Blog

Apply Now For The 2026–27 NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship Program – Up to $60,000 In Funding for Innovators

0 64 3 minutes read

NVIDIA’s Graduate Fellowship Program, now entering its 25th year, presents an extraordinary opportunity for PhD students to fuse academic brilliance with industry-defining innovation. Now accepting applications for the 2026–2027 cycle, this fellowship offers more than just funding—it’s a launchpad for future tech leaders working on transformative research in accelerated computing.

ALSO READ: Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity: FIFA World Cup 2026 Volunteer Program | 65,000 Volunteers Needed Worldwide

Table of Contents

A Fellowship That Powers Innovation

This program offers up to $60,000 per fellow to support doctoral research that pushes the boundaries of accelerated computing across AI, robotics, autonomous systems, healthcare, high-performance computing, and beyond. Awards are designed to cover stipend, tuition, and mandatory fees—with administrative overhead explicitly excluded.

Eligibility: Who Can Apply?

Applicants should:

Be PhD students who have completed at least one year of studies at application time.
Be enrolled full-time through the 2026–2027 academic year and not expected to graduate before May/June 2027.
Be actively engaged in research in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, System Architecture, Electrical Engineering, or closely related fields.
Be available for a mandatory in-person summer internship at one of NVIDIA’s global research facilities—located in the United States, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Israel, or Taiwan.
Not be an immediate family member of a current NVIDIA employee.
Ensure the award is administered through their university, not directly to the student.

How to Apply & Assessment Criteria

To apply, candidates must submit their application via NVIDIA’s online portal, completing the following:

A Research Summary / Thesis Proposal (max 2 pages, bibliography excluded).
A comprehensive CV or résumé with contact information.
Between 2 to 3 nomination letters, including one from the thesis advisor; non-professor nominations are accepted if they accompany the required advisor letter.
Confirmation that the candidate can complete the required in-person internship.

During the application process:

Be sure to populate your profile early—you can revisit and edit it before final submission.
Invite recommenders well in advance, and monitor the portal to ensure their letters are submitted by the deadline (professional letters are due by 12:00 PM Pacific Time on September 15, 2025).
The final application deadline is 3:00 PM Pacific Time, September 15, 2025.

ALSO READ: Canon Collins (RMTF) Scholarships 2026 For Postgraduate Study In South Africa: Empowering Future Leaders

Evaluation Criteria: What NVIDIA Values

Applications will be assessed by NVIDIA’s expert review panel—led by the Chief Scientist and comprising over 80 senior technical staff—from these key angles:

Student Quality: Academic achievements, GPA, and strength of recommendation letters.
Research Excellence: Progress to date, originality, publication record, and the merits of the proposed research plan.
Relevance to NVIDIA: How closely your research ties into NVIDIA’s key domains—AI, GPU design, performance optimization, autonomous systems—and how it could influence future GPU uses .

Why This Fellowship Stands Out

Beyond the significant financial award, selected fellows benefit from:

A Summer Internship at NVIDIA, offering hands-on exposure to real-world challenges and direct access to NVIDIA’s technology stack.
Networking and mentorship with industry leaders, fostering deep collaborations that go beyond academia.
Access to cutting-edge GPU hardware and software tools to propel your research impact.
Being part of a prestigious global cohort, now a cohort of more than two decades of pioneering researchers—since its inception in 2002, the program has disbursed over $7.3 million through more than 200 awards.

Key Dates to Note

Applications Open: Already open as of August 2025.
‌Deadline for AI Letters: 12:00 PM PT, September 15, 2025.
‌Final Submission: 3:00 PM PT, September 15, 2025.
Fellowship/Cohort Year: Academic Year 2026–2027, following summer internship in 2026.

ALSO READ: Apply Now For The Funded British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship Programme 2025 (Humanities & Social Sciences)

In summary, the NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship Program 2026–2027 offers a compelling blend of financial support, research immersion, industry experience, and networking for PhD candidates in accelerated computing fields. If you’re driven to push technological boundaries, secure your recommenders now, craft a compelling proposal, and submit before September 15—this could be your next big leap forward.