Google PhD Fellowship Program 2026

Google PhD Fellowships directly support graduate students as they pursue their PhD. Nurturing and maintaining strong relations with the academic community is a top priority at Google. The Google PhD Fellowship Program was created to recognize outstanding graduate students doing exceptional and innovative research in areas relevant to computer science and related fields.

The research teams impact technology used by people all over the world and we encourage people of a wide range of backgrounds to apply. Google currently offer fellowships in Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle East, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and the United States.

The Fellowships are awarded to students who represent the future of research in the fields listed below. Note that region-specific research areas will be listed in application forms during the application window.

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

About Google

Google LLC is an American multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products, which include online advertising technologies, search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware. It is considered one of the Big Four technology companies, alongside Amazon, Apple, and Facebook. Google was founded in September 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University in California. The company's rapid growth since incorporation has triggered a chain of products, acquisitions, and partnerships beyond Google's core se... continue reading

Google PhD Fellowship Program

Aim and Benefits of Google PhD Fellowship Program

• Up to 3 year Fellowship
• US $15K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Requirements for Google PhD Fellowship Program Qualification

General Eligibility Requirements (All Regions):

• Students must remain enrolled full-time in the PhD program for the duration of the Fellowship or forfeit the award.
• Google employees, and their spouses, children, and members of their household are not eligible.
• Students that are already supported by a comparable industry award are not eligible. Government or non-profit organization funding is exempt.
• Past awardees from the PhD Fellowship program are not eligible to apply again.

Region-Specific Eligibility Requirements:

• Africa, India, Latin America, and Southeast Asia
  • Incoming or early-stage PhD students can be nominated by their university; however, the Fellowship award is contingent on the awardee registering for a full-time PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) within the academic award year of the Fellowship award, or the award shall be forfeited.
  • Grant of the Fellowship does not mean admission to a PhD program. The awardee must separately apply and be accepted to a PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) at an eligible institution.
  • Grant of the Fellowship will be subject to the rules and guidelines applicable in the institution where the awardee registers for the PhD program.

Interview date, Process and Venue for Google PhD Fellowship Program

• 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.
• In Canada and the United States, East Asia and Latin America, essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.
• A nominee's status as a member of a historically marginalized group is not considered in the selection of award recipients.
• Research should align with Google AI Principles.
• Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

Documents Required for Application

All application materials should be submitted in English.

The required materials vary depending on your region.

Universities will need to submit the following materials in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file.

Required Materials for All Nominated Students:

• Student CV with links to website and publications (if available)
• Research/dissertation proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)

Check also:Makerere University Mastercard Foundation Scholarship 2026

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to Google on googlefellowships.submittable.com to apply

To apply for the Google PhD Fellowship Program, please follow these steps:

1. University Nomination: All students must be nominated by an eligible university during the application period; direct applications from students are not accepted.
2. Review the eligibility and application requirements: Please carefully review the eligibility criteria and application requirements specific to your region.
3. Submit application: Please contact your department or graduate school for information about your university's internal nomination process. If nominated, your university will submit your application on your behalf. The application submission portal will be available on the program page when the application period begins.

For more information, kindly visit Google Fellowship webpage.