Each fall, Graduate Studies conducts an Internal Fellowship competition for continuing academic graduate students. This application process awards fellowship funding for the following academic year. For example, an application submitted in the fall of 2024 is for funding to be paid during the 2025-26 academic year. The funding period for continuing students during the 2025-26 academic year is from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. A “continuing student” is a student who has already been officially admitted to UC Davis, is registered and enrolled in classes during the current academic year, and will be registered and enrolled during the academic year in which the funding will be paid.

Fellowships

• Fatima and Nishat Abbasi Award
• This is a summer fellowship open to an academically outstanding (minimum GPA of 3.75) continuing graduate student who is a citizen of Pakistan with financial need. The fellowship may be awarded to a student from any discipline and any degree objective (PhD, Masters, MFA).
• Bilinski, Russell J. and Dorothy S. Educational Foundation Dissertation Writing Fellowship

• This is a 15-month fellowship open to continuing students who have demonstrated exceptional academic ability and potential in the disciplines of History, Economics, Political Science, English, Performance Studies, or Music. Recipients will receive a stipend, full tuition & fees, and a research/travel allowance of $1,000. Students will not be allowed to hold academic appointments during the tenure of the fellowship. Five to nine fellowships are awarded annually.
   

  Eligibility Criteria for the Russell J. and Dorothy S. Bilinski Educational Foundation Dissertation Writing Fellowship:
  
  1. Applicants must be a full-time doctoral student who has passed all qualifying examinations and course requirements at the university and has advanced to candidacy or, at initial selection, be a student who will advance to candidacy in the upcoming academic year.  (Note: Bilinski Fellowship funds are not to be awarded to students who have substantially completed their dissertation.) 
  
  2. Need financial support to complete his or her degree;

  3. Devote full-time effort toward dissertation completion for each term (including the summer period) in which Bilinski Fellowship funds are provided;

  4. Be a citizen or national of the United States; or provide evidence from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that he or she: (i) Is a permanent resident of the United States; or (ii) Is in the United States for other than a temporary purpose and is eligible to apply for US Citizenship, with the intention of becoming a citizen or permanent resident.

• Coss, Richard G. Wildlife Research Fellowship
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing Ph.D. students with financial need in the Animal Behavior Graduate Group.  The award will be given to a graduate student doing field research.  The award should be used for expenses such as international travel, international living expenses, and/or equipment necessary for an award recipient’s research. 
• Crosby, Donald
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to all continuing students of distinction who are engaged in study related to environmental chemistry.  One or two fellowships will be awarded.
• Dissertation Year Fellowship

• This is a 12-month fellowship open to continuing doctoral students who are in the final stages of their doctoral work demonstrating strong potential for university teaching and research. Applicants must meet the "Diversity" criteria as outlined below. Students must be advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree by December 1st of the academic year in which they apply. Students must be making satisfactory academic progress toward completion of their dissertation to be able to complete all requirements by the end of the 12-month award period. Recipients will receive a stipend and payment of tuition and fees. They will also have a research fund of $500 and a travel allowance of $500. Students will not be allowed to hold academic appointments during the tenure of their fellowship. Six fellowships will be awarded.
   

  Eligibility Criteria for the Dissertation Year Fellowship:
  
  To be eligible for a fellowship that promotes diversity, applicants must have an interest in an academic career in teaching and research, be a United States Citizen, Permanent Resident, or qualify for California AB 540, and meet one or more of the following criteria:
  
  1. Demonstrate potential to bring to their academic research the perspective that comes from their understanding of the experiences of groups historically underrepresented in higher education or underserved by academic research generally.

  2. Provide evidence of academic achievement while overcoming barriers such as economic, social or educational disadvantage.

  3. Demonstrate potential to contribute to higher education through the understanding of the barriers facing women, domestic minorities, students with disabilities, and members of other groups underrepresented in higher education careers, as evidenced by life experiences and educational background. Examples include, but are not limited to: a. attendance at a minority serving institution; b. ability to articulate the barriers facing women, racial minorities and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented; c. participation in higher education pipeline programs, such as Puente, MESA, Summer Research Opportunity Programs or McNair Scholars.

  4. Exhibit a record of service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented.

  5. Exhibit a record of leadership or significant experience teaching and mentoring students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education.

  6. Express a commitment to research focusing on historically underserved populations and understanding issues of racial or gender inequalities. For example: a. research that addresses issues such as race, gender, diversity, and inclusion; b. research that addresses topics such as health disparities, educational access and achievement, political engagement, economic justice, social mobility, civil and human rights, and other questions of interest to historically underrepresented groups; c. artistic expression and cultural production that reflects culturally diverse communities or voices not well represented in the arts and humanities.

• Drake Fellowship in Environmental Design
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing students studying Art Studio, Environmental Design, Human Nutrition, and Aeronautical Engineering. One or two fellowships will be awarded.
• Faulkner, Richard and Kate
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing students from Placer County, CA. One fellowship will be awarded.
• Foin, Theodore and Angela
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing graduate students. This award provides graduate student support to one student annually in the Graduate Group of Ecology, with preference given to a student working on the ecology of Thailand or conducting research in Thailand. One or two fellowships will be awarded.
• Gibeling, Alfred H. and Marie E.
• To be awarded to the most outstanding graduate student(s) in the areas of advanced materials research or energy conservation technologies. One fellowship will be awarded.
• Godoy, Loreto Memorial Fellowship
• The recipient of this fellowship for continuing students should have a demonstrated interest in, and passion for, wildlife ecology, wildlife conservation, wildlife epidemiology, wildlife genetics, and/or wildlife diseases/pathology. Preference is given to international students (Nonresident alien on F-1 or J-1 Visa), students who are field scientists, students who are parents, and students who are well-rounded friends for other graduate students. One fellowship will be awarded.
• Gold, Ellen
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing Ph.D. students with financial need in the Graduate Group in Epidemiology. The award will be given to a graduate student within his or her first five years of studying and/or conduction research in human epidemiology in the Graduate Group in Epidemiology. One fellowship will be awarded.
• Golden International Agriculture, William G. and Kathleen
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing Ph.D. students in the area of rice production technology including studies in plant breeding, crop production, soil and water management, pest control, extension, harvest and post-harvest technology and related subjects.
• Graduate Research Mentorship

• This is a 12-month fellowship open to continuing Ph.D. students who will have completed at least three quarters of graduate study at UC Davis by the end of spring quarter in the academic year in which they are applying. Applicants must meet the "Diversity" criteria as outlined below. Students may not have begun their dissertation research or be advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. This fellowship requires a commitment by a faculty sponsor to participate as the student’s major professor and mentor.
  
  Recipients will receive a stipend and payment of tuition and fees. They will also receive $600 toward research expenses. Students will not be allowed to hold academic appointments during the tenure of their fellowship. Six fellowships will be awarded.
  
  Eligibility Criteria for the Graduate Research Mentorship Award:

  To be eligible for a fellowship that promotes diversity, applicants must have an interest in an academic career in teaching and research, be a United States Citizen, Permanent Resident, or qualify for federal DACA, and meet one or more of the following criteria:

  1. Demonstrate potential to bring to their academic research the perspective that comes from their understanding of the experiences of groups historically underrepresented in higher education or underserved by academic research generally.

  2. Provide evidence of academic achievement while overcoming barriers such as economic, social or educational disadvantage.

  3. Demonstrate potential to contribute to higher education through the understanding of the barriers facing women, domestic minorities, students with disabilities, and members of other groups underrepresented in higher education careers, as evidenced by life experiences and educational background. Examples include, but are not limited to: a. attendance at a minority serving institution; b. ability to articulate the barriers facing women, racial minorities and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented; c. participation in higher education pipeline programs, such as Puente, MESA, Summer Research Opportunity Programs or McNair Scholars.

  4. Exhibit a record of service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented.

  5. Exhibit a record of leadership or significant experience teaching and mentoring students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education.

  6. Express a commitment to research focusing on historically underserved populations and understanding issues of racial or gender inequalities. For example: a. research that addresses issues such as race, gender, diversity, and inclusion; b. research that addresses topics such as health disparities, educational access and achievement, political engagement, economic justice, social mobility, civil and human rights, and other questions of interest to historically underrepresented groups; c. artistic expression and cultural production that reflects culturally diverse communities or voices not well represented in the arts and humanities.

• Grieshop Family Student Award for Community Education, with Matching Support from the CA&ES Dean's Circle Fund
• To support graduate students in International Agricultural Development, Community Development, and Human Development who have a demonstrated academic emphasis in community education.
• Hill, Ernest E.
• The Ernest E. Hill Memorial Graduate Fellowship, with Matching Support from the Graduate Student Fellowship Matching Initiative, is for graduate students from the College of Letters and Science, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the College of Biological Sciences, and the College of Engineering who are researching the impacts of global warming on the climate system and biosphere and/or the development of carbon-neutral-alternative-energy solutions. Fellowships may be used for research, travel, small equipment purchases, and professional development via scientific meetings, courses, workshops, and all other related research purposes. Preference for the Fellowship will be given to more senior graduate students who have had their work published at least once or twice in academic publications.
• Hillyer, Ted and Silvia
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing students, with a preference for a graduate student who has not previously received a competitive internal or external fellowship. The award will be given to a graduate student in the Graduate Group in Ecology and in the College of Engineering every other year. One or two fellowships will be awarded.
• Krantz, Bert and Nell
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing students who are U.S. citizens pursuing a graduate degree in the fields of land and water resources or plant sciences as related to production agriculture, and who have demonstrated a commitment to pursue work in the area of agricultural development in a less-developed country. One fellowship will be awarded.
• Lee, George
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents with financial need. Students must be engaged in academic activity or research related to the role of environmental factors in the epidemiology of cancer in its broadest context. One fellowship will be awarded.
• Michael G. Lee and Patricia Spears Lee Family Award

• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing graduate students in a graduate program in the College of Letters and Science, with a preference for graduate students who meet the "Diversity" criteria as outlined below.

  
  Eligibility Criteria for the Lee Family Award:

  To be eligible for a fellowship that promotes diversity, applicants must have an interest in an academic career in teaching and research, be a United States Citizen, Permanent Resident, or qualify for federal DACA, and meet one or more of the following criteria:

  1. Demonstrate potential to bring to their academic research the perspective that comes from their understanding of the experiences of groups historically underrepresented in higher education or underserved by academic research generally.

  2. Provide evidence of academic achievement while overcoming barriers such as economic, social or educational disadvantage.

  3. Demonstrate potential to contribute to higher education through the understanding of the barriers facing women, domestic minorities, students with disabilities, and members of other groups underrepresented in higher education careers, as evidenced by life experiences and educational background. Examples include, but are not limited to: a. attendance at a minority serving institution; b. ability to articulate the barriers facing women, racial minorities and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented; c. participation in higher education pipeline programs, such as Puente, MESA, Summer Research Opportunity Programs or McNair Scholars.

  4. Exhibit a record of service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented.

  5. Exhibit a record of leadership or significant experience teaching and mentoring students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education.

  6. Express a commitment to research focusing on historically underserved populations and understanding issues of racial or gender inequalities. For example: a. research that addresses issues such as race, gender, diversity, and inclusion; b. research that addresses topics such as health disparities, educational access and achievement, political engagement, economic justice, social mobility, civil and human rights, and other questions of interest to historically underrepresented groups; c. artistic expression and cultural production that reflects culturally diverse communities or voices not well represented in the arts and humanities.

• Lewin, H.A., Family Fellowship with Matching Support from the Graduate Student Fellowship Matching Initiative
• To provide support to graduate students who are doing hands-on interdisciplinary research which addresses grand challenges in the life sciences in the fields of genomics, evolution, or synthetic biology. Types of support include, but are not limited to, conference attendance, travel, and supplies related to research.
• Loomis, Robert S. and Lois Ann, Graduate Award in Agronomy
• To support graduate students pursuing a PhD degree at UC Davis. The Award is given to students who are conducting plant science research on agricultural crops. Preference for the Award is given to students whose research focuses on one or more of the following areas: crop ecology, bioclimatology, modeling of crop growth, and physiological processes governing crop yield.
• Lyons, Austin Eugene
• This is a 12-month fellowship open to students and/or practitioners in the field of veterinary medicine or animal science who are pursuing research into the causes, control and treatment of illnesses, diseases and health problems of farm livestock, especially sheep and cattle. Preference is given to residents of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, California. Approximately four to eight fellowships are awarded annually.
• Mahan, Laura Perrott
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing students who are graduates of a Humboldt County High School. Student must be a bona fide resident of Humboldt County at time of selection. One fellowship will be awarded.
• McArthur, Frank
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing students who are graduates of any high school in Modoc, Lassen, Shasta or Siskiyou Counties, California.  One fellowship will be awarded.
• McDonald, James Monroe
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing students in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences who are pursuing work related to the improvement of rangeland, range management, or animal husbandry. One fellowship will be awarded.
• McKeehan, Beatrice Oberly and S. Atwood
• This is a 12-month fellowship open to continuing students with financial need who are pursuing the studies of farming, giving preference to those who desire to make farming their career and who have been raised on farms or were children of farmers. One fellowship will be awarded.
• Provost's Dissertation Year Fellowship in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• This is a 12-month fellowship open to continuing doctoral students in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences who are in the final stages of their doctoral work. Students must be advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree by December 1 in the academic year in which they are applying. Students must be making satisfactory academic progress toward completion of their dissertation to be able to complete all requirements by the end of the 12-month award period. Students must not have been enrolled in their doctoral program at UC Davis for more than seven years by the end of the award period. Recipients will receive a stipend and their fees and tuition will be covered. Students from these graduate programs are eligible: Agricultural and Resource Economics, Anthropology, Communication, Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies, Economics, English, French, Geography, German, History, Human Development, Linguistics, Music, Native American Studies, Performance Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish and Study of Religion.
• Richards, Lillie May
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing students. Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents with financial need that are studying dairying, with preference given to graduates of San Juan High School of Fair Oaks, California. One fellowship will be awarded.
• Saxon, Leland Roy and Georgia Wood
• This is a twelve-month fellowship open to continuing students. The fellowship is to be used to establish scholarships for graduate studies (beyond obtaining a bachelor's degree) for those students who have graduated from high schools in the Grass Valley-Nevada City (Nevada County, California) area. One fellowship will be awarded.
• Schwalen, Emily
• This is a fellowship that is open to all graduate students in agricultural and/or environmental sciences that are closely connected to Native American culture or whose thesis research would benefit Native Americans. Also open to UC Davis graduate students whose thesis work is related to Native Americans or Ecology. One fellowship will be awarded.
• Schwall Dissertation Year Fellowship, Floyd and Mary
• This is a 12-month fellowship for continuing students who are U.S. citizens with financial need and are engaged in medically related research (human focus). Students must be advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree by December 1 of the academic year in which they are applying. Students must be making satisfactory academic progress toward completion of their dissertation to be able to complete all requirements by the end of the 12-month award period. Recipients will receive a $5,000 research / travel allowance and may not receive the Jastro-Shields Research Award or the UC Davis and Humanities Graduate Research Award in conjunction with the Schwall Dissertation Year Fellowship. Five fellowships will be awarded.
• Seiber, James and Rita International Graduate Student Fellowship
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing students in Food Science & Technology and Agricultural & Environmental Chemistry Graduate Groups in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences to offer financial support where a preference will be given to funding at least one top international graduate student each year.
• Shoemaker, Charles and Sharon International Graduate Student Support Award
• This fellowship open to international students enrolled in the Food Science Graduate Group with a research advisor who is a faculty member of the Department of Food Science & Technology. One fellowship will be awarded.
• Sims, Stephen F. and Bettina A., Immunology Fellowship
• This fellowship is open to continuing students who are U.S. citizens and doing research on immunology.
• Stacey, Malcolm
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing Jewish students with financial need who are pursuing a career in aeronautical engineering or any engineering field. One fellowship will be awarded.
• Telford, Tara K.
• The Award shall support one or more graduate students each year, in the following order of priority: First preference will be given to students conducting research related to Cystic Fibrosis in the Department of Chemistry. Second preference will be given to students conducting research related to Cystic Fibrosis in any graduate program. Third preference will be given to students conducting research related to human health, with priority given to lung and/or kidney health, in any graduate program. Fourth preference will be given to students in the Department of Mathematics. Tara, whose memory is honored by this Award, was a math major.
• Tryon, Herbert
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing graduate students with financial need. Students must be graduates of a high school in Del Norte, Humboldt, Siskiyou or Trinity Counties, California. Preference is given to graduates of a high school in Del Norte County. One fellowship will be awarded.
• UC Davis Dissertation Year Fellowship
• This is a 12-month fellowship open to all (US Citizens, Permanent Residents, California AB 540, and Nonresident Alien) continuing doctoral students who are in the final stages of their doctoral work demonstrating strong potential for university teaching and research. Students must be advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree by December 1 of the academic year in which they apply. Students must be making satisfactory academic progress toward completion of their dissertation to be able to complete all requirements by the end of the award period. Recipients will receive a stipend and their in-state fees will be covered. They will also have a research fund of $500 and a travel allowance of $500. Students will not be allowed to hold academic appointments during the tenure of their fellowship. Six fellowships will be awarded.
• UCD Graduate Research Award
• Open to all (US Citizens, Permanent Residents, California AB 540, and Nonresident Alien) continuing graduate students who will be registered during the academic year. Students must have been registered in the spring quarter of the previous academic year to use the funds during the summer period of the award. Students on PELP or Filing Fee status do not meet the registration requirement. Provides up to $3,000 for research projects. Recipients may not receive a Jastro-Shields Research Scholarship or the Floyd and Mary Schwall Dissertation Fellowship during the same fiscal year. Priority is given to Ph.D. students. Approximately 25 fellowships will be awarded.
• Velez, Miguel
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing graduate students. The Miguel Velez Fellowship is awarded to students on the basis of character, ability, with financial need. Preference is given first to students with citizenship/residency of Colombia, South America, then to students from other Latin American countries. One fellowship will be awarded.
• Walker, Frank and Carolan
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing students who are residents of Humboldt County, California. One fellowship will be awarded.
• Werner, Emmy and Stanley Jacobsen Fellowship
• To provide support for continuing graduate students, pursuing their Ph.D., whose research examines the genetic aspects of human behavior, health, and development. Preference will be given to students whose work focuses on gene-environment interactions. One fellowship will be awarded.
• Wood, Elizabeth P.
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing students who are residents of Placer County, California. Special Criteria: Recipient shall agree to return to the Regents all or part of the sums received by them, without interest, when such a return can be made without a serious inconvenience to them. One fellowship will be awarded.
• Wright, Jarena
• This is a nine-month fellowship open to continuing graduate students from Santa Rosa, California with preference given to those who participated in Future Farmers of America, 4-H or similar programs. One or two fellowships will be awarded.