Last updated October 23, 2022
As part of my series on How to Fully Fund Your PhD, I provide a list of universities that offer fully funded PhD programs in neuroscience. Neuroscience is the study of the structure or function of the nervous system and brain. A PhD in neuroscience can prepare you for an academic career in teaching or research, or for a non-academic career in pharmaceutical and biotech companies, scientific consulting firms, medical and scientific journals, law firms dealing in intellectual property, science-focused nonprofit organizations and foundations, government agencies, and venture capital firms.
“Full funding” is a financial aid package for full-time students that includes full tuition remission and an annual stipend or salary for the three to six-year duration of the student’s doctoral studies. Funding is typically offered in exchange for graduate teaching and research work that is complementary to your studies. Not all universities provide full funding to their doctoral students, which is why I recommend researching the financial aid offerings of all the potential Ph.D. programs in your academic field, including small and lesser-known schools both in the U.S. and abroad.
You can also find several external fellowships in the ProFellow database for graduate and doctoral study, as well as dissertation research, fieldwork, language study, and summer work experience.
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List of Universities Offering Fully Funded PhD Programs in Neuroscience
Brown University, Department of Biology and Medicine
(Providence, RI): All Neuroscience Graduate Program and Brown-NIH Graduate Partnership Program students are fully supported during their time in graduate school. Students will receive a competitive stipend, tuition, health insurance, and health services fees.
Harvard University, Program in Neuroscience
(Cambridge, MA): All students receive full tuition and stipend support while they are enrolled and making satisfactory progress toward the Ph.D. degree. For the 2021-2022 academic year, the stipend support is $42,660
Georgetown University, Department of Neuroscience
(Washington, DC): The Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience provides competitive stipend support and health insurance benefits for all qualified students. Full tuition is also paid by the program.
UC San Diego, Department of Neuroscience
(San Diego, CA): The first year of student funding is provided by the Neurosciences Graduate Program. This includes full payment of tuition and fees and a stipend of $34,500/year for the 2021-2022 academic year. Beginning the Winter Quarter (January 1) of the second year, your thesis advisor assumes responsibility for providing full financial support.
Stanford University, Stanford Biosciences
(Stanford, CA): Each student is admitted to a particular Home Program and initiates training with a core group of faculty, students, and postdoctoral fellows who share scientific interests. The offer of admission included a stipend of $48,216 ($12,054 per quarter), health and dental insurance, and graduate tuition.
Boston University Graduate Program for Neuroscience
(Boston, MA): For the first year, most Ph.D. students will either be funded by an early-stage T32 neuroscience training grant or by the University. After the first year of coursework and laboratory rotations, students join a lab and are typically funded by that lab, or by an individual training grant, until the completion of their degree.
Ohio State University, College of Arts and Sciences
(Columbus, OH): As a student in the Neuroscience Graduate Program you will receive funding as a Graduate Research Associate or a Graduate Fellow and receive full payment of tuition, health insurance, and an annual stipend.
University of Texas at Dallas, PhD in Cognition and Neuroscience
(Dallas, Texas): PhD students selected for the program are fully funded through either a teaching assistantship (TA) or a research assistantship (RA). The minimum funding amount is $2,000 per month, guaranteed for nine months. Additionally, all PhD students receive a tuition waiver from the university.
University of Texas at San Antonio, PhD in Neuroscience
(San Antonio, Texas): The department offers competitive stipend support throughout a student’s tenure in the program. In addition, all tuition and fees will be paid.
University at Buffalo, PhD Program in Neuroscience
(Buffalo, NY): This fully-funded program provides an entry portal and a common first-year curriculum, equipping you with core knowledge and concepts to support your pursuit of a doctoral degree in one of our several participating disciplines. As a doctoral candidate, you will receive a full-tuition scholarship, a $31,000 stipend, and medical/dental insurance.
Arizona State University, PhD in Neuroscience
(Tempe, AZ): PhD students accepted into our programs receive a full financial support package for 5 years that includes a stipend, tuition waiver, and health insurance.
University of California Davis, PhD in Neuroscience
(Davis, CA): The UC Davis Neuroscience Graduate Group provides financial support, fees, and tuition for all first-year students who are admitted to the program and then guarantees to fund every student who continues to make satisfactory progress. The current stipend (for living expenses) is ~$33,902.00 per year.
Brandeis University, PhD in Neuroscience
(Waltham, Massachusetts): Students are guaranteed funding, including a stipend of $36,000, full tuition, and health insurance while they are completing their studies and are maintaining satisfactory progress towards their degree. Students in years 1-3 are typically funded by university fellowships or training grants and in years 4+ by their individual lab.
University of Rochester, PhD in Neuroscience
(Rochester, New York): They provide a fellowship package for full-time students. Full tuition scholarship, including all fees, competitive stipend for 2023-2024 of $32,300 per year for 12-month programs, and Single coverage AETNA student health insurance policy.
Case Western Reserve University, PhD in Neuroscience
(Cleveland, Ohio): All admitted students receive full tuition remission, healthcare coverage, and a stipend for 5 years as long as the student remains in good academic standing.
Northwestern University, PhD in Neuroscience
All students are guaranteed a stipend, tuition, and Northwestern student health insurance as long as they remain in good academic standing within the NUIN program. For the 2022-23 year, the stipend will be $35,196.
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, PhD in Neuroscience
(Chapel Hill, NC): Stipend support and full tuition is provided to all students working towards the PhD in Neuroscience. Support for entering students is provided by a training grant from the National Institutes of Health, funds from the School of Medicine, health insurance, and competitive fellowships awarded by the Graduate School.
Michigan State University, PhD in Neuroscience
(East Lansing, MI): All Neuroscience Program graduate students in good standing are fully supported during their tenure at MSU from one or a combination of sources. The stipend is approximately $29,364. In addition, all graduate assistants and fellows receive a full tuition waiver each semester, a waiver of matriculation fees, and paid health insurance.
University of Chicago, PhD in Computational Neuroscience
(Chicago, Illinois): Financial support includes tuition and fees and provides a stipend. Such assistance is guaranteed through the student’s first five years of study, conditional on satisfactory degree progress. The stipend will be $35,700 plus health insurance and fees.
Washington State University, PhD in Neuroscience
(, Ph.D. students in good standing are supported by a competitive annual stipend, health insurance, and tuition waivers. Stipends come with expectations of assisting in research or teaching. Scholarships are available through the WSU Graduate School and the College of Veterinary Medicine.
University College London, PhD in Theoretical Neuroscience and Machine Learning
(London, UK): Full funding is available to all students, regardless of nationality. Our PhD studentships cover UCL tuition fees for both home and international students and include an annual tax-free stipend of £26,000 and a travel budget for attending conferences and workshops.
Need some tips for the application process? See my article How To Get Into a Fully Funded PhD Program: Contacting Potential PhD Advisors.
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© Victoria Johnson 2020, all rights reserved.