Funding your graduate education

At the Graduate School, we work to provide you with as many funding opportunities as possible. There are multiple funding sources you should explore when determining how to fund your graduate school experience. Funding can also come from outside scholarships, such as those offered by the Graduate Student Association.

Consider your graduate school education an investment in your career and academic interests. Below you will find links to more information on funding your graduate education at the University.

Explore funding opportunities on campus

Please note: Students may apply for many of the opportunities listed below personally, however, some opportunities are intended to be nominations submitted by program directors on behalf of their most competitive students. To be eligible for these opportunities, students must have completed the annual general scholarship application located in the supplemental forms section of their MyNEVADA account by February 15 for the subsequent academic year.

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  • Bilinski Educational Foundation Dissertation Year Fellowship

    Award amount: $40,000, split into two disbursements of $20,000
    Length of support: One year
    Number awarded: At least ten
    Process: Application initiated by student
    Deadline: March of each year; see page for the exact date
    Eligibility: Full-time doctoral students (U.S. citizen or permanent resident) in Anthropology, Basque Studies, English, History, Political Science, or Social Psychology who have passed all qualifying examinations and course requirements and have advanced to candidacy to complete a doctoral dissertation. (Additional criteria apply; see page for details.)

    Bilinski Fellowship

  • Raymond H. Berner Graduate School Scholarship Program in Molecular Biosciences

    Award amount: Varies by year; typically $3,00 to $10,000, disbursed equally between Fall and Spring semesters
    Length of support: One year
    Number awarded: Varies by year
    Process: Directors of one of the three interdisciplinary graduate programs in Molecular Biosciences or the director of the Integrated Neuroscience program may nominate students at one of three deadlines throughout the year. Additional criteria apply; see page for details.
    Deadline: Start of the Fall semester.
    Eligibility: Graduate students (domestic and international) in any of the three interdisciplinary graduate programs in Molecular Biosciences or the Integrated Neuroscience program.

    Raymond C. Berner Scholarships

  • Graduate Dean's Fellowships

    Award amount: $45,000 ($22,500 per semester); The fellowship also qualifies non-Nevada residents for a waiver of out-of-state tuition.
    Length of support: One year
    Number awarded: Six to seven per year
    Process: Nominations must be submitted by the graduate program's director, as currently recognized by the Graduate School, and graduate programs may nominate up to two candidates per year.
    Deadlines: Two Spring deadlines for Fall admission (see page for exact date)
    Eligibility: Incoming domestic and international doctoral students in any approved University of Nevada, Reno doctoral program (Ph.D. or doctorate). Additional criteria apply; see page for details.

    Graduate Dean's fellowships and merit scholarships

  • Graduate Dean's Merit Scholarships

    Award amount: $10,000 ($5,000 per semester)
    Length of support: One year
    Number awarded: 50 scholarships
    Process: Nominations must be submitted by the graduate program's director, as currently recognized by the Graduate School, and graduate programs may nominate up to four candidates.
    Deadlines: September of each year for Fall admission (see page for exact date)
    Eligibility: Incoming domestic and international master's and doctoral students in any approved University of Nevada, Reno doctoral program (Ph.D., doctorate, MFA or master's). Preference is given to doctoral students. Additional criteria apply; see page for details.

    Graduate Dean's fellowships and merit scholarships

  • Graduate Research and Teaching Assistantships

    Award amount: Stipend and grants-in-aid tuition waiver
    Length of support: Up to three years for a master's student; Up to five years for a doctoral student
    Number awarded: Varies by department based on funding
    Process: Speak with your faculty advisor about opportunities.
    Deadlines: N/A
    Eligibility: See page for details.

    Graduate Assistantships

  • Nevada DRIVE Assistantship Program

    Award amount: Stipend and grants-in-aid tuition waiver
    Length of support: Two years
    Number awarded: 20 full-time or 40 half-time assistantships
    Process: Proposals should be prepared by department chairs/graduate program directors.
    Deadlines: Date will be released when additional funding is secured
    Eligibility: Deans may seek funding for incoming domestic and international doctoral students in any approved University of Nevada, Reno program (Ph.D. or doctorate). Additional criteria apply; see page for details.

    Nevada DRIVE Assistantship Program

  • NNSA Graduate Research Fellowship (NGFP)

    Award amount: Annual stipend of $62,900
    Length of support: one year
    Number awarded: 70 positions per year (nationally)
    Process: Applications by Master’s and Ph.D. students
    Deadline: Early October each year; See NNSA NGFP website for this year's deadline.
    Eligibility: Must be a U.S. citizen and eligible to obtain security clearance. Masters and Ph.D. across different fields are eligible to apply, including but not limited to, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, political science, public administration, security studies, and business. Must meet eligibility requirements

    NNSA Graduate Fellowship Program

  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

    Award amount: Annual stipend of $37,000 and a cost of education allowance of $12,000 to the institution
    Length of support: Five years
    Number awarded: Varies by year
    Process: Student applications
    Deadline: Mid-October each year; See NSF GRFP website for this year's deadline.
    Eligibility: Applicants who will be pursuing full-time research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM Education. Current students in the first or second year of their graduate education may also apply. Must meet eligibility requirements (See eligibility questionnaire).

    NSF GRFP Program

  • Robert E. Dickenson Scholarship

    Award amount: $3,000 to $10,000 per student, per year
    Length of support: Varies by year
    Number awarded: One per year
    Process: Nominations must be submitted to the Graduate School by the graduate student’s graduate program director.
    Deadline: July and September of each year; see page for the exact date
    Eligibility: Master's and doctoral students (U.S. Citizens only) in the following programs:

    • Agricultural Science
    • Environmental Science, Forestry Management & Ecology
    • Rangeland Ecology & Management
    • Hydrogeology, Geo-Engineering
    • Other areas consistent with the donor's desire to foster productive, responsible, and economical livestock and land management (examples may include: Geological Sciences, Business Administration, Medicine, Health Sciences, and Education)

    Robert E. Dickenson Scholarship

  • Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP)

    The (WRGP) is an agreement among WICHE’s 16 member states, through which participating Western public universities allow residents of WICHE states to only pay in-state tuition when attending select graduate certificate, master’s, and doctoral programs. If you are admitted to a participating WRGP degree program, meet the WRGP criteria and are interested in applying to the WRGP program, please complete the WRGP form.

    Learn more about the WRGP