25 Apple PhD Fellowship in AI/ML (Fall 2024)

The Apple PhD Fellowship in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning program supports emerging leaders in the computational sciences. Eligible fields include computer science, engineering, statistics, informatics, and related disciplines. The program operates by invitation only, i.e., only select universities have been invited to participate.

Students do not apply directly to Apple but instead must be nominated by their university. Applicants must be entering their final two or three years of graduate study as of Fall 2025, and the fellowship provides two years of support.

The fellowship focuses exclusively on 12 research areas. See https://apps.grad.illinois.edu/fellowship-finder/SearchResult/Fellowship/4868 for additional information.

Award Amount: 

The fellowship offers two years of support, which includes:

• $40,000 annual stipend.
• Full coverage of tuition and fees.
• $5,000 travel grant each year.
• Mentorship with an Apple researcher.
• Possible internship opportunities during the fellowship period.

Eligibility and Competition: 

• Applicants must be full-time doctoral students pursuing research in one of the topical areas listed at the link above.
• Applicants must have either two or three years remaining in their graduate program as of Fall 2025. Students with less than two years, or more than three years, remaining in their graduate program at that time are not eligible. 
• Students of any citizenship/nationality are eligible.
• Applicants may NOT be supported at the time of application or during the fellowship period by another industry-sponsored full fellowship. 

Students must be nominated by their department. Each department may submit two nominations to the Graduate College. A campus review panel assembled by the Graduate College will select up to three finalists from UIUC for consideration in the national competition. Those finalists' materials will be sent to Apple by September 10, and Apple will select awardees.

Required Materials:

All materials except letters should be submitted as a single PDF by the applicant to cs-awards@mx.uillinois.edu. The file should be named as follows: LastName, FirstName - UnitAbbreviation - Apple2025 (for example: Smith, John - CS - Apple2025). All letters of recommendation should be submitted by the letter writer directly to cs-awards@mx.uillinois.edu.

Please carefully read and follow the required formatting guidelines. Applications that do not follow the formatting guidelines will be disqualified without review by the Graduate College.  

1. Cover Sheet with Full Name, UIN, email, phone, date you began your graduate program at UIUC, anticipated graduate date, the research area chosen from Apple's provided list, and your research proposal title. Also, include your advisor's name and email. 
2. Student CV (including publication list).
3. Research abstract (200 words maximum).  Must be in Times New Roman, 12 point font, single spaced, with one-inch margins.
4. Research statement covering past work and proposed direction for the next two years (maximum five pages, including citations). The statement must clearly explain the hypothesis and expected contributions to the chosen research area.  Must be in Times New Roman, 12 point font, single spaced, with one-inch margins. The statement should not contain any personally identifiable information. 
5. Two letters of recommendation (one of which must come from the current advisor). Each letter must be no more than one page. 
6. Optional: Link to most recent published work.

The school's Awards Team will fill out a Nomination Form on your behalf if you are chosen for consideration at the campus level. 

Apply: By Sunday, August 18th at 11:59PM Central Time, please submit all materials in PDF form to cs-awards@mx.uillinois.edu.