Several fellowships are available to students at or near the beginning of graduate study, typically restricting eligibility to applicants who are not more advanced than the first or second year of graduate study. They normally require US citizenship or permanent resident status.
Note: For each of the fellowships listed in the categories below, please find more detailed information by consulting the CARAT database and the fellowship’s webpage. Some of the principal fellowships in this category are:
| US Department of Education Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS) | For students who are in a program that combines modern foreign language training with international or area studies, with the international aspects of professional or other fields of study focusing on East Asia or Eastern Europe. Fellowships may be for one academic year or one summer session. Applicants must be US citizens or nationals or have permanent residency status. Financial provisions provide a stipend of around $15,000 and some tuition costs. Students apply through the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid and not through the US Department of Education. If you have questions about the fellowship, you can email the FLAS Fellowship coordinator. |
| Ford Foundation Fellowships (predoctoral) *fellowship ending after the December 2023 application cycle | For doctoral students in the behavioral and social sciences, literature and languages, history, philosophy and religion, life sciences, chemistry, earth sciences, physics and astronomy, engineering, mathematics, and computer science. The awards are open to US citizens or nationals with a preference for those who are members of the following minority groups: Alaskan Natives (Eskimo or Aleut), Native American Indians, Black/African Americans, Mexican Americans/Chicanos, Native Pacific Islanders (Polynesian or Micronesian), and Puerto Ricans, or those who promote diversity in their work. |
| Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowships | For students in the applied physical or biological sciences, mathematics, or engineering who intend to direct their studies toward understanding and solving major, near-term problems facing society. Candidates may be seniors, individuals taking a gap year, or students who are in their first year of graduate study. They must be US citizens or permanent residents and intending to pursue a PhD. The awards are for one academic year and are renewable up to five years. |
| National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program (NDSEG) of the US Department of Defense | For students who are US citizens or nationals at or near the beginning of graduate study for doctoral degrees in mathematical, physical, biological, and engineering sciences. This is a three-year award. |
| National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program | For graduate students in the fields of mathematical, physical, biological, engineering, and behavioral and social sciences, including the history and philosophy of science. The awards are open only to applicants who are citizens or nationals of the US or permanent residents, and students must apply no later than the G2 year. The awards offer three years of support. |
| Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans | For master’s and doctoral students who are new Americans. A new American is an individual who (1) holds a Green Card; (2) has been naturalized as a US citizen; (3) is the child of two parents who are both naturalized citizens; or (4) is a DACA recipient. Individuals who are beyond the second year of their graduate program are not eligible for this competition. To be eligible you must not be older than 30 years of age by the fellowship deadline. The fellowships provide support up to two years of graduate study in the United States. |
| Trudeau Foundation Scholarship | For first- or second-year doctoral students who are enrolled in a social sciences or humanities program and who are doing research in areas related to the foundation’s four themes of Human Rights and Dignity, Responsible Citizenship, Canada in the World, and People in their Natural Environment. Applicants must be Canadian citizens. Scholarships are grants of up to four years for a maximum of $60,000 per year. |
