Graduate Fellowships
As a top-tier research university, NC State is enriched by the 10,000+ master’s and doctoral students who enhance our faculty’s work, teach undergraduates and undertake research at the cutting edge of their disciplines.
Fellowships at NC State
With our world-renowned faculty, state-of-the-art facilities and proximity to key industry partners, NC State has a great deal to offer potential graduate students. However, our funding packages are less competitive than those of many of our peers, and we routinely lose top talent to programs that provide higher stipends.
Growing the number of graduate fellowships we offer and enhancing existing funding packages are some of our top priorities, and supporting our graduate students has a far-reaching impact. Graduate students represent the future of their disciplines, creating advancements that benefit our state and our world. Additionally, departmental rankings, faculty recruitment and undergraduate education all depend on the presence of outstanding graduate students. Your gift is an investment in our students and in our university’s future.
Fellowships enable universities to attract the best and brightest graduate students, and NC State is no exception. Departmental rankings, faculty recruitment and undergraduate education all depend on the presence of talented graduate students. In recent years, thanks to the generosity of donor support, we have been able to endow 77 new fellowships, and our work is not yet done.
The Funding Gap Ranges from $5,000 to $10,000
Our peer institutions offer higher average yearly funding.
60% of Pack Essentials Applications
In the 2024-25 academic year, graduate students represented more than half of Pack Essentials applicants.
2/3 of Graduate Students are Self-Supporting
Roughly 33% of graduate students receive university funding.
Competition for top graduate students is intense, and finances are increasingly a deciding factor. NC State must be able to offer a breadth of competitive graduate fellowships to recruit the best candidates and build a stronger future for North Carolina and beyond.
Opportunities for Your Support
NC State’s more than 10,000 graduate students influence every aspect of the university: They educate and mentor undergraduates, advance research and drive innovation. Endowed graduate support begins at $100,000, as of July 1, 2026, and is frequently a deciding factor in a talented student’s choice of NC State.
- Endowed Full Fellowship: Fully funds a graduate student with tuition and stipend or support and grows the graduate program of your choice.
- Endowed Partial Fellowship: Provides tuition and a partial stipend or research support to a graduate student.
- Endowed Graduate Enhancement Fellowship: Serves as a powerful recruiting tool for top graduate students with support for research, travel and more.
- Endowed Graduate Award: Provides additional funding to bolster the efforts of current graduate students.