Fellowships & Awards

The College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) at Texas A&M University offers the VMBS Merit & Excellence Fellowship…
This four-year fellowship funding commitment for incoming doctoral students of the VMBS has a financial package with the following structure:

YEARS 1 through 4 (approximately $30,000 annually)

• Stipend = $30,000 comprised of $15,000 PI contribution and $15,000 VMBS Office of Research & Graduate Studies contribution
• Reimbursement for personal health insurance premium (medical only)
• Student must enroll in 9 hours in fall/spring and 6 hours in summer

In coordination with the Graduate and Professional School of Texas A&M University, the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) awards the Texas A&M University Merit Fellowship to recognize an applicant who has already shown meritorious achievements in professional, research, and scholarly activities that prepares them to be an outstanding doctoral student in the VMBS.

The Texas A&M University Merit Fellowship is a four-year funding commitment for incoming doctoral students of the VMBS has a financial package with the following structure:

• YEAR 1: Stipend of $30,000, full payment of cost of attendance (COA), and reimbursement for personal health insurance premium (medical only) funded from a Graduate and Professional School allocation
• YEARS 2 – 4: Assistantship stipend of no less than $30,000 funded by PI or in collaboration with the department
• Student must enroll in 9 hours in Fall/Spring and 6 hours in Summer – Cost of Attendance covered throughout duration of fellowship

Approximately $41,000 annually

Eligibility

Nominees must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. In addition, the prospective student must be graduating with a bachelor’s or master’s degree no later than August 2026, so that he/she can begin graduate work at TAMU in Summer or Fall 2026. Although students starting their graduate programs in Summer 2026 are eligible for nomination, fellowship funding will not begin until September 1, 2026.

Deadlines

March 5, 2026 (5:00pm)

Submission

Nomination materials should be submitted to Angie Degelman at adegelman@cvm.tamu.edu and must include the following documents:

1. A nomination letter of no more than two pages in length signed by the faculty mentor/PI of the VMBS that states the specific fellowship to which the nomination applies and why the nominee meets the criteria and is deserving,
2. A personal statement of no more than two pages in length written by the nominee covering their research interests, goals, and why they believe they are deserving of the fellowship.

Texas A&M University is committed to promoting a culture that values and nurtures community, respect, and excellence for all. In line with our belief that a variation of perspectives is an indispensable component of a world-class education, the Dr. Dionel Avilés ’53 and Dr. James Johnson ’67 Fellowship Program seeks to attract, recruit, and support the development of high-achieving graduate and professional students with unique experiences and backgrounds.