Upcoming Deadlines and Opportunities (January 2026)
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The Grad Center posts a regular digest of highlighted funding and professional opportunities during the regular academic year. External opportunities are shared for informational purposes only and their inclusion herein does not represent an official endorsement by the University.
To see additional fellowships and award opportunities, visit the CURF Resources for Graduate Students and Grad Center Grants and Fellowships webpages.
Additional individual & student group funding, student employment, and financial assistance information can be found in the Graduate Funding & Finances section of the Graduate Resource Guide. Career Services has also compiled a list of various summer funding sources to assist students with professional pursuits during summer months.
Funding and Professional Opportunities
DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship
Deadline: January 15
Generous, multi-year fellowship that supports top students pursuing doctoral degrees in fields that use high-performance computing to solve complex science and engineering problems. Open to masters and first year PhD students.
Boren Fellowship
Deadline: January 21
Provides grants of up to $25,000 for 3-12 months of research and language study abroad, plus up to $12,000 for domestic language study prior to departure. Awards granted with preference for countries, languages, duration, and fields of study critical to U.S. national security. U.S. citizens only.
Regeneron Prize for Creative Innovation
Deadline for campus nomination: January 28
Penn has been invited to nominate two PhD students for the Regeneron Prize for Creative Innovation in biomedicine, broadly defined. To be considered for nomination, applicants must email to provost-ed@upenn.edu a single, combined PDF including the following: (1) Curriculum Vitae (CV); (2) 2-page single-spaced description of the applicant’s “dream research idea” in the field of Biomedical Science [As a guideline, applicants should imagine what research they would do if they had access to any resource or technology. Applicants should include a description of the design of the project as well as its potential to make an impact in biomedicine]; and (3) Publication samples as evidence of scholarly achievement. Applicants must also (4) request a letter of recommendation from your Penn faculty advisor, to be mailed by the recommender directly to provost-ed@upenn.edu. Full details have been shared with graduate chairs and graduate deans in each participating school. If you have questions, please contact Julie Nettleton at provost-ed@upenn.edu.
Each prize will include a check for $50,000. In addition, prize winners will receive a $5,000 donation to their home institution to help support their seminar series. Semi-finalists and finalists for each prize will be awarded $5,000 (approximately eight to 10 applicants for each prize will be selected for this distinction).
Provost’s Graduate Academic Engagement Fellowship at the Netter Center
Deadline: February 23
Internal fellowship opportunity for all PhD students across the University of Pennsylvania. Fellows are outstanding students whose scholarship significantly involves activities related to Academically Based Community Service (ABCS), including community-engaged scholarship, participatory action research, local problem-solving learning, service-learning, and learning by teaching in public schools. The second year of the fellowship includes full funding for the academic year (inclusive of stipend, tuition, general fee, clinical fee, and health insurance) and one summer stipend. The fellowship also includes $5,000 of research funding and additional support to attend and present at conferences. Sign up here to receive information about upcoming information sessions held throughout the fall.
Laura Bassi Scholarship
Deadline: March 8
Provides up to $2500 in editorial assistance to master's, doctoral, and junior academics whose research focuses on neglected topics of study within their disciplines, broadly construed. All currently enrolled master’s and doctoral candidates are eligible to apply, as are academics in the first five years of full-time employment. Applicants are required to submit a completed application form along with their CV through the application portal by the relevant deadline. Application fee; waivers available.
Penn Graduate Student Government Travel & Research Grants
Deadline: March 10
Several graduate organizations use a portion of their student activity fee allocation to fund grants for individual travel, research, and professional development. These programs include:
- SASGov grants: Support for SAS Graduate Division research students to pursue research and professional development
- GSESG grants: Support for GSE students for conference travel and research
- Nursing DSO grants: Support for Nursing PhD students conducting eligible travel or research
- GAPSA Conference and Professional Travel Grants: Grants of up to $2000 to reimburse students for costs associated with travel to and participate in academic and professional conferences or meetings.
PIDC-D'Alessio Scholarship for Urban Development
Opens: January 26; expected deadline: mid-March
Scholarships of $2500 and a paid internship with PIDC for graduate students pursuing a career in urban studies, economics, law, public administration, real estate, regional and/or city planning, and urban planning and design.
YH Park Fellowship in Korean Studies
Deadline: April 24 (tentative)
Provides PhD tuition, 12-month stipend, and health insurance to graduate students in the humanities, social sciences, international management, international studies, or fine arts whose primary research area is Korea and whose dissertation will be on Korea. Fellows are expected to continue their scholarly activities outside of Korea after graduation and must have sufficient proficiency to use Korean-language sources in conducting research and writing dissertations. Open to current master's or PhD students. Open to US citizens and non-US citizens. Learn more.
Ongoing Opportunities or Rolling Deadlines
Campaign for Community Grants
Deadline: rolling
The Campaign for Community aims to strengthen our Penn community by finding ways to discuss and understand key issues that may appear to be difficult or intractable. The program provides grants of up to $1500 for projects and activities that help advance the Campaign's goals of encouraging mutual understanding, respect, and discussion among members of the community on important topics.
Dirksen Congressional Center Congressional Research Grants
Deadline: rolling
Eligibility: Students with a serious interest in studying Congress; a significant portion of the funds is awarded for PhD dissertation research
Data Incubator Data Science Fellowship
Deadlines: Multiple sessions each year, deadlines vary.
An advanced 8-week fellowship for PhDs looking to enter industry. Free for admitted Fellows. Participate either in person in New York City, Washington, DC, the San Francisco Bay Area, or online.
Harold J. Haskins Research Grant
Supports research-related costs for graduate students affiliated with the Center for Africana Studies. The grant can be applied to costs including but not limited to research expenses, travel, conference attendance, and stipends. Each student is eligible for a maximum of $1,500 per academic year. Applications may be submitted at any time.
Penn Employment Opportunities
Recent graduates interested in pursuing a full-time employment opportunity at Penn are encouraged to review opportunities listed on the Careers@Penn website.
New and continuing students - in addition to any student employment opportunities listed above, you can learn more about student employment at Penn on the following sites:
