Eligibility and Benefits

The Hertz Fellowship provides financial and lifelong professional support for the nation’s most promising graduate students in science and technology.

The fellowship includes up to five years of funding, valued at up to $250,000, and the freedom to pursue innovative projects wherever they may lead. In addition, fellows take part in ongoing mentoring, symposia, and workshops with our vibrant community of more than 1200 fellows, a set of peers who span disciplines, generations, and geography.

Before applying, we encourage you to explore the details of the fellowship to make sure it's the right fit for you. You can email us with any questions at fellowshipinfo@hertzfoundation.org, or visit our frequently asked questions.

We know the nation’s most promising talent can come in many packages, from different disciplines, backgrounds, and points of view.

To help focus our search, we’ve established the following eligibility criteria. We understand there are sometimes unique circumstances, so please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions at fellowshipinfo@hertzfoundation.org.

All eligible applicants must:

We do not award fellowships to applicants pursuing professional degrees other than a PhD, such as an MD, JD, MBA, DPH, or DVM. However, we will support the PhD portion of an MD/PhD program.

Anti-Discrimination Notice: We do not discriminate against any individual on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, sexual orientation, military and veteran status, or any other basis protected by law.

The Hertz Fellowship compensation package includes a cost-of-education allowance and a personal stipend valued at up to $250,000.

Fellows have two options for receiving their fellowship compensation.

If you receive a fellowship, scholarship, or grant offer from another funding entity, we’ll coordinate with that organization or institution to make sure you can take advantage of each offer and receive the maximum possible compensation.

Example: Three year fellowship with the National Science Foundation (NSF)

The Hertz Foundation strongly believes that science and technology should make a positive impact on our nation.

As a public charity, we are committed to empowering young minds who will put their talents to work when it matters most. That’s why before awarding a fellowship, we require that applicants make a nonbinding moral commitment to make their skills available to the United States in times of national emergency.

Importantly, this is not a contractual obligation. We don’t tell our fellows that the nation requires their action, and we have no definition for what constitutes a national emergency.

Throughout history, science and technology have played essential roles in overcoming major challenges facing society, from creating vaccines that fight global epidemics to developing technology that predicts natural disasters. We leave it up to each fellow to determine in their eyes whether the nation faces a truly serious challenge and if they are positioned to use their knowledge and abilities to address it.

The Hertz Foundation awards fellowships to graduate students pursuing a PhD in the applied physical and biological sciences, mathematics, or engineering.

We do not award fellowships based on an applicant’s particular field of study; however, we do require that applicants direct their work toward understanding and solving major, near-term problems facing society. For each applicant, that could mean something different—inventing a new technology, developing a business, or applying their interests in innovative ways.

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.

View our list of fellows to learn more about their fields of interest.

The Hertz Foundation has agreements in place with more than 40 universities to allow students to quickly and seamlessly accept their Hertz fellowships while pursuing PhD studies at one of the following schools.

The Hertz Foundation has established a standard agreement with graduate schools at the following institutions to coordinate paying the stipend, tuition, and other costs for our fellows via a 9-month stipend model. If you’re awarded a fellowship and your school is not on the list of participating schools, you may ask to have it added to the list, and we’ll do our best to work with your school to negotiate an agreement. Fellows may also change to another participating school at any time during their fellowship. For a list of institutions that our fellows have attended for their undergraduate studies, see here.

IMPORTANT: You do not need to be currently enrolled in one of the participating schools to apply to the Hertz Fellowship.

***Case Western Reserve University is pleased to offer applicants that advance as Hertz Finalists a fully-funded fellowship. This offer is not contingent on receiving the Hertz Fellowship. Additional information is available in the application and at the following website.