Curtis B. Smith Cybersecurity Fellowship
The Curtis B. Smith Fellowship supports UC Berkeley School of Information graduate students whose research interests or studies are related to the field of cybersecurity.
Award Dates and Amounts
The Smith Fellowship is awarded annually in the fall semester. A total of $3,000 may be awarded each year: either a single award of $3,000 or multiple smaller awards totaling up to $3,000, at the discretion of the fellowship committee.
Eligibility
The Smith Fellowship is open to all current UC Berkeley School of Information graduate students; students in the MICS, MIDS, 5th Year MIDS, MIMS, and Ph.D. programs are all eligible to apply. In order to be eligible for the award, students must be registered and enrolled in a graduate degree program at the School of Information in both the semester in which they apply and the semester in which the award is disbursed. MIDS & MICS students may apply for the fellowship while on a temporary leave of absence, but must be registered and enrolled in the semester in which the fellowship is disbursed.
Applicants must be in good academic standing and have no past or ongoing misconduct violations.
Students who have previously applied for the Smith Fellowship and have not received it are eligible to reapply in a future year, if they still meet all other relevant eligibility criteria. Students who have previously received the Smith Fellowship are eligible to reapply, but students who have not previously received the award have priority.
Criteria
Awardees shall demonstrate high academic distinction and excellence and shall be selected on a competitive basis by a faculty review committee evaluating the merits of the applications. Awardees will demonstrate research, professional, or other interest in cybersecurity.
Application Deadline
(2025–26 Fellowships)
Application opens: October 1, 2025
Deadline: October 31, 2025
Fellowship awardees will be notified approximately two months after the application deadline.
How to Apply
Applicants will be asked to supply a current resume or C.V. and a statement of purpose clarifying how their research interests address the purpose of the fellowship.
Further Questions About Applying
If you are a current I School student with questions about the Smith Fellowship, please email studentaffairs@ischool.berkeley.edu.
To Contribute
If you would like to support to the Smith Fellowship, please contact our Director of Philanthropy, Tia Foss.
