2026 Google PhD Fellowship Program

The Google Fellowship Program recognizes outstanding graduate students doing exceptional work in computer science and related disciplines at universities in the United States and Canada. Students do not apply directly to Google but must instead be nominated by their university. Students of any nationality/citizenship are eligible, and each university may nominate up to four students. The fellowship provides up to two years of support, and it includes access to a Google research mentor. 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.

Google supports research in the following topical areas:

• Computer Architecture
• Algorithms & Optimization
• Health Research
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Machine Learning & ML Foundations
• Machine Perception
• Natural Language Processing
• Privacy, Safety, & Security
• Quantum Computing
• Software Engineering & Programming Languages
• System, Networking, & Cloud Computing

Award Amount:

• Up to $85,000 per year for tuition, fees, stipend, travel, and equipment.
• For UIUC students: The fellowship will first cover all tuition and fees, and the remainder will be available for stipend and other expenses.

Applicants must:

• Be a full-time doctoral student pursuing research in one of the topical areas listed above.
• Be on course to have completed all graduate coursework by the beginning of the fellowship term (Fall 2026).
• Remain enrolled full-time in the PhD program for the duration of the fellowship or forfeit the award.
• Students that are already supported by a comparable industry award are not eligible. Government or non-profit organization funding is exempt.
• Past awardees of the Google PhD Fellowship are not eligible.
• Students of any citizenship/nationality are eligible.
• You must not be a Google employee and not have any members of your household that are Google employees (spouse, parent, children).

Students must be nominated by their department, and each department may submit up to three nominations. If you are selected a signed memorandum and nomination form will be prepared for you.

For more information, see the following link: https://fellowship-finder.grad.illinois.edu/SearchResult/Fellowship/3163