Georgia Tech President's Fellowship
The Georgia Tech President's Fellowship is a top-up award for elite PhD admits across the institute's engineering, computing, and science colleges. It adds USD 8,000+ per year to the standard departmental Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) for the first four years of PhD study, alongside a tuition waiver — bringing the typical Sri Lankan PhD package to USD 38,000-42,000 annually. The fellowship is nomination-only — departments nominate their top admits to the central Graduate Studies office, which selects roughly 80-100 President's Fellows per year.
Fall 2027 PhD applications open August 2026; departmental deadlines mostly December 2026 – January 2027
Georgia Institute of Technology
University-funded
emoji_events Award Overview
Value
Tuition + USD 8,000/yr Top-Up
Duration
Up to 4 Years (PhD)
Awards
Around 80-100 per Year
info How this award actually works
Who awards it
Georgia Institute of Technology — not Lanka Scholar. We are not the awarding body and cannot grant, reserve or guarantee this award.
How you are considered
Through your admission application. Awards like this are usually assessed automatically from the application you already submit — there is typically no separate scholarship form to fill in.
What it covers
Tuition Waiver + USD 8,000+ Annual Stipend Supplement. This is a reduction in tuition, not a full ride. You still fund the remainder, plus living costs and the balance your visa requires you to show.
Where we come in
We make the admission application strong enough to be competitive — course choice, documents, references and deadlines. The funder makes the decision.
fact_check Eligibility Criteria
PhD Admission to Georgia Tech
You must be admitted to a PhD programme at Georgia Tech. The President's Fellowship is not awarded to Master's students. Most fellows come from the Colleges of Engineering, Computing, Sciences, and Design.
Top Tier of the Admit Pool
Departments nominate only their highest-ranked admits — typically the top 10-15% by GRE / GPA / research record. Sri Lankan applicants from Moratuwa, Colombo, or Peradeniya with publications and strong recommendations from internationally-recognised faculty are competitive.
Departmental Nomination
There is no separate application from the candidate's side. Your PhD department nominates you internally to Georgia Tech's Graduate Studies office. Strong communication with your prospective advisor during admissions is the key lever.
English Proficiency
TOEFL iBT 100+ (writing 22+) or IELTS 7.5+. Waivers are not generally granted at PhD level — Sri Lankan applicants should plan to test at least 6 months ahead of the deadline.
account_tree Application Process
Contact prospective advisors
Identify Georgia Tech faculty whose research aligns with your interests and email them 3-6 months before the application deadline. Strong advisor support during departmental ranking is critical — most President's Fellows are championed by their future advisor.
Submit the PhD application
Apply through the Georgia Tech graduate admissions portal by the departmental deadline (most STEM departments: 15 December 2026 or 15 January 2027). The same application is used for both admission and fellowship nomination.
Departmental ranking and nomination
Departments review admits in January–February and nominate top candidates to the Graduate Studies office. Most nominations are confirmed by mid-February.
Central selection in March
The institute-level committee finalises President's Fellows in March. Successful admits receive a fellowship letter detailing the four-year package alongside the standard admission and GRA offer.
Why Georgia Tech?
Georgia Tech is one of the top US engineering and computing universities — top 5 in the US for engineering and a leader in computer science, robotics, and industrial engineering. Its Atlanta campus connects directly to a thriving tech industry (Microsoft, Google, Delta, Coca-Cola) and a large South Asian engineering graduate community.
#88
QS World Ranking 2026
Top 5
US Engineering Schools
~90
Fellows per Year
Looking for a scholarship because of the cost?
Then start here instead. Scholarships are competitive, usually partial, and decided by someone else — they are the least reliable way to make studying abroad affordable. Your destination and course choice move the number far more, and both are entirely within your control.
Work out your real number
Tuition, living costs, visa funds and flights for your destination — so you know the gap you are actually trying to close.
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The full catalogue, cheapest tuition first. Changing course or country saves far more than most awards are worth.
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Tuition, living costs and the total first-year figure for USA, in LKR as well as local currency.
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Every student visa requires you to show funds. Find out what you need before you commit to an application.
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Faculty for the Future Fellowship (Schlumberger Foundation)
Schlumberger Foundation
Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship
Zonta International (tenable at any university worldwide)
UC Berkeley International House Fellowship
University of California, Berkeley