Google PhD Fellowship Program 2026 for PhD Students Worldwide
Organization: Google
Program: Google PhD Fellowship Program 2026
Study Level: PhD
Eligible Regions: Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle East, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and the United States
Application Method: University nomination only
Deadline: April 30, 2026 at 11:59:59pm UTC
The Google PhD Fellowship Program 2026 supports outstanding PhD students whose research is relevant to computer science and related fields. The program is open across multiple regions, and it is designed to recognize promising doctoral researchers while helping them pursue impactful work that can shape the future of technology.
Google PhD Fellowship Program 2026 Overview
Google states that the fellowship directly supports graduate students as they pursue their PhD. It was created to recognize exceptional and innovative research, and it encourages applications from students of all backgrounds in eligible regions.
What the Fellowship Includes
✓ Fellowship support varies by region.
✓ In Canada and the United States, the fellowship offers up to 2 years of support and US $85K per year for education costs, living expenses, travel, and personal equipment.
✓ In Europe and the Middle East, recipients receive a yearly bursary that may cover stipend or salary, health care, social benefits, tuition and fees, conference travel, and personal computing equipment, with amounts varying by country.
✓ Other regions receive region-specific support for stipend and research-related activities, and in several cases travel expenses are also covered.
Eligibility and Nomination
Students cannot apply directly. Instead, eligible universities must nominate candidates, and an official university representative must submit the application during the application window. Universities must be accredited research institutions that award research degrees to PhD students in computer science or an adjacent field.
General student requirements include the following:
• The student must remain enrolled full-time in the PhD program for the duration of the fellowship.
• Google employees, as well as their spouses, children, and household members, are not eligible.
• Students already supported by a comparable industry award are not eligible, although government or non-profit funding is exempt.
• Past Google PhD Fellowship awardees cannot apply again.
Also Check: ICANN Fellowship Program – Global Internet Governance Opportunity
Research Areas of Focus
Google lists a wide set of research areas for the fellowship. These include computer architecture, algorithms and optimization, health research, human-computer interaction, machine learning and ML foundations, machine perception, natural language processing, privacy, safety and security, quantum computing, software engineering and programming languages, and systems, networking, and cloud computing. Google also notes that topics outside these areas may still be considered, although applicants are encouraged to align their proposals with the listed topics.
Application Materials
All application materials must be submitted in English. In addition, universities must submit materials in a single flat PDF file. For all nominated students, the required materials include:
• Student CV with links to website and publications, if available
• Research or dissertation proposal of up to 3 pages, excluding references
Google also explains that additional region-specific materials may apply. Depending on the region, these may include a department chair cover sheet, advisor CV, recommendation letters, transcripts, and student essay responses.
Selection Process
Applications are reviewed based on the strength of the research proposal, research impact, academic achievements, and leadership potential. Google also notes that, in Canada and the United States, East Asia, and Latin America, essay responses are evaluated alongside the rest of the application materials. Incomplete proposals are not considered.
Deadline
• Applications opened on March 5, 2026
• Applications close on April 30, 2026
• Notification of proposal decisions is expected by August 31, 2026
• Public announcement of new fellowship recipients is expected by October 31, 2026
