Funding
Graduate Student Funding
The Graduate School offers various forms of financial support. Visit the TGS website to see what funding support is available to incoming graduate students.
Fellowships & Grants
Many alternative options for funding are available to graduate students in Weinberg. Whether internal or external, fellowship or grant, students can apply for funding support that will enhance their research and, in some cases, extend the length of financial support.
- Berlin Program in Critical Theory: Inaugurated in Fall of 2026, this fellowship affords up to five highly-qualified advanced graduate students from a wide variety of disciplines a unique opportunity to spend one year in Berlin themselves with research in different areas of interest to critical theory broadly conceived.
- Franke Fellowship Program: The Alice Kaplan Institute for the Humanities awards exclusive Franke Fellowships to the most promising graduate students in fields across the humanities.
- Crown Fellowship: The Crown Family Center for Jewish Studies supports the Crown Fellowship, an award given annually to a Northwestern graduate student or group of students whose works bears on some aspect of Jewish history, culture, or religion.
- Individual Departments and Programs: Departmental resources are often available in PhD programs. See program website to explore options in your field of interest.
All PhD students have the opportunity to apply for internal or external funding through The Graduate School to support research and dissertation writing.
Explore opportunities for:
- Internal Fellowships administered by TGS
- Internal Grants administered by TGS
Highlights include:
In addition to those awards available through the university, applicants are encouraged to compete for external awards available for graduate study. The Office of Fellowships provides resources to help students navigate their search for external funding outlets, including access to databases, information workshops and drop-in hours.
Students receiving financial aid from Northwestern must notify their home department (via email) of other sources of support, such as an external award, traineeship, teaching assistantship, research assistantship, School of Professional Studies teaching, teaching at other institutions, or other fellowships. In cases where alternative funding is available, the financial award may be adjusted at the home school's discretion.