University Scholarships
University Tuition Scholarships
Service-free awards that pay all or part of tuition costs. Maximum award value is currently $35,000 for the nine-month academic year.
The following awards are normally supplemented by a full University Tuition Scholarship, which usually includes student health insurance coverage: University Fellowships, Graduate Teaching Assistantships, Graduate Research Assistantships, Traineeships, and Teacher Training Awards.
University Graduate Fellowships (UGF)
The University Graduate Fellowship is awarded by the Graduate School to highly qualified students entering study for the PhD or the master's degree, if that is the highest degree offered by the program. In order to be considered for this award, an applicant's file must be complete by January 15. Individual departments nominate applicants for this highly competitive award, and decisions are announced by the Graduate School in early March.
The University Graduate Fellowship, a stipend of up to $5000, is a supplement to a fellowship, assistantship, traineeship, or tuition award and is awarded for a period of up to three years for the PhD, or up to two years for terminal master's programs. At the end of the third year, with continued academic success, eligible PhD students with approval from their home department and the Graduate School will receive up to 2 additional years of support from Harold Stirling Vanderbilt funds in the Graduate School. The University Graduate Fellowship carries the status of Russell G. Hamilton Scholar.
Provost's Graduate Fellowships (PGF)
The Graduate School offers these fellowships to incoming U.S. citizen and permanent resident from diverse backgrounds who intend to pursue a PhD degree. Each award provides a $10,000 stipend awarded as a supplement to any other funding that is offered to the applicant and is made for a period of five years. The Provost's Graduate Fellowship carries the status of Russell G. Hamilton Scholar.
Russell G. Hamilton Scholarships
As part of the initiative of the Graduate Education and Research Endowment, Russell G. Hamilton scholarships are awarded to highly qualified students intending to pursue the PhD degree. This award is a tuition scholarship and the recipients are designated as Russell G. Hamilton Scholars.
Harold Stirling Vanderbilt (HSV) Funds
Harold Stirling Vanderbilt Funds are awarded to graduate students by invitation-only and are used to extend either a PGF/UGF for up to an additional two years or to provide a new fellowship award of up to two years for an eligible and approved newly invited graduate student. These important awards recognize the continued success of our PGF/UGF recipients and reward new recipients for their excellent scholarly accomplishments.
Yellow Ribbon Program
As a participant in the Yellow Ribbon Program, the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University is committed to provide financial aid as necessary (specifically, in the form of tuition and fees) up to $6,000 per academic year to each post-9/11 eligible Veteran who is admitted and enrolls as a student in a degree program and who is determined by the VA to be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students admitted to the Graduate School as special, non-degree students are not eligible for Yellow Ribbon financial aid from the Graduate School.