The Department of Chemistry provides year-round financial support to all full-time Ph.D. students in good academic standing. This support includes a waiver of tuition and most fees, health insurance, and a generous salary that covers living and transportation expenses. In this way Ph.D. students are free to concentrate on their education. The main forms of financial support are fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships.
Fellowships
Generally assigned on a competitive basis, there are several sources of fellowships: outside sources like the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and Department of Defense, University-wide fellowships, and departmental fellowships like the Illinois Chemistry Fellowship. We encourage all eligible applicants to pursue these outside fellowships.
Departmental Awards
Graduate College Awards
Illinois Distinguished Fellowship
External Fellowships
Students may search for additional internal and external fellowship and award opportunities. The Graduate College's Office of External Fellowships helps Illinois graduate students compete for external grants and fellowships. The office is staffed by proposal writing experts with years of experience helping students craft effective proposals.
Office of External Fellowships
Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Program
The Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Grant is an NIH funded grant that supports top graduate students working at the interface of chemistry and biology. These students work in the laboratories of individual PIs, but they also receive an interdisciplinary training whereby they learn a common language and shared set of research skills. Please indicate interest in the CBITP in your personal statement. Students need not apply to be part of the CBITP, but those offered admission will be considered and nominated at the department level.
Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Program
Research and Teaching Assistantships
Research assistantships provide support for students who are actively engaged in their thesis research and usually begin in the second or third year of graduate studies, after most or all coursework has been completed. Prior to this point, most students have teaching assistantships as they take classes and fulfill their teaching requirement. The duties of teaching assistants generally involve leading laboratory or discussion sections for undergraduate courses or assisting with instruction and grading in more advanced courses. The assignments are made taking into consideration each student's background and interests.
More information
Further information on both fellowships and assistantships can be obtained by contacting the Department of Chemistry's Graduate Admissions Office. If you have received an offer to enroll in our graduate program, then we encourage you to visit campus to get a first-hand look at the outstanding opportunities available to graduate students in our department. Up to a limit, you will be reimbursed for travel expenses associated with your visit. Please contact the Graduate Admissions Office for more details.