University of Alabama Graduate School fellowships (unless specifically stated below) cover one academic year (fall and spring). Each includes a full tuition scholarship (for up to 15 graduate hours hours each fall and spring semester), single coverage health insurance, and a stipend of $20,000 for the academic year. Prospective and current University of Alabama students are nominated by their departments for the fellowships, so it is important that you are talking to the Graduate Program Director for your program. Prior to nomination, nominees who are prospective students must have been offered admission. If you have any questions or need more information regarding these fellowships, please contact Andrew Goodliffe at amg@ua.edu. Preliminary deadlines for 2024 are:
The University of Alabama awards almost 100 Graduate Council Fellowships each year. There are a number of different categories of Graduate Council Fellowship as below:
McNair Graduate Fellowships are specifically for entering graduate students who have either completed a McNair Undergraduate Scholars program or who are McNair eligible; i.e., either a) low income (as defined by the US Department of Education) AND a first-generation college student; or b) a member of a group traditionally underrepresented in graduate education (i.e., Hispanic, African American, Native American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander). Although any prospective or current graduate student may be nominated for this fellowship, preference is given to students who have completed a McNair program and have been accepted into a Doctoral program at The University of Alabama. Exceptional current University of Alabama students may also be considered for this fellowship. The stipend for the McNair Graduate Fellowship is $20,000 for the academic year (fall and spring semesters).
For students in doctoral programs the fellowship lasts two years and is followed by a minimum of two years of support through a departmental assistantship or equivalent. For students in masters programs the fellowship lasts one year and is followed by a minimum of one year of support through a departmental assistantship or equivalent.
Fifteen Capstone Fellowships are awarded each year (distributed between Graduate Council Fellowship nominees and McNair Graduate Fellowship nominees). Capstone fellowships include five years of support for doctoral students (fellowship in years 1, 3 and 5, assistantship in years 2 and 4) or two years of fellowship support for master’s students.
The University of Alabama awards approximately 23 National Alumni Association Fellowships each year. Nominees must be classified as residents for tuition purposes. The stipend for the National Alumni Association Fellowship is $20,000 for the academic year (fall and spring semesters).
McNair tuition scholarships are for students who have completed a McNair Undergraduate Scholars program at a US university. Past McNair Undergraduate Scholars are eligible for a tuition scholarship (for up to 15 hours each semester) if they are unable to find other funding (e.g. assistantships or fellowships) at The University of Alabama. Please contact Andrew Goodliffe for more information.
The Graduate School provides supplemental funding for graduate student research projects and for graduate student travel to present research results at conferences. Students may submit a maximum of one Conference request and one Research request per year (A “year” is defined as Fall/Spring/Summer).
Students may initiate requests to the Graduate School by logging in to the UA Grad Student Portal. Once logged in, students should select “Funding”, then “CRF Request Form.” Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the form.
Conference Awards are reserved for graduate students who have been accepted to present personally their own research (or creative activity) at a national or international meeting of their discipline’s major academic/professional organization. For Research Awards, priority will be given to thesis, pre-dissertation, and dissertation research.
The Graduate School can only provide as much funding as can be matched at least 1:1 by departmental student support funds. During the approval process, the department will indicate the amount they can provide, and the Graduate School will provide the 1:1 match up to the maximum of the following amount:
Requests for awards must be initiated by the student, endorsed by the faculty advisor and department chair, and submitted to the Graduate School. The request must include a budget, information about departmental cost sharing, and, if travel is involved, a confirmation that the student will be personally presenting their own work.
Deadlines for priority consideration:
| Semester | Deadline* |
| Fall Proposals | Late August |
| Spring Proposals | Late January |
| Summer Proposals | Late April |
*Although every attempt should be made to submit all research and travel proposals by the deadlines for each term, we recognize that last-minute research opportunities present themselves and that student plans may not be complete by these deadlines. The Graduate School will gladly consider requests submitted after the deadline, pending the availability of funding. After the three major deadlines, requests will be reviewed at the end of each month.
Please contact Ms. Catherine Doughty-Walker in the Graduate School, at cedoughty@ua.edu, or Dean Susan Carvalho at scarvalho@ua.edu, if you need further information.
The deadlines for application are:
Submit AHGS Application: Online Scholarship Form
If you have any questions or need more information regarding this scholarship, please contact Andrew Goodliffe at amg@ua.edu.
For additional information regarding financial support, including teaching assistantships and research assistantships, please visit the Graduate Catalog’s Financial Assistance section.
