National and International Scholarships

Awards For Students At Any American University

Awards For Students At Any American University

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad. Such international study is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world.

International experience is critically important in the educational and career development of American students, but it can also require a substantial financial investment. The Gilman Scholarship Program broadens the student population that studies abroad by supporting undergraduates who might not otherwise participate due to financial constraints. The program aims to encourage students to choose non-traditional study abroad destinations, especially those outside of Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The Gilman Scholarship Program aims to support students who have been traditionally under-represented in study abroad, including but not limited to, students with high financial need, community college students, students in under-represented fields such as the sciences and engineering, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds, and students with disabilities. The program seeks to assist students from a diverse range of public and private institutions from all 50 states, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico.

Award recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process and must use the award to defray eligible study abroad costs. These costs include program tuition, room and board, books, local transportation, insurance and international airfare.

This congressionally funded program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and is administered by the Institute of International Education through its Southern Regional Center in Houston, TX.

Web site: http://www.iie.org/gilman

Boren Scholarship and Fellowship

Boren Scholarships and Fellowships provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to add an important international and language component to their educations. The focus is on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin American, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded.

Boren Fellowships and Scholarships are funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. Applicants should identify how their study abroad program, as well as their future academic and career goals, will contribute to U.S. national security, broadly defined. NSEP draws on a broad definition of national security, recognizing that the scope of national security has expanded to include not only the traditional concerns of protecting and promoting American well-being, but also the challenges of global society, including sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness.

Web site: http://www.borenawards.org/

Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program

A program of United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program offers intensive summer language institutes overseas in thirteen critical need foreign languages. The selection process is administered by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) with awards approved by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The CLS Program is administered by CAORC and the American Councils for International Education.

Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) institutes provide fully-funded group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences for seven to ten weeks for U.S. citizen undergraduate, Master’s and Ph.D. students.

  • Arabic, Persian: Advanced beginning, intermediate or advanced level;
  • Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Punjabi, Turkish, Urdu: Beginning, intermediate or advanced level;
  • Chinese, Japanese, Russian: Intermediate or advanced level.

Host countries may include: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Russia, South Korea, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, or others where the target languages are spoken.

The CLS Program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand dramatically the number of Americans studying and mastering critical need foreign languages. Students of diverse disciplines and majors are encouraged to apply. Participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period, and later apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers.

Web site: www.CLScholarship.org
 

Ford Foundation Fellowship Programs

Through its Fellowship Programs, the Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, to maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and to increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.

Eligibility to apply for a Ford fellowship is limited to:

  • All citizens or nationals of the United States regardless of race, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation,
  • Individuals with evidence of superior academic achievement (such as grade point average, class rank, honors or other designations),
  • Individuals committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level.

Web site: http://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/fordfellowships/

Fulbright

The U.S. Student Program is designed to give recent B.S./B.A. graduates, masters and doctoral candidates, and young professionals and artists opportunities for personal development and international experience. Several countries also offer English Teaching Assistant positions. Most grantees plan their own programs. Projects may include university coursework, independent library or field research, classes in a music conservatory or art school, special projects in the social or life sciences, or a combination. Recent projects have involved cancer research in the UK, free market development in Mauritius, women's rights in Chile and contemporary artistic expression in India. Along with opportunities for intellectual, professional, and artistic growth, the Fulbright Program offers invaluable opportunities to meet and work with people of the host country, sharing daily life as well as professional and creative insights. The program promotes cross-cultural interaction and mutual understanding on a person-to-person basis in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity, and intellectual freedom. The best way to appreciate others viewpoints, their beliefs, the way they think, and the way they do things, is to interact with them directly on an individual basis work with them, live with them, teach with them, learn with them, and learn from them.

Web site: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/home.html

Gates Cambridge Scholarships

Gates Cambridge Scholarships are full-cost awards for full-time graduate study and research in any subject available at the University of Cambridge.

The scholarships are highly competitive and open citizens of any country outside the UK. The Trust awards about 80 to 100 new scholarships each year on the following criteria:

- intellectual ability
- leadership capacity
- a person's desire to use their knowledge to contribute to society throughout the world by providing  service to their communities and applying their talents and knowledge to improve the lives of others
- a good fit between the abilities and aspirations of the applicant and what the University of Cambridge can offer in its graduate program.

The program aims to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others.

 Web site: http://www.gatesscholar.org/

Golden Key Graduate Scholar Award

The Golden Key Graduate Scholar Award gives twelve $10,000 scholarships used for post-baccalaureate or professional study at accredited institutions of higher learning (does not have to be in the U.S. or have a Golden Key chapter). Judging criteria include academics, leadership and service activities. The applicant must be currently enrolled as a full-time student, in a post-baccalaureate program of study at an accredited institution at the time of application OR during the academic year immediately following the granting of the award.

Web site: http://www.goldenkey.org

Goldwater

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate. The purpose of the Foundation is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields. Each scholarship covers eligible expenses for undergraduate tuition, fees, books, and room and board, up to a maximum of $7,500 annually.

Web site: http://www.act.org/goldwater

The Hertz Foundation

The Hertz Foundation's Graduate Fellowship empowers outstanding young people pursuing a PhD degree in the applied physical, biological, and engineering sciences with the freedom to innovate and explore their genius in collaboration with leading professors in the field.  The fellowship, which is based on merit (not need), consists of a cost-of-education allowance and a personal-support stipend. The cost-of-education allowance is accepted by all of the tenable schools in lieu of all fees and tuition. Hertz Fellows therefore have no liability for any ordinary educational costs, regardless of their choice among tenable schools.

Web site: http://www.hertzfoundation.org

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi

Every year, The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi awards 57 Fellowships of $5,000 each and 3 at $15,000 each to members entering their first year of graduate or professional study. Each Phi Kappa Phi chapter may select one candidate from among its local applicants to compete for the Society-wide awards.

The multidisciplinary nature of Phi Kappa Phi is reflected in its Fellowship recipients. Awardees represent a variety of fields including biology, chemistry, engineering, education, political science, mathematics and psychology. Likewise, the professions they select are equally diverse: law, medicine, business, education, science, or the arts.

Web site: http://www.phikappaphi.org

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Biomedical Research Grants for Individuals

HHMI grants support promising biomedical research scientists working outside the United States, medical and dental students seeking research training, and leading research scientists who are developing new approaches to undergraduate science education. Note that HHMI grants for individuals are awarded through competitions that have specific objectives and eligibility criteria and that HHMI does not encourage and rarely funds unsolicited grant proposals.

Web site: http://www.hhmi.org/grants/individuals

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is a private, independent foundation established by Jack Kent Cooke to help exceptionally promising students reach their full potential through education. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Graduate Scholarship Programs enable a select group of remarkable students with demonstrated financial need to pursue graduate or professional study. The Foundation's new Graduate Arts Award is for up to $50,000 per year for up to three years to college seniors and recent graduates with significant financial need who will pursue a graduate or professional degree in the visual arts, performing arts, or creative writing. To be eligible, candidates must be nominated by the faculty representative at their undergraduate institution.

Web site: http://www.jkcf.org/

Jacob K. Javits Fellowship

The program provides financial assistance to students of superior ability, as demonstrated by their achievements and exceptional promise, to undertake study at the doctoral and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) level in selected fields of the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Panels of experts appointed by the Javits Fellowship Board (Board) select fellows according to criteria established by the Board. Students must also demonstrate financial need by filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Web site: http://www.ed.gov/programs/jacobjavits/index.html

James Madison

Junior Fellowships are awarded to students who are about to complete, or have recently completed, their undergraduate course of study and plan to begin graduate work on a full-time basis. Junior Fellows have two years to complete their degree. The Fellowships are intended exclusively for graduate study leading to a masters degree. James Madison Fellows can attend any accredited institution of higher education in the United States. Each individual entering the James Madison Fellowship Program will be expected to pursue and complete a masters degree in one of the following (listed in order of preference):

  • Master of Arts degree (MA) in American history or in political science (also referred to as "government and politics" or as "government");
  • Master of Arts in Teaching degree (MAT) concentrating on either American Constitutional history (in a history department) or American government, political institutions and political theory (in a political science department);
  • Master of Education degree (MEd) or the Master of Arts or Master of Science in Education, with a concentration in American history or American government, political institutions, and political theory.

The maximum amount of each award is $24,000, prorated over the period of study.

Web site: http://www.jamesmadison.com

Knowles Science Teaching Foundation

The KSTF awards Teaching Fellowships to men and women committed to teaching science and mathematics in United States high schools. KSTF believes the commitment to teaching merits the deepest respect and support. The Teaching Fellowship is designed explicitly to meet the needs of teachers from the time they begin working on a teaching credential through the early years of their career. The program was developed with the input of visionary leaders in education, mathematics and science and grounded in research on how to best ensure that highly qualified individuals remain in the teaching profession to become leaders in education.

KSTF Teaching Fellowships combine extensive financial and professional support. The total award for each Fellow is valued at nearly $150,000 over the course of the five-year Fellowship. Fellows receive tuition assistance while participating in a teacher credentialing program, monthly stipends, and grants for professional development and teaching materials.

Web site: http://kstf.org

Marshall

Marshall Scholarships finance approximately 40 young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom each year. The Scholarships are tenable at any British university and cover two years of graduate study in any discipline.

The Scholarships were founded by an Act of Parliament in 1953 and commemorate the humane ideals of the European Recovery Programme (Marshall Plan). They are funded by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and administered by the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission in the UK (for which the Association of Commonwealth Universities provides the Secretariat) and in the US by the British Embassy in Washington DC and seven regional Consulates-General.

Web site: http://www.marshallscholarship.org

Mitchell

The US-Ireland Alliance has established the George J. Mitchell Scholarships to educate future American leaders about the island of Ireland and to provide tomorrow's leaders with an understanding about, an interest in, and an affinity with, the island from which 44 million Americans claim descent. Up to twelve Mitchell Scholars between the ages of 18 and 30 are chosen annually for one year of postgraduate study in any discipline offered by institutions of higher learning in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Applicants are judged on three criteria: academic excellence, leadership, and a sustained commitment to service and community. The Mitchell Scholars Program provides tuition, housing, a living expenses stipend, and an international travel stipend.

Web site: http://www.us-irelandalliance.org/scholarships.html

The Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation

In 2011 the Foundation will award approximately 80 scholarships of up to $5,000 and 50 honorable mention of $350 to sophomore and junior level college students committed to careers related to the environment, tribal public policy, or Native American health care.

Scholarships are offered in any of three categories:

  • To students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to the environment; or
  • To Native American and Alaska Native students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to tribal public policy; or
  • To Native American and Alaska Native students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to Native health care.

The Udall Foundation seeks future leaders across a wide spectrum of environmental fields, including policy, engineering, science, education, urban planning and renewal, business, health, justice, and economics.

Web site: http://www.udall.gov

National Institutes of Health/Oxford/Cambridge Scholars Program

Scholarships in the National Institutes of Health/Oxford/Cambridge Scholars Program are offered to exceptionally promising students who wish to pursue accelerated Ph.D or M.D./Ph.D training at the cutting edge of biomedical research in collaborative projects between labs of the National Institutes of Health and Oxford University or Cambridge University. These scholarships fully fund Ph.D. training expenses, including tuition, college fees, stipend, health insurance and travel. Scholars can receive full funding for combined M.D./Ph.D. training in coordination with one of the 42 top U.S. medical schools that have NIH-funded Medical Scientist Training Programs.

NIH/Oxford/Cambridge Scholars carry out research in both the US and the UK in any area of biomedical inquiry of their choosing. Training includes opportunities for multidisciplinary research and experiences which place medical research in the context of the broader social fabric. NIH/Oxford/Cambridge Scholars, on average, complete their Ph.D. training in 4 years. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and have completed a bachelor's degree. Students with strong backgrounds in the traditional areas of biomedical studies, as well as in computer science, engineering, mathematics and physics, are encouraged to apply

Web site: http://oxcam.gpp.nih.gov/

National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship Program

Among the NSF programs of interest to graduate students is the Graduate Research Fellowship Awards. Through this program the National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and to reinforce its diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees at accredited United States institutions.

Fellows share in the prestige and opportunities that become available when they are selected.  Fellows benefit from a three-year annual stipend of $30,000 along with a $10,500 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees, opportunities for international research and professional development, and the freedom to conduct their own research at any accredited U.S. institution of graduate education they choose. 

NSF Fellows are anticipated to become knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering. These individuals are crucial to maintaining and advancing the nation's technological infrastructure and national security as well as contributing to the economic well-being of society at large.

Web site: http://www.nsfgrfp.org/

Paul and Daisy Soros

The purpose of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans is to provide opportunities for continuing generations of able and accomplished New Americans to achieve leadership in their chosen fields. Fellows must have shown potential in the fields for which they seek further education; the capacity for creativity, persistence and work; and the commitment to the values of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights, which protect the American dream. The Program is established in recognition of the contributions New Americans have made to American life and in gratitude for the opportunities the United States has afforded the donors and their family.

Each year the Fellow receives a maintenance grant of $25,000 (paid in two installments) and up to $20,000 in tuition support for each year of graduate study supported, at total of as much as $90,000.

Web site: http://www.pdsoros.org 

Rhodes

The Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest international fellowships, were initiated after the death of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, and bring outstanding students from many countries around the world to the University of Oxford. The first American Scholars were elected in 1904.

Extraordinary intellectual distinction is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for election to a Rhodes Scholarship. Selection committees are charged to seek excellence in qualities of mind and in qualities of person which, in combination, offer the promise of effective service to the world in the decades ahead. The Rhodes Scholarships, in short, are investments in individuals rather than in project proposals. Accordingly, applications are sought from talented students without restriction as to their field of academic specialization or career plans although the proposed course of study must be available at Oxford, and the applicant’s undergraduate program must provide a sufficient basis for study in the proposed field. Through the years, Rhodes Scholars have pursued studies in all of the varied fields available at the University of Oxford.

Rhodes Scholars are elected for two years of study at the University of Oxford, with the possibility of renewal for a third year. All educational costs, such as matriculation, tuition, laboratory and certain other fees, are paid on the Scholar's behalf by the Rhodes Trustees. Each Scholar receives in addition a maintenance allowance adequate to meet necessary expenses for term-time and vacations. The Rhodes Trustees cover the necessary costs of travel to and from Oxford.

Web site: http://www.rhodesscholar.org

Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships

Ambassadorial Scholarships, the Rotary Foundation's oldest and best-known program, was founded in 1947. Since then, nearly 40,000 men and women from about 100 nations have studied abroad under its auspices. Today it is the world's largest privately funded international scholarships program. Nearly 700 scholarships were awarded for study in 2009-10. Through grants totaling approximately US$16.2 million, recipients from about 70 countries studied in more than 80 nations.

The purpose of the Ambassadorial Scholarships program is to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas. The program sponsors several types of scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students as well as for qualified professionals pursuing vocational studies. While abroad, scholars serve as goodwill ambassadors to the host country and give presentations about their homelands to Rotary clubs and other groups. Upon returning home, scholars share with Rotarians and others the experiences that led to a greater understanding of their host country.

Academic-Year Ambassadorial Scholarships provide a flat grant of US $27,000 for one academic year of study in another country. These awards are intended to help defray costs associated with round-trip transportation, tuition and other fees, room and board, and some educational supplies.

Web site: http://www.rotary.org/EN/STUDENTSANDYOUTH/EDUCATIONALPROGRAMS/Pages/ridefault.aspx

SMART Scholarship for Service Program

The Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program has been established by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The program aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD laboratories.

Participants in the SMART Scholarship for Service Program receive:

  • Full tuition and education related fees (does not include items such as meal plans, housing, or parking)
  • Cash award paid at a rate of $25,000 - $41,000 depending on prior educational experience (may be prorated depending on award length)
  • Paid summer internships
  • Health Insurance reimbursement allowance up to $1,200 per calendar year
  • Book allowance of $1,000 per academic year
  • Mentoring
  • Employment placement after graduation

Web site: http://www.asee.org/smart

Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship

The Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship is funded by the U.S. Department of State.  This scholarship seeks students who wish to become Foreign Service Officers in the Department of State. Students with an undergraduate GPA of 3.2 or higher, who participate in activities that highlight leadership potential and community involvement are encouraged to apply. At the time of application, candidates must be seeking admission to graduate school for the following academic year.

Web site: http://www.woodrow.org

Truman

The Truman Scholarship provides up to $30,000 in funding to students pursuing graduate degrees in public service fields. Students must be college juniors at the time of selection. The Foundation also provides assistance with career counseling, internship placement, graduate school admissions, and professional development. Scholars are invited to participate in a number of programs: Truman Scholar Leadership Week, The Summer Institute, and The Truman-Albright Fellows Program.

The Foundation seeks candidates who have extensive records of public and community service, are committed to careers in government or elsewhere in public service, and have outstanding leadership potential and communication skills. Financial need is not a consideration.

Web site: http://www.truman.gov

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Undergraduate Scholarships and Graduate Fellowships

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) realizes that the country's strong science and technology community provides a critical advantage in the development and implementation of counter-terrorist measures and other DHS objectives. The DHS Scholarship and Fellowship Program is intended for students interested in pursuing the basic science and technology innovations that can be applied to the DHS mission. This education program is intended to ensure a diverse and highly talented science and technology community to achieve the DHS mission and objectives. Areas of study that are eligible include: physical, mathematical, computer and information, life, and social sciences, psychology, selected humanities, and engineering. funding is available on both the undergraduate and graduate level.

Web site: http://www.orau.gov/dhsed/