Early January
WHERE: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2493
American Psychological Association (APA)
Minority Fellowship Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Neurosciences
WHAT: Financial support; 2 years max.
WHO: Under-represented ethnic minorities. Disciplines related to neuroscience.
WHEN: January
WHERE: www.apa.org/mfp
Arthritis Foundation
Doctoral Dissertation Award
WHAT: 4-6 Scholarships; $10,000
WHO: Graduate students in health science, rehabilitation, biochemical research.
WHEN: September
WHERE: Research Administrator, Arthritis Foundation, National Office,1314 Spring St NW, Atlanta GA 30309
Epilepsy Foundation
Predoctoral Research Training Fellowship
WHAT: $20,000; 1 year max.
WHO: Predoctoral students with dissertation research related to epilepsy
WHEN: September
WHERE: http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/research/grants.cfm
Ford Foundation
Dissertation Fellowships for Minorities
WHAT: $21,000 stipend; 1 year max.
WHO: Ph.D. students who are U.S. citizens from one of the following minority groups: Native American Indian, Alaskan Native (Eskimo or Aleut), Black/African American, Mexican American/Chicano, Native Pacific Islander (Polynesian or Micronesian), or Puerto Rican. Must have completed all degree requirements except the writing and defense of the dissertation. Fields of behavioral sciences; literature & languages; history, philosophy, & religion; social sciences; education; life sciences; chemistry; earth sciences; physics & astronomy; engineering, mathematics, and computer sciences
WHEN: December
WHERE: http://national-academies.org/fellowships
Harvey Fellowship (Josh)
WHAT: $13,000 stipend; 2 years max.
WHO: Evangelical Christians pursuing graduate work in international development, telecommunications and media, high-tech science, performing arts, corporate finance, government, and university administration.
WHEN: December
WHERE: Address inquiries to: harvey@msfdn.org
Hertz Foundation (Josh)
Graduate Fellowships in the Applied Physical Sciences
WHAT: $28,000-$33,000 stipend + tuition allowance; 5 years max.
WHO: Ph.D. students in the applied physical sciences (including applications to biological research) working on solutions to problems of comparatively near-term, widespread human interest. Fields of applied physics, applied chemistry, applied mathematics, applied modern biology, all fields of engineering.
WHEN: October
WHERE: www.hertzfoundation.org/app.html
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
Predoctoral Fellowships in the Biological Sciences
WHAT: $21,000 stipend + $2,500 addit. + $13,500 for tuition; 5 year max.
WHO: Applicants should be at or near the beginning of study in a Ph.D. (First-year doctoral students are eligible.) Biochemistry, bioinformatics, biomedical engineering, biophysics, biostatistics, microbiology, epidemiology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, physiology, virology; fields of biology: developmental, mathematical, computational, molecular, cell, structural.
WHEN: November
WHERE: www.hhmi.org/grants/graduate/application
NASA / United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation
Harriett G. Jenkins Predoctoral Fellowship Program
WHAT: Tuition + stipend of $16,000; 3 years max.
WHO: Members of an under-represented minority group (including ethnic minorities, women, and disabled persons) who are registered in or entering a master's or doctoral degree program. Aeronautics/aerospace, astronomy, bioengineering, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth sciences, engineering, environmental sciences, life sciences, materials sciences, mathematics, meteorology, physical sciences, physics, and science education.
WHEN: February
WHERE: http://www.uncfsp.org
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA):
Graduate Student Researchers Program (GSRP)
WHAT: Training stipend + allowances - up to a total of $24,000; 3 years max.
WHO: Prospective graduate student or a full-time master's or doctoral student, at any point in his or her studies. Astrophysics, solar systems exploration, space physics, earth science, microgravity science and application, life sciences, social sciences, information systems, and any other fields related to NASA programs.
WHEN: February
WHERE: http://education.nasa.gov/gsrp
National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, Inc. (GEM)
Graduate Fellowship Programs - M.S. Engineering, Ph.D. Engineering, Ph.D. Science
WHAT: Minimum $14,000 stipend; 5 year max.
WHO: American citizens belonging to: American Indian, Black American, Mexican American, Puerto Rican or other Hispanic Americans. Fields of engineering: aerospace, chemical, computer, computer science, electrical, environmental, industrial, materials, mechanical. Also physical and life sciences which include biological sciences, chemistry, mathematics and physics.
WHEN: December
WHERE: http://www.nd.edu/~gem/
NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
NIH/National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
NIH/National Institute - Deafness & Other Communicat. Disorders (NIDCD)
NIH/ NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
NIH/ National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
NIH/ National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke (NINDS) (Shyam)
National Research Service Awards (F30,31)
WHAT: ~$21,000 training support; 5 years max.
WHO: Doctoral candidates who have successfully completed their comprehensive examinations or the equivalent by the time of award. Each Institute has a unique scientific purview and different program goals and initiatives that evolve over time. Therefore, it is critical that all applicants consult the appropriate Institute website and Institute office.
WHEN: April, August, December
(Please see individual institute website for specific deadlines)
WHERE: http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-04-032.html
NIH/Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Predoctoral Fellowship Awards for Minority Students
WHAT: Stipend, tuition, health insurance and fees; 5 years max.
WHO: Must be from ethnic/racial group that has been determined to be under-represented by the sponsoring graduate school. Fields of biomedical and behavioral sciences.
WHEN: May, December
WHERE: http://ahrq.gov/fund/ongoing.htm#ongoing/
National Science Foundation (NSF) (NOT AVAILABLE FOR MD/PHD)
Graduate Research Fellowships
WHAT: ~900 fellowships; $30,500 stipend + $10,500 for tuition; 3 years max.
WHO: Individuals entering or in the early stages of study in master's and Ph.D. degree programs. Women who apply for the fellowship will be considered for the Women in Engineering and Computer and Information Science (WECS) award when their degree program is in such a field of study. Mathematical, physical, biological, behavioral, and social sciences; engineering; history and philosophy of science; and research-based Ph.D. degree programs in science education.
WHEN: November
WHERE: https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/
PhRMA Foundation
WHAT: $20,000 a year; 2 year max.
WHO: Candidates who expect to complete requirements for the Ph.D. in the fields of pharmacology or toxicology in two years or less from the time the fellowship begins. Research that attempts to integrate information on the mechanism of action of a drug or chemical at a molecular or cellular level with the drug's effects in the intact laboratory animal or human, encompassing the potential influences of biochemical, physiological or behavioral systems.
WHEN: October
WHERE: http://www.phrmafoundation.org/awards/pharmacology/predoc.phtml
TRDRP (Tobacco Related Disease Research Program) (Karen)
Dissertation Research Awards
WHAT: $20,000 direct costs per year for stipend, etc.; $10,000 per year for tuition/fee remission, fringe benefits, and health insurance; 2-year max.
WHO: Doctoral candidates who wish to pursue tobacco-related research and who will have advanced to candidacy by the award start date.
WHEN: January
WHERE: http://www.trdrp.org/CALL.aspMaximum of 2 years. Maximum of
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Computational Science Graduate Fellowship Program
WHAT: Payment of institutional tuition/fees + $28,000 stipend; 4 years max.
WHO: Doctoral students in their first or second year of full-time. Sciences using computational science methods, including physical sciences, engineering, mathematical sciences, and life sciences. Fellows are expected to take substantive graduate coursework in a scientific or engineering discipline, in computer science, and in applied mathematics.
WHEN: January
WHERE: www.krellinst.org/csgf
