What Google PhD Fellowship Program actually covers.
The Google PhD Fellowship Program recognises outstanding graduate students doing exceptional and innovative research in areas relevant to computer science and related fields, including students from African universities. The fellowship provides US$10,000 per year for up to 3 years (or until graduation) to cover stipend and research-related activities, plus travel expenses. African universities that award research degrees in computer science or adjacent fields are eligible to nominate up to three PhD students. Nominees must be in good standing in their PhD programme and have demonstrated exceptional research ability and potential. The fellowship supports research across a wide range of computer science areas including machine learning, systems, human-computer interaction, privacy, security, and more. Google is committed to supporting the next generation of computer science researchers from diverse backgrounds globally, including from the African continent. Recipients join an elite global community of Google PhD Fellows and gain access to Google research mentors, resources, and networks. The deadline for the 2026 round is April 30, 2026.
Who can apply.
Open to phd applicants. Eligible nationalities are listed below.
46 more eligible countries — full list available on the official application page.
Every academic discipline is accepted.
This programme does not restrict by field. Research proposals across humanities, sciences, engineering, agriculture, and medicine are all accepted.
Four steps to a complete application.
Scholar Africa is a discovery and tracking platform — the application itself is submitted directly through the official provider site. The steps below mirror our HowTo schema.
Check eligibility
Confirm your nationality, academic level, and field of study match the criteria above.
Eligibility checklist
Prepare documents
Transcripts, recommendation letters, personal statement, and a valid passport.
Document checklist
Submit the application
Submit before April 30, 2026 via the official portal.
Submission checklist
Track your application
Use your Scholar Africa dashboard to monitor status and deadline reminders.
Post-submission checklist
What we checked, when we checked it.
Scholar Africa runs a link-liveness check on every listing before it goes live. Five additional checks (contact, organisation, winners, third-party, manual review) are on the roadmap. Google PhD Fellowship Program currently scores 4.0/10.
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Other scholarships worth a parallel application.
Same eligibility window or destination. Many strong applicants apply to three or four programmes per cycle.