Applications Open for Armstrong Graduate Student Research Grants

The Graduate School is now accepting applications for the new Armstrong Graduate Student Research Grant. Funded by a $1 million gift from John and Elizabeth Armstrong, the grants will provide awards up to $25,000 for students to advance their dissertation research.

UMass Amherst doctoral students enrolled in a campus-based degree program (i.e. no online programs) and in good academic standing are eligible to apply, and applications are invited from all fields.

For the 2025-26 academic year, applications for the Armstrong Graduate Student Research Grant are due Feb. 1, 2026, and should include research expenses that begin between May 1-Dec. 31, 2026.

"The Armstrong Graduate Student Research Grant will be a gamechanger for graduate education on our campus," says Jacqueline Urla, dean of the Graduate School. "This generous research fund is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to help graduate students conduct the innovative research they came here to do. I could not be more thrilled to announce this call for applications."

Full eligibility requirements and application details are under "2025-26 Armstrong Graduate Student Research Grant" on InfoReady.

For questions about the awards, contact Heidi Bauer Clapp, Graduate School associate director of professional development, at [email protected].