The Grainger College of Engineering
Aerospace Engineering

GAANN Fellowships

 

GAANN Logo

The Department of Aerospace Engineering (AE) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has received a major award from the U.S. Department of Education’s GAANN program to support Ph.D. students in space engineering.

 

Announcement

 Deadline for application for AY 2025-2026: January 1, 2025

The AE GAANN Fellowship Committee is now soliciting applications for fellowships for 2025-26 academic year admittance. The absolute deadline for receipt of all application materials is January 1st, 2025.  A FAFSA for 2024-25 financial aid should be filed immediately so that results are available by the deadline date. The filing of a FAFSA and analysis by our Office of Student Financial Aid are used to determine the fellow’s demonstrated level of financial need. Be aware that graduate students are considered "independent" and do not need to supply parent information on the FAFSA. GAANN fellowships are awarded competitively, on the basis of both academic merit and financial need.

Questions should be directed to Joshua Rovey, GAANN Project Director, rovey@illinois.edu.

What is GAANN?

The U.S. Department of Education’s Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) program provides fellowships to assist graduate students with excellent academic records who demonstrate financial need and plan to pursue a Ph.D. in a field designated as an area of national need. For the FY 2018 competition, Space Engineering was designated as an area of national need.

For more information about the GAANN program, see: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/gaann/.

The GAANN fellowship

The U.S. Department of Education’s Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) program provides fellowships to assist graduate students with excellent academic records who demonstrate financial need and plan to pursue a Ph.D. in a field designated as an area of national need. For the FY 2018 competition, Space Engineering was designated as an area of national need.

For more information about the GAANN program, see: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/gaann/.

Eligibility criteria

To be considered for a GAANN fellowship, the student must:

  • Be currently enrolled, or accepted for enrollment, or have interest in pursuing a Ph.D. at AE at Illinois.
  • Have an excellent academic record.
  • Demonstrate financial need. Prospective GAANN fellows must complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The fellow will be paid a stipend at the level of support equal to that provided by the National Science Foundation graduate fellowships, expect that this amount must be adjusted as necessary so as not to exceed the fellow’s demonstrated level of financial need (as determined under Part F, Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended [GAANN regulation 648.51]). The fellow’s stated level of need is determined by FAFSA.
  • Qualify for eligibility according to 34 CFR 75.60 (Code of Federal Regulations). That is, a student must not be in default in repaying a federal student loan.
  • Plan to pursue a Ph.D. degree.
  • Anticipate a career in research and/or teaching in space engineering.
  • Be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or permanent resident of the United States.

How do I apply for a GAANN fellowship?

Your admission application to the AE Department is the start of a GAANN application.  The GAANN Fellowship Committee will consider your admission application and these additional materials when making an award.  Pay close attention to these instructions, as incomplete applications will not be considered. GAANN fellowships are awarded competitively, on the basis of both academic merit and financial need.

  1. Submit application for admission to the AE Department.
  2. Submit a FAFSA (LINK)
  3. Communicate with a prospective PhD advisor working on space systems engineering.
  • A curriculum vitae showing university identification number (UIN); department graduate program; advisor name; education, research and work experiences; and participation in volunteer work or outreach activities. If you are currently enrolled in an AE doctoral program, be sure to include awards, honors and grants received, funding applied for (both successful and not), publications and presentations at scientific meetings, date of passing the preliminary exam (if taken), and anticipated degree date.
  • A personal statement (1-2 pages) describing your background (e.g., first generation college student, educationally disadvantaged, financially challenged), a brief description of your dissertation research and relevant accomplishments to date, immediate plans after graduation and eventual career goals, and reason for applying for a GAANN fellowship. Indicate gender and if you belong to a group traditionally underrepresented in aerospace engineering (i.e., American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, Latino/Hispanic ethnicity).
  • A statement (max 1 page) describing your teaching experiences (if any). Students receiving GAANN fellowships will be required to complete at least one academic year of supervised training in instruction at the undergraduate or graduate level at the schedule of at least one-half-time teaching assistant. If you have already completed the supervised teaching experience prior to receiving a GAANN fellowship, we must specify how this regulatory requirement was met in your GAANN annual performance report.
  • All applicants must also complete a FAFSA, as the amount awarded by GAANN must not exceed the student's demonstrated level of financial need. Questions on completing the FAFSA should be directed to the Office of Student Financial Aid. The FAFSA is available October 1st for the following academic year. Our federal school code is 001775. A new FAFSA must be filed prior to every academic year. The FAFSA must be filed early enough so that results are available by the application deadline date.

Additional GAANN program requirements

GAANN fellows are expected to maintain satisfactory academic progress, following the degree requirements of their specific departmental doctoral program. Fellows must also maintain full-time status in their graduate program. The GAANN Director will meet with each fellow once per academic year to discuss progress, challenges the student might be facing, possible retention issues, and maintaining financial eligibility for their award.

Students receiving GAANN fellowships will be required to complete at least one academic year of supervised training in instruction at the undergraduate or graduate level at the schedule of at least one-half-time teaching assistant (GAANN regulation 648.61). To accomplish this, GAANN fellows will participate in a number of supervised instructional training opportunities that sustain, enhance and assess teaching effectiveness and student learning.

GAANN fellowship recipients may participate in broader campus social and academic programs geared towards identifying, recruiting, and retaining of students from traditionally underrepresented groups in engineering.

GAANN program reporting materials (for Current GAANN Fellows)

The information below is requested from current GAANN Fellows on an annual basis.  This information is necessary for our completion of a GAANN annual performance report for each fellow.

  • A curriculum vitae showing university identification number (UIN); department graduate program; advisor name; education, research and work experiences; and participation in volunteer work or outreach activities. If you are currently enrolled in an AE doctoral program, be sure to include awards, honors and grants received, funding applied for (both successful and not), publications and presentations at scientific meetings, date of passing the preliminary exam (if taken), and anticipated degree date.
  • A personal statement (1-2 pages) describing your background (e.g., first generation college student, educationally disadvantaged, financially challenged), a brief description of your dissertation research and relevant accomplishments to date, immediate plans after graduation and eventual career goals, and reason for applying for a GAANN fellowship. Indicate gender and if you belong to a group traditionally underrepresented in the aerospace engineering (i.e., American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, Latino/Hispanic ethnicity).
  • A statement (1 page) describing your teaching experiences. Students receiving GAANN fellowships will be required to complete at least one academic year of supervised training in instruction at the undergraduate or graduate level at the schedule of at least one-half-time teaching assistant. If you have already completed the supervised teaching experience prior to receiving a GAANN fellowship, we must specify how this regulatory requirement was met in your GAANN annual performance report. Describe (or tabulate) the courses, labs and/or discussion sections you have taught to date, percent appointments, duties, and how your teaching was supervised and evaluated. Describe your participation in any professional development opportunities (such as, CITL workshops and programs, Merit and AAP training sessions, courses, specialty workshops, TA discussions, peer mentors) that have supported your development as an effective educator. In particular, GAANN wants to know what kind of instruction in effective teaching techniques you’ve received, and the ways in which your teaching performance has been supervised and evaluated. Comment on how your teaching effectiveness and lesson implementation have improved over time.
  • A current transcript (unofficial is acceptable).

For further information, contact:

Professor Joshua Rovey
GAANN Project Director
302B Talbot Laboratory, MC 236
104 S. Wright St.
Urbana, Illinois  61801-2957
rovey@illinois.edu