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 is a global doctoral opportunity for students working in computer science and related fields. Through this program, Google recognizes outstanding PhD researchers and supports promising work across a broad range of regions and research disciplines.
Google PhD Fellowship Program 2026 Overview
According to Google, the fellowship was created to support graduate students during their PhD and to recognize exceptional, innovative research. The program is available in several world regions, and it is aimed at doctoral researchers whose work can contribute to the future of technology.
Benefits and Support
✓ Fellowship duration and financial support depend on the region.
✓ In Canada and the United States, selected students receive up to 2 years of support and US $85K per year for tuition and fees, living expenses, travel, and personal equipment.
✓ In Europe and the Middle East, the award takes the form of a yearly bursary that varies by country.
✓ In other participating regions, Google provides region-specific support for stipend, research-related activities, and, in several cases, travel expenses.
Who Can Be Nominated
This fellowship does not accept direct student applications. Instead, students must be nominated by an eligible university, and the final submission must be completed by an official university representative during the application period. Google also requires participating universities to be accredited research institutions that award research degrees to PhD students in computer science or adjacent fields.
Google lists these general eligibility conditions for students:
• Full-time enrollment in the PhD program must continue for the fellowship duration
• Google employees and their spouses, children, and household members are not eligible
• Students already funded by a comparable industry award are not eligible, except where funding comes from a government or non-profit organization
• Previous Google PhD Fellowship awardees cannot apply again
Related Opportunity: ICANN Fellowship Program | Internet Governance Fellowship Opportunity
Research Areas
The fellowship covers a broad range of academic fields. Google highlights areas such as 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 states that proposals outside these topics may still be considered.
Required Documents
Google requires all application materials to be submitted in English. Moreover, universities must prepare the submission as a single flat PDF file. The common materials required for all nominated students are:
• Student CV with links to website and publications, if available
• Research or dissertation proposal with a maximum length of 3 pages, excluding references
The official FAQ also explains that extra materials differ by region. These may include transcripts, recommendation letters, advisor CVs, signed cover sheets, and essay responses.
Review Criteria
Google evaluates applications based on research proposal strength, research impact, academic achievement, and leadership potential. In addition, essay responses are part of the overall review in Canada and the United States, East Asia, and Latin America. Google further notes that incomplete proposals will not be considered.
Deadline
• Applications opened on March 5, 2026
• Applications close on April 30, 2026
• Proposal decisions are expected by August 31, 2026
• New fellowship recipients are expected to be publicly announced by October 31, 2026
