Samueli School of Engineering - Balsells Graduate Fellowship

What the Balsells Graduate Fellowship gives you

You get partial funding for your first year of a PhD at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), plus a travel award of about 900 EUR (1,000 USD) when you arrive. The first-year support usually covers one academic quarter of tuition, fees and a living stipend (a monthly cash allowance for your living costs). After the first year, every admitted PhD student gets a full funding offer for the rest of their studies. The money comes from the Balsells endowment and the Samueli School of Engineering. It helps young engineers and scientists from Catalonia earn a doctorate in the United States.

Who can apply

• Degree level: You are applying for a PhD. This includes students who first complete a Master's at UCI. A Master's on its own is not funded.
• Field of study: Engineering (any branch) or computer science.
• Where you study: You go to the University of California, Irvine, in the United States.
• Nationality: You are a Spanish citizen.
• Residence: You have been officially registered (empadronat) in Catalonia for at least 12 months.
• Languages: You speak and write English, Catalan and Spanish fluently.
• Prior degree: You hold, or will finish by the end of the application summer, a four-year Bachelor's in engineering or a related field from a recognised Catalan university, completed within the last five years.
• Grades: Your Bachelor's grade average is at least 7 out of 10.

How to apply

Applying takes two steps. First, apply for admission to UCI through its graduate admissions portal. You need a statement of purpose, an English test (TOEFL or IELTS), three letters of recommendation and your transcripts. All documents must reach UCI by 1 February, though some departments close as early as 1 December. Once you are admitted (usually in March), send a two-page PDF to the Balsells programme. Winners are normally announced in May. Admission is only for the autumn (Fall) quarter, which starts in late September.

How realistic are your chances?

This fellowship is cut very narrowly. You must be a Spanish citizen registered in Catalonia, speak three languages, hold a strong engineering degree from a Catalan university, and win PhD admission at UCI. That small eligible group keeps the applicant pool limited. If you clearly meet these conditions and secure PhD admission, your prospects are good. Start the process early, around a year before you want to begin.