Scholarships & Fellowships Support

A national fellowship or scholarship provides students with some combination of funding and professional development for graduate school, research, undergraduate study abroad, language development, or other post-graduation work and internship opportunities. Some of them even fund undergraduate study. Many of these opportunities require or encourage institutional endorsement, which means a representative on your college campus—usually the fellowships advisor—has to endorse you.

While some scholarships are merit-based (given to students with high GPAs) or need-based (given to students based on their socioeconomic background), many scholarships and fellowships simply require a compelling proposal, a well-told story, and the willingness to work hard to perfect the application. In many cases, alignment with the program goals is more important than your grades. Any student who meets the minimum requirements of a scholarship or fellowship, thinks they have work aligned with the ethos of the fellowship, and is interested in what the program has to offer should consider applying. Funding is available to current undergraduate and graduate students at all levels, as well as Goucher alumnae/i.

Winning: Prestige and funding for education are the obvious reasons most students apply for nationally competitive fellowships and scholarships, but winning the awards—and the process to get there—offer so much more. Many of these opportunities fund abroad experiences, professional development, or other exciting opportunities.

Applying: Due to the amount of revision and support needed for these opportunities, most students find the process itself, while labor intensive, to be quite gratifying. Through applying to these fellowships and scholarships, you will have an opportunity to reflect on the future you hope to build for yourself as well as the path that has led you there, and along the way you will hone invaluable professional communication and writing skills. Many of these opportunities are quite competitive, but the process of applying is gratifying in and of itself!

Interested in applying to a Goucher-specific fellowship or a nationally competitive fellowship or scholarship? Great! Start by making an appointment on Navigate through the “Fellowships” care unit with the fellowship’s advisor, Jacob Budenz, or contact Jake at jacob.budenz@goucher.edu to get started! In advance of your meeting, it’s helpful to peruse the opportunities available and recommended for your degree level and year, but if you’re finding it hard to parse through, just make an appointment and we can go through them together.

• The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship awards Federal Pell Grant Recipients of any undergraduate level funding toward their study abroad experience. Deadlines in March and October for forthcoming travel abroad, but students must first narrow down their study abroad program with the Office of Global Education.
• The Critical Language Scholarship funds undergraduate or graduate summer experiences for immersion in languages deemed critical to US foreign affairs interests, such as Persian, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, etc. (see program website for more languages). Deadlines in November.
• Boren Scholarships fund study abroad to world regions deemed critical to US interests for undergraduates willing to work for the US federal government one year after graduation. January deadlines.
• The National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU) offer students in a number of STEM-field disciplines the opportunity to conduct summer research across numerous US universities. Stipends and deadlines vary by site, but most deadlines appear in late fall or early February.

• The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship awards Federal Pell Grant Recipients of any undergraduate level funding toward their study abroad experience. Deadlines in March and October for forthcoming travel abroad, but students must first narrow down their study abroad program with the Office of Global Education.
• The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans offers graduate school funding for immigrants and children of immigrants to the United States – best to work on for junior year, but sophomores in 5-year master’s programs may be eligible. Applications open in April and close in October.
• The Critical Language Scholarship funds undergraduate or graduate summer experiences for immersion in languages deemed critical to US foreign affairs interests, such as Persian, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, etc. (see program website for more languages). Deadlines in November.
• Boren Scholarships fund study abroad to world regions deemed critical to US interests for undergraduates willing to work for the US federal government one year after graduation. Deadlines in January.
• The Barry Goldwater Scholarship funds sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in natural sciences, math, and engineering. Deadlines in late January, and applicants typically work with a faculty member within their discipline.
• The National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU) offer students in a number of STEM-field disciplines the opportunity to conduct summer research across numerous US universities. Stipends and deadlines vary by site, but most deadlines appear in late fall or early February.
• The Udall Scholarship offers $7,000 and professional development at a conference for sophomores and juniors working in environmental sustainability or tribal policy and healthcare. Deadline in early March.

• The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship awards Federal Pell Grant Recipients of any undergraduate level funding toward their study abroad experience. Deadlines in March and October for forthcoming travel abroad, but students must first narrow down their study abroad program with the Office of Global Education.
• The Fulbright US Student Program offers stipends to undergraduates, graduate students, and alum to spend a year abroad conducting research, obtaining a degree, or assistant teaching English. Deadline is in October, but work on the Fulbright application begins over the summer one year prior to prospective time abroad.
• Clustered together, the Gates Cambridge, Rhodes, Marshall, Clarendon (for graduate students only), and Fulbright UK awards offer various levels of funding for graduate study in the United Kingdom and are considered some of the more rigorous, prestigious fellowships. Deadlines begin in the fall, but working on these applications begins in the late spring, and most applicants apply to multiple fellowships or scholarships within this cluster.
• The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans offers graduate school funding for immigrants and children of immigrants to the United States. Applications open in April and close in October.
• The Critical Language Scholarship funds undergraduate or graduate summer experiences for immersion in languages deemed critical to US foreign affairs interests, such as Persian, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, etc. (see program website for more languages). Deadlines in November.
• Boren Scholarships fund study abroad to world regions deemed critical to US interests for undergraduates willing to work for the US federal government one year after graduation. January deadlines.
• The Barry Goldwater Scholarship funds sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in natural sciences, math, and engineering. Deadlines in late January, and applicants typically work with a faculty member within their discipline.
• The National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU) offer students in a number of STEM-field disciplines the opportunity to conduct summer research across numerous US universities. Stipends and deadlines vary by site, but most deadlines appear in late fall or early February.
• The Henry Luce Foundation provides graduating seniors with year-long professional placements across Asia, aiming to deepen diplomatic ties to Asia for students with limited exposure to the continent. Deadlines in October, and planning typically begins summer before senior year or sooner.
• The Udall Scholarship offers $7,000 and professional development at a conference for sophomores and juniors working in environmental sustainability or tribal policy and healthcare. Deadline in early March.
• The Harry S. Truman Scholarship offers robust graduate school funding for aspiring leaders in the field of public policy and service. One of the most competitive scholarships in the country, Truman carries an early February deadline with application work beginning late in the fall semester.

• The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship awards Federal Pell Grant Recipients of any undergraduate level funding toward their study abroad experience. Deadlines in March and October for forthcoming travel abroad, but students must first narrow down their study abroad program with the Office of Global Education.
• The Fulbright US Student Program offers stipends to undergraduates, graduate students, and alum to spend a year abroad conducting research, obtaining a degree, or assistant teaching English. Deadline is in October, but work on the Fulbright application begins over the summer one year prior to prospective time abroad.
• Clustered together, the Gates Cambridge, Rhodes, Marshall, Clarendon (for graduate students only), and Fulbright UK awards offer various levels of funding for graduate study in the United Kingdom and are considered some of the more rigorous, prestigious fellowships. Deadlines begin in the fall, but working on these applications begins in the late spring, and most applicants apply to multiple fellowships or scholarships within this cluster.
• The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans offers graduate school funding for immigrants and children of immigrants to the United States. Applications open in April and close in October.
• The Critical Language Scholarship funds undergraduate or graduate summer experiences for immersion in languages deemed critical to US foreign affairs interests, such as Persian, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, etc. (see program website for more languages). Deadlines in November.
• The James C. Gaither Junior Fellows program offers one-year fellowships to graduating seniors or alum within one year of graduation who are interested in careers in foreign affairs. Applications are due in mid-January.
• The Henry Luce Foundation provides graduating seniors with year-long professional placements across Asia, aiming to deepen diplomatic ties to Asia for students with limited exposure to the continent. Deadlines in October, and planning typically begins summer before senior year or sooner.
• The Boren Fellowships, not to be confused with the Boren scholarships, offer funding for research and/or language study abroad for graduate students or graduate school applicants in regions deemed critical to US interests. Applications due in late January.
• The Hispanic Scholarship Fund offers funding to students or alum planning to matriculate in a full-time graduate program. Deadline in mid-February.
• Goucher College offers a number of fellowship opportunities for graduating students and recent alum of various disciplines that fund graduate studies. Deadlines in late March; for more information about each opportunity, see the “Goucher Fellowships” section below.

• The Fulbright US Student Program offers stipends to undergraduates, graduate students, and alum to spend a year abroad conducting research, obtaining a degree, or assistant teaching English. Deadline is in October, but work on the Fulbright application begins over the summer one year prior to prospective time abroad.
• Clustered together, the Gates Cambridge, Rhodes, Marshall, Clarendon (for graduate students only), and Fulbright UK awards offer various levels of funding for graduate study in the United Kingdom and are considered some of the more rigorous, prestigious fellowships. Deadlines begin in the fall, but working on these applications begins in the late spring, and most applicants apply to multiple fellowships or scholarships within this cluster.
• The Boren Fellowships, not to be confused with the Boren scholarships, offer funding for research and/or language study abroad for graduate students or graduate school applicants in regions deemed critical to US interests. Applications due in late January.
• The James C. Gaither Junior Fellows program offers one-year fellowships to graduating seniors or alum within one year of graduation who are interested in careers in foreign affairs. Applications are due in mid-January.
• The Hispanic Scholarship Fund offers funding to students or alum planning to matriculate in a full-time graduate program. Deadline in mid-February.
• Goucher College offers a number of fellowship opportunities for graduating students and recent alum of various disciplines that fund graduate studies. Deadlines in late March; for more information about each opportunity, see the “Goucher Fellowships” section below.

• The Fulbright US Student Program offers stipends to undergraduates, graduate students, and alum to spend a year abroad conducting research, obtaining a degree, or assistant teaching English. Deadline is in October, but work on the Fulbright application begins over the summer one year prior to prospective time abroad.
• Clustered together, the Gates Cambridge, Rhodes, Marshall, Clarendon (for graduate students only), and Fulbright UK awards offer various levels of funding for graduate study in the United Kingdom and are considered some of the more rigorous, prestigious fellowships. Deadlines begin in the fall, but working on these applications begins in the late spring, and most applicants apply to multiple fellowships or scholarships within this cluster.
• The Critical Language Scholarship funds undergraduate or graduate summer experiences for immersion in languages deemed critical to US foreign affairs interests, such as Persian, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, etc. (see program website for more languages). Deadlines in November.
• The Boren Fellowships, not to be confused with the Boren scholarships, offer funding for research and/or language study abroad for graduate students or graduate school applicants in regions deemed critical to US interests. Applications due in late January.