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Endowed Graduate Fellowships

The opportunity to learn from renowned faculty and work in world-class research facilities in the heart of Silicon Valley draws the world’s top graduate students to Stanford.

Our programs are recognized as among the best in the world, and graduates of the school stand among the most accomplished engineers of the past century. The School of Engineering’s multidisciplinary, entrepreneurial educational opportunities are aimed at solving the most pressing engineering challenges of our time and preparing graduates to lead in research, academia, and industry.

Despite these advantages, students may not come to Stanford. Demand for the very best graduate students is intensifying. Many other outstanding universities across the world are vying for the same small pool of students, and lucrative jobs in industry lure some of the best students away from graduate study.

Stanford’s ability to offer attractive fellowship packages is key to our success in drawing top candidates to Stanford, and it is essential to our future. More importantly, as we empower these top candidates to choose academics in an environment that best allows them to pursue their passion for pushing the boundaries of knowledge, it provides a legacy that benefits the world as a whole.

“Graduate fellowships are the most important ‘free energy’ we have in the system. They help us attract the best and brightest students who can do research and explore opportunities across the School of Engineering,” said Persis S. Drell, the Frederick Emmons Terman Dean in the School of Engineering, the James and Anna Marie Spilker Professor in the School of Engineering, and a professor of Materials Science and Engineering and of Physics at Stanford University. “These fellowships help promote the free exchange of ideas among departments and disciplines, which is one of the best ways to train and inspire our most promising students.”

               

The most important criteria for admission to the graduate programs are superior academic achievement and demonstrated potential to contribute to the academic and professional communities and to society as a whole. Competition is intense; only the top applicants to each department are admitted. Fellowships are awarded solely on merit to the best of these candidates.

Many highly qualified students must make their decisions to attend Stanford based in large part on financial considerations. One year of campus housing plus three quarters of tuition today amounts to more than $60,000. Without graduate fellowships, many of these students would not choose or simply could not afford to attend Stanford.

Ultimately, our objective is to offer support to as many outstanding graduate students as possible. Our immediate goal is to add 50 new graduate fellowships by 2017.

The School of Engineering’s future depends on our ability to make financial considerations a non-factor in any promising student’s decision to attend Stanford. Your support is critical to that effort.

Endowed Fellowships Giving and Recognition

  • For a limited time, the School of Engineering will provide a 1:2 match for endowed fellowship gifts of $800,000 and more.
  • The annual payout from an endowed fellowship fund supports a graduate student for an academic year.
  • Support often provides students with flexibility to explore options. It is a tremendous opportunity to match student and researcher.
  • Donors have the chance to develop connections with some of the world’s top graduate students as those students engage in their multidisciplinary, entrepreneurial education and prepare to tackle the most pressing engineering challenges of our time.
  • Student recipients share their appreciation and stories of their Stanford experience through letters. Face-to-face meetings on campus between donors and students can often be arranged.
  • Donors receive an annual financial report on endowment performance.
  • Donors become lifetime members of the Dean’s Circle. They receive invitations to an annual event at which they can interact and network with peers, faculty, and students while learning about the school’s latest achievements and challenges.