HERTZ Fellowship
Who can apply
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. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions at fellowshipinfo@hertzfoundation.org.
Contact the fellowship team
Eligibility
All eligible applicants must:
- be college seniors, first-year graduate students, or in a gap period preparing to apply to graduate school;
- intend to pursue a PhD in the applied physical and biological sciences, mathematics, or engineering;
- intend to direct their studies toward understanding and solving major, near-term problems facing society; and
- be citizens or permanent residents of the United States.
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.
Fields of Study
Hertz Fellowships are awarded 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. Visit the Hertz Fellows Directory to learn more about their interests.
How We Identify Fellows
When we select a Hertz Fellow, we’re investing in a person’s potential to be a leader in their field who will address the most pressing challenges facing society. While there is no perfect predictor of future success, there are certain attributes common to Hertz Fellows that we try to identify when we evaluate applicants.
Deep, Integrated Knowledge
Grades and test scores only tell part of the story. We’re looking for applicants with deep scientific and technical knowledge who can drive the exploration of complex, multidisciplinary topics and who can clearly articulate their ideas during in-person conversations with our interviewers.
Creative Problem Solvers
Today’s challenges cannot be solved with yesterday’s thinking. To make an impact, we need creative problem solvers—fellows who can bring together expertise, resources, and critical thinking from different fields to create a solution far greater than the sum of its parts.
Commitment to the Greater Good
Hertz Fellows aren’t just hoping for a better future. They are working to create it, directing their talents toward solving real-world problems that impact our nation and the world.
Active Leadership
Breakthroughs don’t happen overnight. They require self-starters who can gain the trust of their colleagues, build consensus around an ambitious vision, and then deliver on that promise down to the details.
Lifelong Achievers
Whether it’s innovative undergraduate research, excellence in high school ROTC, or advancing a cause you care about, we’re looking for rising stars with a track record of success every step of the way—and a desire to grow in the process.
Moral Commitment
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 non-binding 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.
Participating Schools
The Hertz Foundation has agreements in place with more than 50 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.
Arizona State University
California Institute of Technology
Carnegie Mellon University
Case Western Reserve University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Duke University
Emory University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Harvard University
Johns Hopkins University
Lehigh University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York University
Northwestern University
Ohio State University
Pennsylvania State University
Princeton University
Purdue University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rice University
Rockefeller University
Stanford University
State University of New York at Stony Brook
Texas A&M University
The Scripps Research Institute
University of Arizona
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Riverside
University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Francisco
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Chicago
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Colorado Denver
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Maryland
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
University of Rochester
University of Southern California
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Vanderbilt University
Washington University in St. Louis
Yale University
Funding for Fellowship Finalists
The Hertz Foundation has partnered with Case Western Reserve University and Texas A&M University to offer a full financial benefits of a Hertz Fellowship to applicants that advance as Hertz Finalists but are not ultimately selected as Hertz Fellows. Learn more at the links below
Additional resources
FELLOWSHIP BENEFITS
The Hertz Fellowship awards up to five years of funding, valued at up to $250,000—and so much more.
LEARN MOREfor recommenders
Our recommenders in academia and industry are integral in helping students apply for the Hertz Fellowship.
LEARN MOREcareer support & mentorship
In addition to networking with some of the nation’s preeminent scientists, Fellows also work with a dedicated mentor throughout their fellowship.
LEARN MOREAPPLICATION HELP
We have resources to guide you as you navigate the application process, including FAQs, advice from Fellows, and more.
Find out more
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