Fellowships generally provide monthly stipends and pay tuition.
Award decisions for first-year students are made between late February and early April for the next academic year. Fellowship recipients are expected to devote full time to their study and research in biomedical engineering. At this time, fellowships for students beginning their first year of graduate study in biomedical engineering at Northwestern are only available for U.S. citizens. Research assistantships involve participation in ongoing research projects, usually in the area of the student's dissertation interest. During this time they become acquainted with ongoing research and choose an advising professor, thus allowing the professor time to evaluate the student's potential contribution to the project.