Graduate Fellowships

National and international fellowships and scholarships are highly competitive, so it's a good idea to start thinking about them before application season rolls around. Keep in mind that most programs take in a holistic view of their applicants rather than just focusing on their transcripts. In addition to excellent grades, applicants should be able to demonstrate intellectual and scholarly commitment, character, leadership, and aspirations.

Commitment

Certainly, getting high grades in a field of study shows a high level of commitment to that area, but getting high grades and nothing else does not demonstrate intellectual growth. Graduate fellowships and scholarships value students who demonstrate ambition and intellectual curiosity as well as aptitude.

Things to consider:

• In addition to academic excellence, how have I shown my passion for my field of study?
• Have I sought out and participated in extracurricular activities (clubs, lectures, field trips, programs over breaks, etc.) that have to do with my academic interests? How did these opportunities expand my understanding of my field?
• What ideas and concepts have captured my imagination and shaped my course selection or independent study?
• Have I taken advantage of my autonomy as a student? How?
• How can I best highlight my passion and achievements in an application essay or personal interview?

Character

All of the programs value healthy academic ambition and competition. However, as important as your intellectual motivations are, you must also take into consideration the ethical implications of your academic pursuits.

Things to consider:

• What are my personal values with regard to my field of study?
• Can I justify these values, and to what extent are my studies and my life guided by them?
• What is my system of values rooted in?
• Have I integrated this system into my academic pursuits? Have I changed my values in order to achieve my academic goals, or vice versa? If so, how?
• How have my character and system of values been shaped by my personal experiences, both academic and otherwise?

Leadership

Though some fellowships value this more than others, being able to list your organizational positions and how they have enhanced your academic studies is a valuable addition to any application or interview. Leadership roles take many different forms -- from heading a committee or club to simply being an active participant in a group setting.

Things to consider:

• What community, political, faith-based, or other activities have I engaged in? How have I taken on leadership or active participation roles in these activities?
• Why did I choose to participate in these activities? How do they relate to my intellectual pursuits?
• What personal values, commitments, and passions drive my involvement in these activities?
• What have I accomplished or learned through these experiences? How have I made a difference in the lives of others through my involvement?

Aspirations

These fellowships and scholarship programs are interested in funding students with the potential to make a difference, whether in their academic field or in the lives of the others around them. You don't have to find the cure for cancer or create world peace, but your academic and intellectual pursuits, your moral code, and your involvement in and commitment to communities around you must reflect your potential to achieve your long-term goals.

Things to consider:

• What are my long-term aspirations? Where do I want to be in five years? In ten?
• How will this fellowship or scholarship program help me on my way to achieving these goals?
• How have my academic and personal experiences prepared me for reaching my long-term goals in the future?
• How will my personal moral code help me pursue my long-term goals in an ethical way that I can feel proud of later?
• How can I best discuss my aspirations in an application or interview setting?

Graduate Fellowships

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Graduate Scholarship Program

Fields of study: Engineering, Natural Science, Mathematics
From the website: "offers substantial scholarship support to underrepresented minority students who are beginning their doctoral work in engineering, natural science, and mathematics. Since its establishment in 1995, the program has provided direct support to over 900 minority Ph.D. students in these fields.
General requirements: Students must be accepted into a program supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Must be a minority student in one or more of the listed fields of study.
Who to contact: Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Fields of study: Carnegie Junior Fellows work as research assistants to the Endowment’s senior associates — see ‘more info’ for details
From the website: "offers 8-10 one-year fellowships to uniquely qualified graduating seniors and individuals who have graduated during the past academic year. ... Carnegie Endowment's nomination deadline is January 15 of each year.”
General requirements: Students must be nominated for consideration by the school's Nominating Official.
Who to contact: Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study

Davies-Jackson Scholarship Program

Fields of study: Archaeology, Anthropology, Classics, Economics, English, Geography, History/Art History, Modern and Medieval Languages, Music, Philosophy, Social and Political Sciences
From the website: "presents students with the opportunity of staying for two years at St. John's College in Cambridge, England where they will pursue a Cambridge B.A.”
General requirements: Students must be among the first in their family to graduate from college.
Who to contact: Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study

Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Fellowship

Fields of study: Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Engineering, Computer Science, Environmental Sciences
From the website: "supports outstanding students to pursue graduate training in fundamental research... relevant to the Office of Science... [This is] a three-year award, providing partial tuition support, an annual stipend for living expenses, and a research allowance for full-time graduate study and thesis/dissertation research at a U.S. academic institution.”
General requirements: Applicants are accepted based on academic performance and preparedness for graduate research.
Who to contact: Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study

Ford Foundation Doctoral Fellowship

Fields of study: Behavioral and Social Sciences, Humanities, Engineering, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences
From the website: "Ford Foundation Doctoral Fellowships for Minorities and Dissertation Fellowships for Minorities are two programs administered by the National Research Council. ... Recipients are to engage in study leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree and the Doctor of Science (Sc.D.) degree.”
General requirements: Must be a U.S. citizen to apply.
Who to contact: Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study

Fulbright Grants

Fields of study: Awarded for a variety of activities (research, post-graduate programs, English Teaching Assistantships, etc.). See website for more information.
From the website: Approximately 1,500 Fulbright grants are awarded annually to graduating seniors.
General requirements: Must be a U.S. citizen. Must be sufficiently fluent in the language of the host country. Must be in good health.
Who to contact: Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study

Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Fields of study: Any subject offered at the University of Cambridge.
From the website: "Gates Cambridge Scholarships are awarded to outstanding applicants... to pursue a postgraduate degree in any subject at the University of Cambridge. The program aims to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others.”
General requirements: Applicants must live outside the UK.
Who to contact: Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study

George J. Mitchell Scholarship

Fields of study: Any subject offered by institutions in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
From the website: "designed to introduce and connect generations of future American leaders to the island of Ireland... The Mitchell Scholars Program provides tuition, accommodations, a living expenses stipend, and an international travel stipend.”
General requirements: Applicants are judged on scholarship, leadership, and sustained commitment to community and public service.
Who to contact: Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study

Goldwater Scholarship

Fields of study: The natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering, with the intention to pursue research within one of those fields. To see subfields that qualify, check out Fields of Study - Printable PDF
From the website: One of the most prestigious national scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics in the United States, the Goldwater Foundation seeks to identify and support college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming the next generation of research leaders.
General requirements: Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Have a GPA of 3.5 or higher. See more details about Goldwater Scholarship eligibility.
Who to contact: Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study

Harry S. Truman Scholarship

Fields of study: Public service fields
From the website: "provides up to $30,000 in funding to students pursuing graduate degrees in public service fields. ... Foundation also provides assistance with career counseling, internship placement, graduate school, admissions, and professional development.
General requirements: Must be a college junior at the time of selection. Must be a U.S. citizen. Extensive community service record preferred.
Who to contact: Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study

Hertz Foundation Fellows

Fields of study: Applied physical, biological, and engineering science
From the website: "[Supports] the early stage research endeavors of... science students who possess the potential to change our world for the better by solving difficult, real-world problems." Program offers 5-year funding options, plus others that can be tailed to your graduate school.
General requirements: Must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States of America.
Who to contact: Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study

Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)

Fields of study: Any
From the website: "an organization that provides scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students of Hispanic heritage in order to assist students of Hispanic backgrounds in completing a higher education.”
General requirements: Must be Hispanic or Latino to apply.
Who to contact: Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study

James Madison Graduate Fellowships

Field of study: American History Education
From the website: "offers James Madison Fellowships to a select group of individuals desiring to become outstanding teachers of the American Constitution.”
General requirements: Must be a U.S. citizen or national. Must be a teacher or planning to become a teacher of American history, American government, or social studies at the secondary school level.
Who to contact: Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study

Marshall Scholarship

Fields of study: Any field offered by an institution of higher learning in the UK
From the website: "finance[s] young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom in a system of higher education recognized for its excellence.”
General requirements: Must be a U.S. citizen to apply.
Who to contact: Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study

National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship

Fields of study: Science, Mathematics, Engineering, some Social Sciences and Humanities
From the website: "these grants may be used at any non-profit U.S. or foreign institution of higher learning which offers advanced degrees in science or engineering; they are intended to promote the progress of science in the U.S.”
General requirements: Contact advisor for information.
Who to contact: Prof. Matthew Jones-Rhoades, campus advisor

National Science Foundation Minority Graduate Fellowship

Fields of study: Science and Engineering
From the website: "established for the same purpose as the main NSF Graduate Fellowship Program, with additional goal of increasing the number of practicing scientists who are members of ethnic minority groups which traditionally have been underrepresented in the advanced levels of the nation's science and engineering talent pool.”
General requirements: Must be American Indian, African American, Alaskan (Eskimo or Aleut) or Native Pacific Islander (Polynesian or Micronesian), or Hispanic.
Who to contact: Prof. Matthew Jones-Rhoades, campus advisor

Rhodes Scholarship

Fields of study: Any field of study offered at the University of Oxford.
From the website: "Rhodes Scholars are chosen not only for their outstanding scholarly achievements, but for their character, commitment to others and to the common good, and for their potential leadership in whatever domain their careers may lead. ... provides full financial support for Rhodes Scholars to pursue a degree at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.”
General requirements: Must be a citizen of the United States. Must be between the ages of 18 and 24.
Who to contact: Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study

Udall Scholarships

Fields of study: See info and requirements
From the website: Udall Scholarships are offered in any of three categories:

1. To students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to the environment including policy, engineering, science, education, urban planning and renewal, business, health, justice, economics, and other related fields;
2. To Native American and Alaska Native students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to tribal public policy;
3. To Native American and Alaska Native students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to Native health care.
General requirements: Contact advisor for information
Who to contact: Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study