As the first American research university, Johns Hopkins University has a long history of training the best and brightest scholars, scientists, and innovators who impact their local and global communities. You are about to embark upon a remarkable intellectual and social experience as you pursue advanced graduate study. 

Johns Hopkins offers professional development and fellowships to assist in the recruitment of graduate students from diverse backgrounds, including women and students from economically or socially disadvantaged circumstances. Read more about the Krieger School’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Funding

Nathaniel Boggs Memorial Fellowship

The Nathaniel Boggs, Jr. Ph.D., Memorial Fellowship was established in 1999 by university trustee Paula Boggs, A&S ’81. It’s in memory of her father, who received Howard University’s first Ph.D. in biology. The fellowship provides a substantial stipend to the awardee.

Candidates for a fellowship must have an undergraduate degree from a historically black college or university, and pursue graduate work in select fields within the natural or physical sciences. Candidates will be selected on the basis of their academic performance, including GPA. 

Fields of study include biology, biophysics, chemistry, earth and planetary sciences, mathematics, and physics and astronomy. Interested candidates should contact their prospective department to inquire about the fellowship.

Bromery Fellowship

The Bromery Fellowship is available to graduate students within the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Randolph W. Bromery received his Ph.D. in geology in 1968. He is an accomplished scientist, gifted administrator, and educational statesman. Through this fellowship, Dr. Bromery and the department commit to providing equal access to graduate education for students who have overcome significant structural barriers to find their way to graduate school. Submit a letter or email of interest to the Earth and Planetary Sciences department for more information.

Kelly Miller Fellowship

Kelly Miller was the first African-American student to enroll at Johns Hopkins in 1887. He left the university before he completed his graduate degree, but later became a longtime professor of mathematics at Howard University, and a dean of arts and sciences. The fellowship is open to applicants who have graduated from historically black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions.

The fellowship provides a stipend for the first two years of the student’s program, and a research fund to be used in the course of the fellow’s graduate career. There are currently 10 fellowships available per year.

Posse Fellowship

The Krieger School of Arts and Sciences will offer up to five full-tuition Ph.D. fellowships (either a teaching assistantship or research assistantship) to Posse alumni admitted into any of its 26 full-time graduate programs. 

Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative

The Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative (VTSI) is an endowed fellowship program at Johns Hopkins for STEM PhD students. It provides full tuition, stipend, benefits, targeted mentoring, and professional development. Students who have attended a historically black college and university or other minority serving institution for undergraduate study are eligible. The fellowship covers applicants to the following programs:

• Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology, and Biophysics
• Biophysics
• Chemical Biology
• Chemistry
• Cognitive Science
• Earth and Planetary Sciences
• Mathematics
• Physics and Astronomy
• Psychological and Brain Sciences

There is no additional application. To be considered for the VTSI, all components of the PhD application, including supplemental components, special VSTI questions, and letters of recommendation must be completed by December 1, even if the program deadline is later.

Beverly Wendland Fellowship for Excellence and Diversity in the Natural Sciences

This fellowship is awarded annually to a student who reflects a commitment to excellence in their area of study in the natural sciences and who has overcome significant structural barriers to find their way to graduate school. The recipient receives an additional $12,000 funding over two years.

Professional Development

Graduate Diversity Fellows

This program provides graduate students with a paid opportunity to engage on campus through leadership and service, with a focus on diversity and professional development. The application is available through Student Employment Services in late spring, annually. 

Eligibility and Qualifications

• Open to all current graduate students in the Krieger School
• Excellent communications skills
• Must be available to work between 1 and 10 hours per week including the occasional evening and weekend
• Must desire to provide support and assistance to people of diverse cultural, socioeconomic, and educational backgrounds

Responsibilities

• Attend on-campus recruitment events (e.g. serve on panels, give tours, or meet one-to-one with prospective graduate students) as a representative of the School of Arts and Sciences
• Attend local and regional graduate recruitment fairs and pipeline-building events as a representative of the School of Arts and Sciences, and to give a graduate student perspective to potential applicants
• Respond to email and phone inquiries of prospective students
• Advise the Office of Graduate Affairs and Admissions on matters of policy, graduate student life, and issues of diversity