Fellowships & Scholarships

General Information

What is the difference between a fellowship and a scholarship? Fellowships are usually awarded on the basis of academic merit and provide stipends that need not be repaid. In most cases, recipients must maintain a specified level of academic achievement. Many departments and professional schools have their own fellowship opportunities. Grants and scholarships are often awarded on the basis of financial need or special talent in a field. Overall, there is very little difference in practice, and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. There are a few minor technical distinctions. Grants are the most inclusive, representing any grant of money in exchange for a prescribed purpose. Scholarships usually refer to grants in support of undergraduate education, and fellowships usually refer to grants in support of post-baccalaureate projects, or to pre-baccalaureate projects pursued outside the normal curriculum. All scholarships and fellowships are grants. Grants, scholarships, and fellowships do not need to be repaid.

Check  or visit for select listings of available scholarships, fellowships, and grants that might be of interest to you as a biology major.

The list of opportunities on the Department of Biological Sciences website is not exhaustive. So we encourage you to look for available scholarships/grants/fellowships beyond the list we present. The information provided below contain various search scholarship/grant/fellowship search engines and other resources that you might find helpful!

 CSUEB Search Engines and Resources