Graduate Students Program Overview

Fellowships

Note: Graduate students enrolled in ECE can access detailed information on fellowships or apply on-line through My.ECE.

Fellowships in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign can be divided into four categories - Entering Fellowships; Outside Fellowships; Industrial Fellowships; and Endowed Fellowships. Students prefer fellowship support because they are not required to perform any service for the funds. They are, therefore, able to spend all of their time working toward completion of their degree.

Graduate College Resources

Endowed Fellowships:

The Department and College of Engineering have a number of endowed fellowships which are awarded to students based on merit. These are smaller fellowships intended to supplement assistantships. Applications are solicited from students and faculty and the Department's Graduate Fellowship Committee makes selects the recipient. These fellowships are for one year.

Joan and Lalit Bahl Fellowships
Description to come

James N. Henderson Fellowship
This fellowship was set up to recognize a first-year graduate student based on his/her undergraduate academic, research and leadership achievement.

Mavis Memorial Fund Scholarship (MMFS) Awards for Doctoral Students
This fellowship is awarded by the College of Engineering to Ph.D students that have demonstrated an aptitude for the instructional program. It is intended to encourage students to pursue an academic career.

Harriett and Robert Perry Fellowship Award in Electrical Engineering
This fellowship is intended to provide supplemental funding to a graduate student who has demonstrated financial need.

Rambus Fellowship in Computer Engineering
This fellowship was set up to support an outstanding graduate student performing research in an area of computer engineering.

Ernest A. Reid Fellowship Award in Electrical Engineering
This fellowship is intended for a Ph.D. student who has demonstrated an aptitude for the instructional program. It is intended to encourage students to pursue an academic career.

Linda Su-Nan Chang Sah Doctoral Fellowship
This fellowship is intended for an outstanding female Ph.D. candidate in electrical and computer engineering, or a related field, who is specializing in microtechnology or nanotechnology related to bioengineering, biophysics, or medical electronics.

Sundaram Seshu Fellowship
This fellowship is intended to provide support for an outstanding international student, preferably of Asian origin.

Gregory E. Stillman Fellowship
This fellowship is intended for a Ph.D. student that has established himself as an outstanding researcher in the areas of semiconductor or optoelectronics research.

Dan Vivoli Endowed Fellowships
This fellowship is given to students interested in the use of a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) in parallel computing, the use of a GPU in solving high performance computing problems, and the development of applications for the GPU.

Entering Fellowships

To be considered for an entering fellowship, it is not necessary to submit a financial aid application. Applicants are automatically considered for fellowships based on their Application for Admission and supporting documents.

Jack S. Kilby Fellowship
Description to come

Illinois Distinguished Fellowships
These three-year fellowships are awarded by the Graduate College. Only fifteen are given across the University of Illinois campus each year. The Department's Graduate Fellowship Committee selects our top applicants to nominate for this prestigious award.

ECE Distinguished Fellowships
These are three-year fellowships given by the Department to our top applicants. They pay a first year stipend of $15,000. The second and third year stipend is $5,000, which would be accompanied by a teaching or research assistantship. A tuition and service fee waiver accompanies the fellowship. The Department's Graduate Fellowship Committee selects the students to receive these fellowships based on the Application for Admission and supporting documents.

SURGE Fellowships
These fellowships are given by the College of Engineering to underrepresented minority students in the engineering area. The Department nominates applicants to this program based on their Application for Admission and supporting documents.

Minority Academic Partnership Plan (MAPP)
These fellowships are for students who did their undergraduate work in Illinois and wish to pursue an academic career.

Industrial Affiliate Fellowships

The Department has close ties with industry, leading to fellowship support for graduate students doing research in areas of interest to them. Some of these fellowships are tied to specific faculty members and others are open to any student in a specified research area. Minority students are also targeted by some of these industrial fellowships. During the 2007-2008 academic year the following companies will provide fellowship support for graduate students in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering:

  • Eastman Kodak Company
  • IBM
  • Intel
  • Lucent Technologies
  • Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC)

Outside Fellowships

These are fellowships awarded to graduate students by outside groups, usually in a national competition. The Department encourages its own students to apply for these prestigious fellowships. Most of them cover three to five years of graduate work.

Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF)
This fellowship is for exceptional undergraduate seniors or first or second year graduate students planning full-time study toward a PhD. in the physical, engineering, computer, mathematical, or life sciences. Recipients receive payments of all tuition and required fees for up to 4 years of study, $31,200 yearly stipend, matching funds for a computer workstation up to $2,500, yearly academic allowance of $1,000, yearly conferences, and opportunity to complete a practicum at a national DOE laboratory. Applicants must be US citizens or permanent resident aliens. Applicants must apply online at https://www.krellinst.org/csgf/application. For additional information, contact the DOE CSGF program coordinator at csgf@krellinst.org. Application submission and supporting materials must be received by January 11, 2006.

Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowships for Minorities
These fellowships are awarded to underrepresented minority students for graduate study. They are for a three-year period with a stipend of $16,000.
(http://www7.nationalacademies.org/FORDfellowships/fordpredoc.html)

Fulbright Scholar
These fellowships were set up to foster closer relations between the United States and other counties. (http://www.iie.org/fulbright)

Hertz Foundation Fellowships
These fellowships are awarded to outstanding entering graduate students for a five-year-period. The stipend was $25,000 for nine months during the 2000-2001 academic year.
(http://www.hertzfoundation.org)

National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowships
These fellowships are awarded by the government to students who will be doing research in areas of interest to the national defense. They are for a three-year period with a stipend that increases from $23,500 the first year to $25,500 the third year. (http://www.asee.org/ndseg)

National Science Foundation Fellowships
These fellowships are given by the National Science Foundation to promising students beginning their graduate career. They are for a three-year period with a stipend of $21,500 for the 2000-2001 academic year. (connect to: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=6201)