We have many funding opportunities for our graduate students so that the vast majority can receive some form of financial assistance. The main types of funding our department offers come from Texas A&M University graduate fellowships, external fellowships, graduate research assistantships, and graduate teaching assistantships.
Funding for our students is considered separately from our admission decisions, and we encourage applicants to contact faculty about available funding opportunities based on their research area of interest.
Fellowships
Students who enroll in a fellowship can select their research project and advisor within the department.
For Texas A&M fellowships, students must complete their application for fall entry by December 1. Texas A&M fellowships are not available for spring or summer semester entry.
We also encourage students to seek out and apply for fellowships from outside agencies:
Department of Energy (DOE) Computational Science Graduate Fellowship
The Science and Engineering track of the U.S. DOE-CSGF is intended for graduate students pursuing a Ph.D. in fields of study that advance the use of high-performance computing (HPC) to solve specific, complex science and engineering problems.
- Application final submission is due by 5:00 p.m. CST on January 16, 2025.
- Letters of recommendation are due on January 23, 2025.
- Official transcripts are due on January 31, 2025.
DOE-CSGF Science & Engineering Track application
DOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Laboratory Residency Graduate Fellowship (LRGF)
The DOE NSSA LRGF provides outstanding benefits and opportunities to students pursuing doctoral degrees in fields relevant to stewardship of the nation’s nuclear stockpile. It is open to U.S. citizens engaged in full-time, uninterrupted study toward a doctoral degree at an accredited U.S. university. Specifically, applicants should be first-, second- or third-year Ph.D. students with at least 18 months remaining in their academic program as of the start of the fellowship period.
- Application opens in November with a March 12, 2025 deadline for final submission.
DOE NNSA LRGF information and application
DOE Office of Nuclear Energy - University Nuclear Leadership Program
The DOE Nuclear Energy Program provides graduate-level fellowships in nuclear energy-related fields to graduate students in their first year. Requests for Applications (RFAs) for the University Nuclear Leadership Program (UNLP) seek applicants for scholarships (undergraduates) and fellowships (graduate students). The graduate fellowship program provides $169,000 over three years to support graduate research relevant to nuclear energy and includes a summer internship at a DOE national laboratory or approved facility.
- The application deadline is January 16, 2025.
DOE Nuclear Energy UNLP application
Hertz Foundation
The Hertz Foundation awards fellowships to graduate students (U.S. citizens or permanent residents) pursuing a Ph.D. in the applied physical and biological sciences, mathematics, or engineering. They don't award fellowships based on a particular field of study but require that applicants direct their work toward understanding and solving major, near-term societal problems. For each applicant, that could mean something different, like inventing a new technology, developing a business, or applying their interests innovatively. It’s up to the applicant to advocate for their specific field of study and demonstrate how it will be applied to address real-world challenges with the greatest impact.
- Applications are due November 1, 2024.
Livermore Lab Foundation (LLF)
The LLF is committed to ‘opening the door to the future’ by inspiring the next generation of STEM leaders. LLF supports STEM opportunities that connect aspiring scientists and engineers with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) premier resources and mentors. Our STEM programs are focused on fellowships and research stipends aimed at fostering the academic and professional journey of undergraduate and graduate students, with a focus on those historically underrepresented in the field, low-income/financial need, and/or first-generation college students. Increasingly, we seek to place LLF Fellows with Lab teams engaged in the key research areas we fund – namely, climate resilience, neurodegenerative disease, and fusion innovation.
- Use the application link to see the next application date.
Nuclear Nonproliferation International Safeguards (NNIS)
The NNIS Graduate Fellowship Program provides financial support for exceptional students pursuing technical doctoral research relevant to the field of international safeguards. Participating universities foster partnerships between science/engineering programs and programs focused on nuclear nonproliferation and safeguards policy. Armed with both deep technical expertise and policy understanding, NNIS Fellows are primed to take on the exciting and challenging work of international nuclear safeguards.
- Use the application link to see the next application date.
Rickover Fellowship Program in Nuclear Engineering
This program is designed to meet the needs of the Naval Reactors Division of the U.S. DOE for doctoral-level employees to develop science and engineering technology as it pertains to naval nuclear propulsion. The program will assist in preparing students for roles in naval nuclear propulsion and will support the broader objective of advancing fission energy development through the research efforts of the Fellows. The technical areas with the greatest interest include reactor physics, nuclear materials science and engineering, radiation shielding technology, thermal hydraulics, computational fluid dynamics, acoustic technology, machine learning, and artificial intelligence technology.
- Use the application link to see the next application date.
Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Program
The SCGSR program was established to support graduate students (U.S. citizens or permanent residents) to do a part of their graduate thesis research at a U.S. DOE laboratory or facility. The SCGSR program provides supplemental awards for graduate students to spend 3 to 12 consecutive months at a DOE national laboratory or facility conducting graduate thesis research in a priority research area in collaboration with a DOE laboratory scientist.
- Applications are due November 6, 2024.
Graduate Assistantships
Research
Students selected for graduate research assistantships (GAR) are funded by a particular faculty member from their research interest area. Students will work directly on their research projects and the faculty member will serve as their committee chair for their graduate studies. The personal statement in the application is heavily reviewed and helpful when pairing up students to an area of research/faculty member.
Teaching
Students selected for graduate teaching assistantships (GAT) are funded by the department for one year. Domestic students receive two semesters of funding and International students are given three semesters. Students are assigned to one or two undergraduate courses each semester and serve as graders. The department encourages students to utilize this time to explore the various research areas within the department, eventually selecting one and securing funding from a faculty member for the remainder of their graduate studies.
Students who receive funding from a graduate assistantship are employed half-time (20 hours per week) and receive in-state tuition benefits and insurance. Assistantships are very competitive, and students are expected to have high GPAs and GRE quantitative scores.