Fellowships

Get Started: Fellowship Opportunities and Deadlines

The website of each fellowship-granting program always contains the official and most up-to-date information. This curated collection contains many of the top nationally competitive fellowships and scholarships.

Fellowship Directory

Review the following selected nationally competitive fellowships and scholarships to find opportunities that connect with your class year and your academic/professional trajectory. Beyond the official website, you can learn more about specific fellowships during targeted information sessions. Most fellowship application deadlines are in the early fall, so many of these sessions take place during the spring and summer and are noted on the CCPD event calendar.

  • Barry Goldwater Scholarship

    National scholarship in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics to identify and support college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming the US’ next generation of research leaders in these fields. Scholarships entail up to $7,500 a year to help cover costs associated with tuition, mandatory fees, books, room and board.

  • Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

    The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is a grant program that enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, thereby gaining skills critical to our national security and economic competitiveness.

  • Boren Scholarship

    The Boren Scholarships fund intensive study of language and culture abroad by U.S. undergraduate students (25+ weeks preferred). 

  • Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship

    The Fellowship aims to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State and supports them through two years of graduate study, internships, mentoring, and professional development activities. This program encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, women, and those with financial need. 

  • Critical Language Scholarship

    The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program supports summer study abroad in one of 15 languages critical to America’s national security and economic prosperity. 

  • Davies-Jackson Scholarship

    The Davies-Jackson Scholarship presents a unique opportunity for students with exceptional academic records, who are among the first generation in their families to graduate college, to participate in a course of study at St. John’s College at the University of Cambridge. 

  • Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowships

    Supports three years ($27,000 annually) of graduate study leading toward the PhD or Sc.D. and a career in academia. Does not cover professional school programs.

  • Gates Cambridge Scholarship

    The Gates Cambridge Scholarship Program seeks to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others, granting 22 awards annually to U.S. students to fund the cost of graduate study at Cambridge for PhD, MSc/MLitt or one year postgraduate course (with some exceptions), including most tuition, fees and living expenses. Two-thirds of awards go to PhD candidates.

  • George J. Mitchell Scholarship

    The George J. Mitchell Scholarship funds up to 12 Scholars annually for one academic year of postgraduate study in any discipline offered by institutions of higher learning in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

  • Harry S. Truman Scholarship

    Funds up to $30,000 toward graduate study for those pursuing careers as public service leaders seeking to be “change agents”. 

  • Hatton W. Sumners Scholarship

    The Scholarship supports qualified students who demonstrate a passion for self-government with up to $15K annually during junior and senior year, as well as numerous professional development experiences (speakers, workshops, internships, etc.). Successful candidates will demonstrate academic excellence, a sense of civic responsibility and the potential for leadership. Apply as a sophomore.

  • James Madison Graduate Fellowship

    The Fellowship provides up to $24,000 to individuals desiring to become outstanding teachers of the American Constitution at the secondary school level.

  • Knight-Hennessy Scholarship

    Knight-Hennessy Scholars exhibit independence of thought, purposeful leadership, and a civic mindset. They receive up to three years of full funding to pursue graduate study at Stanford to develop both the depth and range of subject expertise to confront the intractable challenges and opportunities of the future. 

  • Marshall Scholarship

    The Scholarship finances up to 50 young Americans of high ability to study for one or two years toward a graduate degree in most fields of study in the United Kingdom. As future leaders, with a lasting understanding of British society, Marshall Scholars strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, their governments and their institutions.

  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

    The NSF GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions. 

  • Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans

    This $90,000 merit-based fellowship exclusively supports immigrants and children of immigrants who are pursuing graduate school in the United States. The program draws more than 2,200 applications annually for just 30 fellowships.

  • Rhodes Scholarship

    The oldest (first awarded in 1902) and perhaps most prestigious international scholarship program enables outstanding young people from around the world to study at the University of Oxford. Rhodes Scholars are people who have a vision of how the world could be better and the energy to make a difference – whatever their sphere of interest. Scholars are selected on the basis not only of intellect, but also of character, leadership and commitment to service. 

  • Schwarzman Scholarship

    The Scholarship is designed to prepare young leaders to deepen understanding between China and the rest of the world as the first scholarship created to respond to the geopolitical landscape of the 21st Century. Students pursue a Master’s in Global Affairs for one year at Tsinghua University.

  • Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowships

    The Fellowship attracts and prepares outstanding young people for Foreign Service careers in the U.S. Department of State by funding two years of graduate study. The Fellowship welcoming the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the State Department, women, and those with financial need. 

  • U.S. Student Fulbright Program

    The Fulbright U.S. Student Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, facilitates cultural exchange and provides grants for a one-academic-year individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistant Programs in a participating country outside the U.S. 

  • USAID Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship

    The Payne Fellowship seeks students interested in pursuing careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and provides up to $96,000 in benefits over two years for graduate school, internships, and professional development activities.

    • Fellowship Deadlines

    Current year deadlines are listed here, but it’s always a good idea to double-check the individual fellowship websites, as some deadlines do change after initial publication.

    Mitchell: September 1, 2020

    Marshall: September 4, 2020

    Gilman: September 14, 2020

    Fulbright: September 15, 2020 (internal qualification)

    Rhodes: September 15, 2020

    Pickering: TBD (Mid September)

    Rangel: TBD (Mid September)

    Schwarzman: September 22, 2020, 11:59 p.m. Eastern

    Gates Cambridge Scholarship: TBD (Early October)

    Knight-Hennessy: October 14, 2020, 1:00 p.m. Pacific (*earlier deadlines for individual graduate programs are possible)

    Payne: TBD (Mid October)

    NSF GRFP: October 19-23, 2020, 5:00 p.m. local time (by applicant’s address)

    • Geosciences and Life Sciences: October 19, 2020 
    • Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Engineering and Materials Research: October 20, 2020
    • Psychology, Social Sciences and STEM Education and Learning: October 22, 2020
    • Chemistry, Mathematical Sciences and Physics and Astronomy: October 23, 2020

    Soros: October 29, 2020, 2:00 p.m. Eastern

    CLS: November 17, 2020

    Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowships: December 17, 2020, 5:00 p.m,. Eastern (Supplemental materials due January 10, 2021, 5:00 p.m. Eastern)

    Boren: January 11, 2021

    Goldwater: January 11, 2021

    Truman: January 11, 2021

    Madison: TBD (Early March)

    Sumners: TBD (Early March)

    Additional Funding Opportunities

    Additional funding opportunities for graduate study and other professional pursuits exist beyond these fellowships:

    Fellowship Finder for graduate study (University of Illinois): https://apps.grad.illinois.edu/fellowship-finder/

    Scholarship Database (Duke University): https://ousf.duke.edu/all-scholarships