Google PhD fellowship program

Students receive named Fellowships which include a monetary award. The funds are given directly to the university to be distributed to cover the student’s expenses and stipend as appropriate. In addition, the student will be matched with a Google Research Mentor. There is no employee relationship between the student and Google as a result of receiving the fellowship. The award does not preclude future eligibility for internships or employment opportunities at Google, nor does it increase the chances of obtaining them. If students wish to apply for a job at Google, they are welcome to apply for jobs and go through the same hiring process as any other person.

Africa

• Up to 3 year Fellowship
• US $12K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Google Research Mentor

Australia and New Zealand

• 1 year Fellowship
• AUD $15K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Google Research Mentor

Canada and the United States

• Up to 2 year Fellowship (effective from 2024 for new recipients)
• Full tuition and fees (enrollment fees, health insurance, books) plus a stipend to be used for living expenses, travel and personal equipment
• Google Research Mentor

East Asia

• 1 year Fellowship
• US $10K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Google Research Mentor

Europe

• Up to 2 year Fellowship (effective from 2024 for new recipients)
• Yearly bursary towards stipend / salary, health care, social benefits, tuition and fees, conference travel and personal computing equipment. The bursary varies by country.
• Google Research Mentor

India

Early-stage PhD students

• Up to 4 year Fellowship
• US $50K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Google Research Mentor

Late-stage PhD students

• 1 year Fellowship
• US $10K to recognise research contributions, cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Google Research Mentor

Latin America

• Up to 2 year Fellowship (effective from 2024 for new recipients)
• US $15K per year to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Google Research Mentor

Southeast Asia

• Up to 3 year Fellowship
• US $10K per year for up to 3 years (or up to graduation, whichever is earlier) to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Google Research Mentor

Africa, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, East Asia, Europe and the United States: universities must be an accredited research institution that awards research degrees to PhD students in computer science (or an adjacent field).

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia: applications are open to universities/institutes in India, Latin America (excluding Cuba), and in eligible Southeast Asian countries/regions (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam).

Restrictions: All award payments and recipients will be reviewed for compliance with relevant US and international laws, regulations and policies. Google reserves the right to withhold funding that may violate laws, regulations or our policies.

All regions

• Students must remain enrolled full-time in the PhD program for the duration of the Fellowship or forfeit the award.
• Google employees, and their spouses, children, and members of their household are not eligible.
• Students that are already supported by a comparable industry award are not eligible. Government or non-profit organization funding is exempt.
• Past awardees from the PhD Fellowship program are not eligible to apply again.
• For incoming PhD students (Africa, India, Latin America and Southeast Asia),
  • Grant of the Fellowship does not mean admission to a PhD program. The awardee must separately apply and be accepted to a PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) at an eligible institution.
  • Grant of the Fellowship will be subject to the rules and guidelines applicable in the institution where the awardee registers for the PhD program.

Nominated students in Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Canada and the United States, East Asia and Europe.

Universities should only nominate students that meet the following requirements:

• Africa: Incoming PhD students are eligible to apply, but the Fellowship award shall be contingent on the awardee registering for a full-time PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) within the academic award year of the Fellowship award, or the award shall be forfeited.
• Australia and New Zealand: early-stage students enrolled in the first or second year of their PhD (no requirement for completion of graduate coursework by the academic award year).
• Canada and the United States: students who have completed graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins.
• East Asia: students who have completed most of graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins. Students should have sufficient time for research projects after receiving a fellowship.
• Europe: Students enrolled at any stage of their PhD are eligible to apply.

Direct applicant students in India, Latin America and Southeast Asia

• Incoming PhD students are eligible to apply, but the Fellowship award shall be contingent on the awardee registering for a full-time PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) within the academic award year of the Fellowship award, or the award shall be forfeited.
  • Latin America: incoming or early stage-students enrolled in the first or second year of their PhD (no requirement for completion of graduate coursework by the academic award year).

All application materials should be submitted in English.

Africa

For each student nomination, the university will be asked to submit the following material in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file:

1. Student CV with links to website and publications (if available)
2. Short (1-page) resume/CV of the student's primary PhD program advisor
3. Available transcripts (mark sheets) starting from first year/semester of Bachelor's degree to date
4. Research proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
5. 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee''s work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
6. Student essay response (350-word limit) to: What impact would receiving this Fellowship have on your education? Describe any circumstances affecting your need for a Fellowship and what educational goals this Fellowship will enable you to accomplish.

Australia and New Zealand

For each student nomination, the university will be asked to submit the following material in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file:

1. Student CV with links to website and publications (if available)
2. Transcripts of current and previous academic records
3. 1-2 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)
4. Research proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)

Canada, East Asia, the United States

For each student nomination, the university will be asked to submit the following material in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file:

1. Cover sheet signed by the Department Chair confirming the student passes eligibility requirements. (See FAQ "What are the eligibility requirements for students?")
2. Student CV with links to website and publications (if available)
3. Short (1-page) CV of the student's primary advisor
4. 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)
5. Research / dissertation proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
6. Student essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe the desired impact your research will make on the field and society, and why this is important to you. Include any personal, educational and/or professional experiences that have motivated your research interests.
7. Student essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. (A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities? Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family?)
8. Transcripts of current and previous academic records

Europe

For each student nomination, the university will be asked to submit the following material in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file:

1. Cover sheet signed by the Department Chair confirming the student passes eligibility requirements. (See FAQ "What are the eligibility requirements for students?")
2. Student CV with links to website and publications (if available)
3. Short (1-page) CV of the student's primary advisor
4. 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)
5. Research / dissertation proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
6. Transcripts of current and previous academic records

India and Southeast Asia

Students will need the following documents in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file in order to complete an application (in English only):

1. Student applicant’s resume with links to website and publications (if available)
2. Short (one-page) resume/CV of the student applicant's primary PhD program advisor
3. Available transcripts (mark sheets) starting from first year/semester of Bachelor's degree to date
4. Research proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
5. 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the applicant's work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)

Latin America

Students will need the following documents in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file in order to complete an application (in English only):

1. Student applicant’s resume with links to website and publications (if available)
2. Short (one-page) resume/CV of the student applicant's primary PhD program advisor
3. Available transcripts (mark sheets) starting from first year/semester of Bachelor's degree to date
4. Research proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
5. 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the applicant's work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
6. Applicant's essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe the desired impact your research will make on the field and society, and why this is important to you. Include any personal, educational and/or professional experiences that have motivated your research interests.
7. Applicant's essay response (350-word limit) to: What are your long-term goals for your pathway in computing research, and how would receiving the Google PhD Fellowship help you progress toward those goals in the short-term?

Check the eligibility and application requirements in your region before applying. Submission forms are available on this page when the application period begins.

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia: students may apply directly during the application period.

Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, New Zealand, and the United States: students cannot apply directly to the program; they must be nominated by an eligible university during the application period.

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia: applications are open directly to students with no limit to the number of students that can apply from a university.

Australia and New Zealand: universities may nominate up to two eligible students.

Canada and the United States: Universities may nominate up to four eligible students. We encourage nominating students with diverse backgrounds especially those from historically marginalized groups in the field of computing. If more than two students are nominated then we strongly encourage additional nominees who self-identify as a woman, Black / African descent, Hispanic / Latino / Latinx, Indigenous, and/or a person with a disability.

Africa, East Asia and Europe: Universities may nominate up to three eligible students. We encourage nominating students with diverse backgrounds especially those from historically marginalized groups in the field of computing. If more than two students are nominated then we strongly encourage the additional nominee who self-identifies as a woman.

*Applications are evaluated on merit. Please see FAQ for details on how applications are evaluated.

Applications are evaluated on the strength of the research proposal, research impact, student academic achievements, and leadership potential. Research proposals are evaluated for innovative concepts that are relevant to Google’s research areas, as well as aspects of robustness and potential impact to the field. Proposals should include the direction and any plans of where your work is going in addition to a comprehensive description of the research you are pursuing.

In Canada and the United State, East Asia and Latin America, essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.

A nominee's status as a member of a historically marginalized group is not considered in the selection of award recipients.

Research should align with Google AI Principles.

Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

Any monetary awards will be paid directly to the Fellow's university for distribution. No overhead should be assessed against them.

Fellowship recipients are not subject to intellectual property restrictions unless they complete an internship at Google. If that is the case, they are subject to the same intellectual property restrictions as any other Google intern.

No, Fellowship recipients do not become employees of Google due to receiving the award. The award does not preclude future eligibility for internships or employment opportunities at Google, nor does it increase the chances of obtaining them. If they are interested in working at Google, they are welcome to apply for jobs and go through the same hiring process as any other person.

Yes, Fellowship recipients are eligible for these scholarships.

Google PhD Fellowships begin at the start of the upcoming school year after award notification.

Applications for the Google PhD Fellowship Program will open in March and close in May.

• Regional Details: Application details vary by region. Please refer to the main Google PhD Fellowship Program page for specific information about your region.
• Award Announcements: All new fellowship recipients will be publicly announced on the Google Research site.

Due to the volume of emails we receive, we may not be able to respond to questions where the answer is available on the website. If your question has not been answered by a FAQ, email:

Africa: research-africa@google.com

Australia and New Zealand: research-programs-aunz@google.com

Canada and the United States: phdfellowship@google.com

East Asia: eastasia-ur@google.com

Europe: europe-phdfellowship@google.com

India: research-programs-in@google.com

Latin America: research-programs-latam@google.com

Southeast Asia: research-programs-sea@google.com