Fellowships and Scholarships

The Graduate School serves as the coordinating office for fellowships and scholarships awarded outside the university, such as Graduate Consortium for Minorities in Engineering and Science, National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship, Packard Foundation, Ford Fellowships, Fulbright Scholarships, and many others.

Fellowships
The Graduate School accepts department nominations for several fellowships for outstanding students: the Powell Fellowship, the Cunningham Fellowship, and the Congressional Fellowship.

There are other fellowships available through colleges and departments. Students are encouraged to contact their academic departments for information.

The Graduate School also posts information about current funding opportunities. The Virginia Tech Research Division publishes a weekly Opportunity Update that includes notices of selected graduate and postdoctoral research opportunities and fellowships that are funded outside of the university. The Opportunity Update can be sent to you by e–mail. Students can also conduct their own comprehensive search with COS Alert Service and have results e–mailed to them each week. Many other alert services, such as Grants Net, are also available.

Fellowship students are expected to be enrolled for a minimum of 12 credit hours each for the Fall and Spring semesters. Virginia Tech does not require fellowship students to be enrolled during the summer terms, though this may be a requirement of the funding agency.

Scholarships
Many departments award scholarships specific to their programs. A description of the available scholarships is generally listed on the departments' web pages. Eligible students are offered these scholarships at the discretion of the department. Other internal scholarships may be available through the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. External scholarships may also be available to graduate students and can be accessed by Internet search. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid has compiled a list of web sites for your convenience.