External Funding

Out-of-State Tuition Waivers (formerly called "top up awards")

There are a limited number of out-of-state tuition waivers awarded to graduate students who receive externally-funded fellowships to support their own research.  Fellowships must meet the 2017 minimum stipend rate of $24,000 annually. Students must be nominated by their colleges for available slots. For more information see Out-of-State Tuition Waiver for External Fellowships.

Institutionally Limited Application Procedure

Graduate students: Please contact the Graduate School office for more information or to receive approval to move forward with an application.

Write a winning NIH National Research Service Award (NRSA) Fellowships: The do’s and don’ts

On March 15, 2019, the Graduate School hosted a workshop presented by Dr. Wayne Pratt from Wake Forest University. He discussed the goals of the NRSA, how NRSA applications are reviewed, and the “do’s” and “don’ts” for each review criterion, emphasizing common mistakes that can easily sink an application. The workshop was recorded and a video can be found here.

External Agencies

External agencies (for example, NSF, NIH, USDA) provide funding for graduate students. Here are a few links to external fellowships that many MSU graduate students have.