Full Program Details
Most PhD students spend their first years working on whatever project their adviser's grant happens to fund. The Hertz Fellowship was built to break that pattern. It gives a small group of young scientists and engineers their own money, so they can choose the lab, the question and the risk themselves. Applications for the 2027 fellowship close on 30 October 2026.
Up to five years of PhD funding valued at up to $250,000, with a $38,000 nine-month stipend and full tuition covered, for US citizens and permanent residents in the applied sciences, math and engineering.
Details at a glance:
- Host: Fannie and John Hertz Foundation
- Award: up to five years of funding, valued at up to $250,000
- Level: full-time, in-person PhD at a US institution
- Fields: applied physical and biological sciences, mathematics and engineering
- Citizenship: US citizens or permanent residents only
- Application deadline: 30 October 2026
- Recommender deadline: Monday, 2 November 2026, 6pm Pacific Time
Eligibility note: this fellowship is only open to citizens or permanent residents of the United States. International students on a study visa cannot apply.
What the Fellowship Covers
The Hertz Foundation offers two funding routes, both renewable each year for up to five years.
- Hertz funding only: a personal stipend of $38,000 per nine-month period plus the full tuition equivalent.
- Hertz plus another fellowship: if you also win an award such as the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Hertz pays full tuition and a $44,000 nine-month stipend during its own funding period, and adds a $9,000 yearly supplement while the other award is running.
- An extra $5,000 a year for each dependent child.
- A dedicated mentor for the length of the fellowship, plus symposia, professional development and a network of past fellows.
The stipend covers nine months, so summers are free for internships or research outside your thesis.
Who Can Apply
- You must be a US citizen or permanent resident.
- You must be enrolled as a first or second year PhD student in fall 2027, when funding would begin. In practice this means college seniors heading into a PhD, and current first year PhD students.
- Your PhD must be full time and in person at a US institution, in the applied physical or biological sciences, mathematics or engineering.
- You must intend to direct your work toward understanding and solving major, near-term problems facing society.
- Professional degrees such as the MD, JD and MBA are not supported. The PhD portion of an MD/PhD program is.
The foundation's FAQ says second year PhD students may apply, but awards after the first year of graduate school are rare, so you must explain why your case is exceptional.
Fellows hold the award at one of more than 50 partner universities, including MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Caltech, Berkeley and UCLA. Applicants also make a non-binding moral commitment to make their skills available to the United States in a national emergency.
How to Apply
- Read the eligibility rules and FAQ on the official Hertz website to confirm you qualify.
- Register four recommenders in the application portal. They complete the Hertz evaluation form, not a standard letter, by 6pm Pacific Time on 2 November 2026.
- Write the short essays of about 250 to 500 words each and a personal essay of about 500 to 1,000 words.
- Upload unofficial transcripts. First year graduate students may send only undergraduate transcripts if graduate grades are not posted yet. GRE scores are optional.
- Submit the application by 30 October 2026. A research proposal is not required.
Selection Timeline
- Application preselection in November 2026
- First round interviews on Zoom in December 2026 and January 2027
- Second round interviews in person in February 2027
- Finalists announced in February 2027
- Fellowship recipients notified in April 2027
- Public announcement in May 2027
GizPulse Verdict
Who this is for: US citizens and green card holders, including children of Nigerian, Ghanaian and other African immigrant families, who are starting a PhD in engineering, physics, computer science, biology, chemistry or math and want the freedom to pick their own research direction.
Who should pause: International students on visas, anyone headed into a professional degree such as an MD or JD, and current second year PhD students without a strong reason for applying late.
One tip to stand out: Finalists go through two rounds of interviews, so prepare early. Practice explaining a hard problem in your field from first principles out loud, and make your essays name a specific real-world problem your research could move forward.
Read the full rules and start your application on the official Hertz Foundation website.
