The process requires a pre-application, through which students are evaluated on the basis of their potential for success in a graduate program. Finalists are asked to submit additional materials. Students may apply before enrolling in or receiving acceptance into a full-time graduate program, but must provide proof of enrollment or acceptance into a fully accredited U.S. college or university prior to the awarding of the fellowship. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The Ford Foundation offers predoctoral fellowships to members of six minority groups, with the aim of increasing diversity among college and university faculties.
Fellowships are for three years of support, to be used within five years.
Applicants must also be U.S. citizens or nationals. The HHMI Predoctoral Fellowships support students who have shown superior scholarship and great promise for future achievement in biological and biomedical research. Highly competitive, the program seeks to promote excellence in biomedical research by supporting prospective researchers in their pursuit of exceptional graduate education. Fellowships are portable, not linked to specific universities, and provide support for five years, contingent on satisfactory academic progress. Biological Sciences as defined by HHMI includes the fields of biochemistry, genetics, neuroscience, pharmacology, physiology, and mathematical and computational biology, as well as the fields commonly associated with biology.