Hertz Foundation Fellowship

Deadline

Overview

The Hertz Foundation provides Fellowships to exceptionally talented individuals studying in the applied physical, biological and engineering sciences.

The Foundation looks to support the graduate education of America's most promising technical talent, the PhD-directed effort of the young men and women who can be expected to have the greatest impact on the application of the physical sciences to human problems during the next half-century. The Graduate Fellowships of the Hertz Foundation are widely considered to be among the most prestigious offered anywhere. The Foundation's standing policy is that they will be structured to be the most attractive in their class in both material terms and duration of tenure.

Benefits

The Graduate Fellowship Award is based on merit (not need) and consists of a cost-of-education allowance and personal-support stipend. The cost-of-education allowance is accepted by all of the participating schools in lieu of all fees and tuition.  Hertz Fellows therefore have no liability for any ordinary educational costs, regardless of their choice of participating schools.

In addition to financial support, the Foundation provides on going mentoring, symposia and a network of peers providing Fellows with a forum to share ideas and explore opportunities throughout their careers. The Foundation is developing ways for Hertz Fellows to communicate with their peers across generational and disciplinary lines, further enhancing their opportunities to gather information, form scientific networks and make contributions.

Eligibility criteria

Eligible applicants for Hertz Fellowships must be students of the applied physical, biological and engineering sciences who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States of America, and who are willing to morally commit to make their skills available to the United States in time of national emergency (see Moral Commitment section).

College seniors wishing to pursue the PhD degree in any of the fields of particular interest to the Foundation, as well as graduate students already in the process of doing so, may apply. Fellowships are generally not awarded to students who are already beyond their first year of graduate study except in cases of "exceptional leverage."

Selection criteria

Each October, using a rigorous merit based system, the Hertz Foundation selects roughly 150 excellent candidates of exceptional creativity from over 600 written applications received each year. Almost all candidates are either seniors or first year graduate students planning to do graduate study in the applications of the physical, biological and engineering sciences.

Each candidate is interviewed by one of our technical interviewers (many of whom are Hertz Alumni Fellows). The interview process, which measures the leadership and creative potential of the candidate, is the hallmark of the Hertz Foundation's program.

About fifty candidates from this pool are selected for a second round interview. To ensure consistency and quality, a small number of experienced PhD engineer/scientist interviewers, who worked together in past years, conduct the second round interviews. Between 15 to 20 students are awarded a Hertz Fellowship.

Application process

The application period opens each year in August at which time a deadline consistent with those of NSF and other fellowship granting organizations will be posted. Only those applications which are complete, with all supporting materials and documents provided (including Reference Reports) by the posted deadline will be assured of full consideration by the Foundation. Untimely or incompletely-submitted applications will be entertained only at the Foundation's discretion and convenience.

Each year's competition concludes at the end of the following March, at which time the Foundation's Board of Directors determines the most highly qualified Fellowship applicants and the number of new Fellowships which available resources will be able to support.

All Fellowship applicants will be notified by mail of the Foundation's action on their application in early April.