Who can apply
- Women who are not United States citizens or permanent residents
- Applicants from countries worldwide, including Uganda and other African countries
- Applicants admitted to or currently enrolled in their first Master's degree or first academic or professional doctorate
- Applicants pursuing an eligible STEM discipline
- Applicants with at least one academic qualification equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree
- Applicants with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale for their highest earned degree
- Applicants undertaking or planning full-time graduate study
- Applicants whose programme begins on or before 15 September 2027 and ends on or after 30 April 2028
- Applicants able to demonstrate academic excellence and commitment to advancing opportunities or equity for women and girls
Focus areas
- Science
- Technology
- Engineering
- Mathematics
- Computer science
- Artificial intelligence
- Data science and analytics
- Cybersecurity
- Agricultural sciences
- Biotechnology
- Environmental and climate sciences
- Public health in quantitative or scientific tracks
- Biomedical and health sciences
- Engineering disciplines
- Statistics and quantitative fields
- Medicine and selected professional health degrees
- STEM leadership
- Women's advancement and gender equity
Requirements
- Applicant must identify as a woman
- Applicant must not be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and must not be applying for U.S. permanent residency
- Applicant must already be admitted to or enrolled in an eligible programme when applying
- Programme must be the applicant's first Master's degree or first doctorate at that level
- Programme must be in an eligible STEM discipline
- Applicant must hold at least a U.S.-equivalent bachelor's degree
- Highest earned degree must have a minimum cumulative GPA equivalent to 3.5 on a 4.0 scale
- Standard applicants must pursue full-time study at an accredited U.S. institution
- Programme must begin on or before 15 September 2027 and end on or after 30 April 2028
- Applicant must submit two letters of recommendation
- Applicant must submit proof of all degrees earned
- Applicant must provide official academic transcripts
- Documents not issued in English must meet AAUW translation requirements
- Applicant must provide evidence supporting the required GPA conversion where the institution does not use a 4.0 scale
- Incomplete applications will not be considered
Application steps
- Confirm that you meet the citizenship, gender, academic-level, STEM-field, GPA and full-time study requirements
- Secure admission to or confirm current enrolment in an eligible Master's or doctoral programme before applying
- Prepare degree certificates, official transcripts, required GPA-conversion evidence and any certified English translations
- Identify two strong academic or professional recommenders and register them early through the AAUW application system
- Complete the narrative application and upload all required supporting documents through the AAUW Fellowships & Grants Application Portal
- Ensure both recommendations and the complete application are submitted before 17 September 2026 at 5:00 PM ET
This fellowship should not be advertised as fully funded. AAUW provides a fixed stipend of US$20,000 for Master's fellows or US$25,000 for doctoral fellows, which may be used toward tuition and living costs but may not cover the full cost of a U.S. graduate programme. Candidates should therefore understand their remaining tuition, insurance, travel, visa and living-cost exposure before committing. Admission is a major readiness requirement. Applicants cannot use the fellowship application as a substitute for university admission: they must already be admitted to or enrolled in an eligible programme when applying. The 3.5/4.0 minimum GPA is also a hard eligibility requirement, and candidates whose universities use different grading systems must provide acceptable conversion evidence. Selection considers more than grades. Competitive applicants should demonstrate academic excellence, a realistic STEM career pathway, meaningful commitment to women and girls and a credible plan to use their expertise for impact in their home country or community. AAUW permits assistive use of generative AI, but application narratives must remain the applicant's authentic ideas, analysis and voice.