Support for Under-Represented Groups in Engineering (SURGE) Fellowship

Provided by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the College of Engineering, the Support for Under-Represented Groups in Engineering (SURGE) Fellowship Program is aimed at increasing the number of persons qualified for engineering faculty and research positions from groups currently underrepresented in engineering.

A SURGE Fellow draws support from the College of Engineering, through its fellowship funds, and the home department through its assistantship funds, to provide him/her a certain level of financial support for five years. In the first year the obligation is for the college to provide a tuition and fee wavier and a fellowship stipend, currently $22,000, paid over 11 months. In the succeeding four years, the department provides the Fellow with the tuition and fee waiver, plus half-time assistantship funds for 11 months, and the college provides a supplementary $4,000 fellowship each year. Support will continue for a maximum of five years if satisfactory progress is maintained toward the doctoral degree.

Applicants must be United States citizens or have permanent resident status. Applicants must be entering a graduate engineering program with an interest in pursuing the doctoral degree on a full-time basis at Illinois. To increase the diversity of the engineering student body, preference will be given to members of one of the following groups underrepresented in engineering: women, persons with disabilities, African Americans, Latino/as, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, or Native Pacific Islanders.

Past Winners