Graduate Equity Fellowship

Description

The Graduate Equity Fellowship program supports students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds completing graduate degree programs at SDSU, specifically those currently in a master’s degree program. Students must demonstrate the potential to succeed in graduate school and to complete a graduate degree program in no more than two years as evidenced by undergraduate coursework and letters of recommendation.

Fellowships range from $500 to $2,000 for an academic year depending on the demonstrated need. Students may receive awards for a maximum of two academic years, but they must apply each year. Post-baccalaureate students, students pursuing a second master's degree, and doctoral students are ineligible. 

Who is eligible to apply?

• Students that are legal California residents
• Master's students (not available for post-baccalaureate students, students pursuing a second master's degree, or doctoral students) that are conditional classified or classified
• Completed the free FAFSA or Dream Act application
• Enroll in at least 6 units of graduate work related to the master's degree for the fall and spring semesters
• Maintain a 3.00 GPA
• Have at least $1,000 of financial need as determined by the Financial Aid Office. If students do not know their financial need amount, they can contact the Cal Coast Student Financial Center.

Interested students should complete an application and a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. Those who are eligible should complete a CA Dream Act application.

Application Submission Checklist

• Student Essay: The essay should address specific circumstances that contribute to the demonstrated need as well as the student's academic progress toward earning their degree. Limit 1 page (single spaced or double spaced).
• Graduate Advisor Endorsement: The completed form will be uploaded to the application.
• Unofficial transcripts from all undergraduate coursework (and unofficial SDSU transcripts for continuing master's students)
• Two letters of recommendation (preferably from faculty members)
  • Letters of recommendation should be sent to the student for the student to upload as PDFs in the Google form application.  
  • Each letter is limited to 1 page (single spaced or double spaced).
  • Each letter should be in PDF format and be named: Student Last Name_Student First Name_GEF 2026_Recommender First and Last Name.pdf
  • The letters of recommendation do not have to come from SDSU faculty members. They can come from faculty members from your undergraduate institution.

Important Reminder

Students must be in Graduate Student Good Standing (academic and professional).The Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities (CSRR) and the student’s home college will be consulted to ensure that the student is in compliance with the Student Code of Conduct and/or their program’s Graduate Professional Standards.

• Award nominees and current awardees: A nomination or award is subject to being deemed ineligible if (a) it is determined by CSRR that the student is in violation of the Student Code of Conduct and/or (b) if the program notifies the College of Graduate Studies that the student has violated their program’s Graduate Professional Standard

How to Apply

The Google Form application for the 2026-2027 Graduate Equity Fellowship will open on July 6, 2026 and close Friday, September 4, 2026 at 11:59 Pacific Time. Applications received after this period will not be considered.

• Link to 2026-2027 Graduate Equity Fellowship Google Form Application (Students must be logged in to their @sdsu.edu email account in order to access the application form.)
• PDF of 2026-2027 Graduate Equity Fellowship Google Form Application (for reference only)

Have questions? Reach out to [email protected] for more information.