How do fellowships work for grad school?

[xbomber88]

Do you have to apply for them separately or are you automatically considered for them when you apply to a grad school? How do they decide who to give them to? Do they just give them to exceptionally good applicants?

 

[eri]

Graduate schools in the sciences will typically give teaching or research assistantships to incoming PhD students. If you don't get an offer like this, you probably shouldn't go to that program. Those will pay your tuition and pay a small salary as well, but are taxed. Fellowships are often not taxed and offered through other organizations instead of the school, like NSF or NASA. Those you have to apply to separately.

 

[sEsposito]

Graduate schools in the sciences will typically give teaching or research assistantships to incoming PhD students. If you don't get an offer like this, you probably shouldn't go to that program. Those will pay your tuition and pay a small salary as well, but are taxed. Fellowships are often not taxed and offered through other organizations instead of the school, like NSF or NASA. Those you have to apply to separately.

Out of curiosity, do you (or anyone else) know this works the same way for incoming math PhD students?