Distinguished Fellowship & Grant Recipients
The Graduate School is proud to recognize the exemplary achievements of graduate student grant and fellowship recipients each year. While we recognize these individuals by name during our annual Celebration of Excellence, this small spotlight only tells a fraction of their story and what these individuals bring to our campus community.
Please see the latest list of grant and fellowship recipients featured below, including this year's recipients of UMass Amherst Graduate School funds.
External Grant Recipients, 2026
Approximately 75 external, prestigious fellowships were awarded to the following students. Awards totaled approximately $2.5 million.
Armstrong Grant Recipients, 2026
Funded by a gift from John and Elizabeth Armstrong, these grants provide funds for doctoral students to advance their dissertation research, including data collection and analysis.
Predissertation Research Grant Recipients, 2026
Predissertation Grants of up to $1,500 offer early career doctoral students the opportunity to evaluate the feasibility of planned dissertation research, generate pilot data, or establish the necessary networks to carry out future dissertation research, among other activities.
Dissertation Fieldwork Grant Recipients, 2026
These grants of up to $5,000 provide support for fieldwork expenses. For the purpose of this grant, fieldwork is defined as data collection that takes place for an extended period of time (e.g. weeks or months) outside the Western Massachusetts geographical area.
MFA Thesis Grant Recipients, 2026
These grants of up to $2,000 provide support for MFA thesis research or creative activities. Funds are designed to cover costs related to producing new work, including research, materials, travel, or other activities related to developing the MFA thesis.
Dissertation Completion Fellowship Recipients, 2026
Dissertation Completion Fellowships are awarded to select students in the Colleges of Social and Behavioral Science, Humanities and Fine Arts, and Education to support summer dissertation writing. In addition to a summer stipend, Dissertation Completion Fellows participate in structured writing support over the summer to help advance their writing goals.
Groundbreaking Graduate Students, 2026
The Groundbreaking Graduate Student award recognizes UMass Amherst master's or doctoral students who demonstrate exceptional academic quality and leadership in their research, scholarship, or creative activities. This program is supported by University Relations, the Office of Research and Engagement, and the Graduate School.