Opportunites for Seniors International United States

Click here for Graduate Studies Deadlines 2010-2011.
 

The remainder of this page includes the following sections: 

• Brief description of each of the awards applied for through the Committee on Graduate Studies and Fellowships.
• The names of the members of the Committee on Graduate Studies and Fellowships

NATIONAL AWARDS APPLIED FOR THROUGH THE GRADUATE STUDIES OFFICE

Award Opportunities for Postgraduate Travel and Study Abroad

The Fulbright Grants support one year of post-graduate study overseas in any field. Awards are available to conduct independent research, to act as teaching assistants of English, or to support the projects of creative artists. There are about 1,100 awards each year sending American students to about 140 different countries. Each grant provides tuition (for those enrolled in a course of study), living expenses, travel costs and insurance as determined by the host country.

The Rhodes Scholarship allows for 2 or 3 years of study at Oxford University in any field. It requires a strong academic record, leadership initiative in community service, extracurricular activities, and evidence of health and vigor. Those seeking nomination either to the Massachusetts Regional committee or to the Regional committee of their home state should begin to work with the Graduate Studies Office well in advance of the application deadline.

The Marshall Scholarship funds 2 or 3 years of study at any university in the United Kingdom in any field. Competition for the 40 awards annually is highly competitive, with emphasis on academic credentials but leadership and service are also vitally important.

The Mitchell Scholarship offers tuition, room, a living expenses stipend and a travel allowance for one year of study in any field at any institution of higher learning in Northern Ireland or the Republic ofIreland. Inaugurated in 1999, there are normally 12 awards each year, one for each of Ireland's universities. 20 finalists will be invited to Washington D. C. for interviews in November.

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship provides full funding for study at Cambridge University in England for one to three years, including tuition, living costs and travel. This award values intellectual excellence coupled with imagination and leadership.  Unlike the Rhodes, it encourages nontraditional forms of achievement, leadership, and excellence.  The Gates Foundation places no emphasis on sports or similar extracurricular activities. Students must apply simultaneously for admission to Cambridge. And gain acceptance before they can be considered for an award.  Finalists are then invited to apply to Gates for support.

The Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Fellowships are offered through the student's local Rotary Club in the applicant's legal or permanent residence, or the Club where they study, if those particular clubs are participating in the program (not all do). They provide funding for periods ranging from 3 months up to two years for study abroad. There are approximately 1,000 awards per year. The award amount is variable, but this past year they offered up to $26,000 for the full academic year. Application is made directly through the local Rotary Club, and for most awards, the application process begins in the sophomore or junior year, although the award does not begin until the year following graduation. Therefore, a fellowship could be used for the junior year, the senior year, or even after graduation.

The St. Andrews Society of New York offers two $10,000 scholarships each year for students wanting to study for a year at any Scottish university. The student must have some Scottish ancestry and cannot have lived or studied before in the United Kingdom. Holy Cross may nominate one student each year.

The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award provides two $10,000 stipends each year for graduating college seniors to pursue a public service project of their own design anywhere in the world. Semi-finalists will be personally interviewed prior to selection for the award.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers a wide range of scholarships to study in Germany. 60 scholarships per year are available for a semester or a full year in Germany. No prior knowledge of German is required for some of their programs. Summer research awards are also available. All academic fields are eligible, though science and engineering are especially encouraged. Applications are welcome from freshmen through postdocs.

The National Security Education Program funds the study of a foreign language considered vital to the country's national security for one summer and one academic year for undergraduates and between one semester and two years for graduates. The maximum award for undergraduate study abroad is $10,000 per semester for up to two semesters. Graduate awards support language study and course work in the U.S. at $2,000 per semester and up to two semesters of study abroad at $10,000 per semester. The David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholarships for Study Abroad can help students seeking support for study abroad expenses during their undergraduate years. In exchange for the award, winners incur a service obligation for as long as the period that you had the scholarship to work with a federal agency that has national security responsibilities.  You must do this "pay-back" within 8 years of completing your scholarship work.

The National Institutes of Health Biomedical Research Program offers collaborative grants with both Oxford and Cambridge Universities to students with solid backgrounds in biology, chemistry (both inorganic and organic), physics and mathematics, and with previous laboratory research experience. Spending half their time abroad, and half at the NIH, students in these programs in various areas of biomedical research will receive a Doctor of Philosophy from the UK institution after 3-4 years. The awards include a stipend of $23,100 per year, health benefits and other academic support.

The Council of Independent Colleges has announced a new funding opportunity, the American Graduate Fellowships, whichsupport doctoral study in the humanities for graduates of small and mid-sized private liberal arts colleges. The fields of study supported are History, Philosophy, Literature and Languages (including classics; excluding linguistics) and Fine Arts (excluding archaeology and performing or studio arts). Graduating seniors or recent graduates (within 12 months of the application deadline) enrolling in a doctoral program are eligible to apply for one of the two available awards that pay up to $50,000 per year (renewable for a second year) and tenable at 23 select independent research universities in the United States, Great Britain and Ireland.

Award Opportunities for Postgraduate Study at Universities in the United States

In addition to the financial aid available from Graduate Schools on a competitive basis for study in most disciplines (tuition and fee waivers, teaching and research assistantships and full fellowships), many foundations and agencies offer generous financial aid for graduate study at Universities in the United States. A few of these awards not only pay for graduate school, but also help defray costs for study at Holy Cross. Some of the most prestigious and generous awards for graduate study in the United States include the following:

The Beinecke Scholarship offers $2,000 in the senior year of college and up to $15,000 for each of two years of graduate school in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Students must be able to demonstrate a documented history of need-based financial aid. Application for this award is made in the junior year. The Beinecke is most appropriate for students serious about a career in academia as a teacher and researcher in the arts, humanities or social sciences. Holy Cross is among just over 100 schools that may nominate one student per year. Twenty awards are made annually.

The Truman Scholarship is for juniors in the top quarter of their class who intend to pursue graduate study toward a career in government or other public service (including the law). It provides up to $30,000 for the first two to three years of graduate school. In addition to a strong academic record it requires evidence of community service and of leadership potential. The College may nominate four juniors. About 75 awards are made annually, at least one from each state.

The National Science Foundation supports approximately 1,000 new fellowships each year through its Graduate Research Fellowship Program, for study toward an M.S. or Ph.D. in mathematics, technology, engineering, or any of the natural or social sciences supported by the NSF. A $10,500 Cost of Education Allowance (Tuition) is provided and a stipend of $30.000, per year for 3 years is awarded. There is also a one-time International Research Travel stipend currently set at $1,000. Under this program, NSF also offers special fellowships to Women in Engineering and Computer and Information Science (WECS)

The Javits Fellowship is a program of the U.S. Department of Education that supports up to four years of graduate study leading towards the PhD or MFA at an American institution leading to an academic career for students of the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

The James Madison Fellowship awards a total of $24,000 for the first two years of graduate study toward an MA or MAT degree in American history or political science. Its purpose is to enhance secondary school education in these subjects and especially in the framing and development of the US Constitution.

The Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowships in Applied Science include a personal stipend plus payment of a tuition equivalency, renewable up to five years, at any of the 40 U. S. Universities participating in the program. The fellowship is targeted for college seniors or graduate students pursuing Ph.D. degrees in the applied physical sciences who are citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. and who will commit to making their skills available to the U.S. in time of national emergency. Applied physical science is a term interpreted broadly, but it is up to the applicant to make the case for his or her study fitting the criterion.  Examples include aeronautics, applied physics, astronomy, areas of modern biology like biostatistics, computational neuroscience, and structure analysis, chemistry, various engineering fields, materials science, earth science, and computer science.

The United Negro College Fund’s Institute for International Public Policy provides an incredible funding opportunity for sophomores of traditionally underrepresented minority groups who are interested in careers in international affairs. Winners attend several summer policy institutes with all expenses paid, receive substantial funding for a required study abroad period of a semester or a year, and receive paid internships and generously funded graduate fellowships to continue their education. Those who need extra language training can also participate in one of Middlebury’s summer language schools with all expenses paid.

The U. S. Department of Homeland Security Undergraduate and Graduate Fellowships are awarded in the fields of physical, mathematical, computer and information, life, and social sciences, psychology, selected humanities and engineering. Undergraduates apply in the sophomore year, and receive full tuition and fees, a stipend of $1,000 a month during the academic year, and a $5,000 stipend for the required 10 week summer internship. College seniors in the same fields listed above and entering a doctoral program may apply for the graduate fellowships, which also pay for tuition and fees, the required summer internship, plus a monthly stipend during the academic year of $2,300. Winners are expected to accept competitive DHS employment opportunities upon completion of their education.

he DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowships support PhD students in the physical, engineering, computer, mathematical, or life sciences for study at a U. S. university. Senior undergraduates may apply. Support of this fellowship is limited to 4 years and must be renewed each year . It provides full tuition and fees, a yearly stipend.

Miscellaneous Award Opportunities

The Goldwater Scholarship is awarded to sophomores or juniors majoring in math, physics, biology or chemistry who are planning to pursue graduate study toward a Ph.D. and a career in teaching and research. Students who plan to study medicine are eligible for a Goldwater Scholarship only if they plan a research career rather than a career as a medical doctor in a private practice. This award does NOT fund graduate study. About 300 awards a year are distributed by state, each providing $7,500 per year toward undergraduate tuition. We may nominate four students on department recommendation and preliminary screening.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace offers year-long junior fellowships for graduating seniors to work as research associates on the various projects the endowment undertakes in international affairs. Fellows are paid $26,000 for a year of work, plus medical, dental, and life insurance and paid vacation.

The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program supports women and men and women of minority groups interested in a career in the U. S. Department of State’s Foreign Service. Application for undergraduate participants is made in the sophomore year. Applicants must have  and maintain a 3.2 GPA. The award covers tuition and fees, room and board, books, travel expenses for one trip home per year and paid summer internships. Graduate students can also apply for this under a separate program called the Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program. All winners must serve as a Foreign Affairs Officer for a minimum of four and a half years.

The Soros Fellowship For New Americans pays a $20,000 stipend and half the tuition cost of any U.S. graduate program for up to two years for graduate study in any field (including law school and medical school) for New Americans or their children. A New American is an individual who (1) is a resident alien, i.e., holds a Green Card; or (2) has been naturalized as a U.S. citizen; or (3) is the child of two parents who are both naturalized citizens. Very few of these awards go to graduating seniors (2 of 30 winners for 2005).

The Morris K. Udall Foundation Scholarships are intended to support college sophomores or juniors studying the environment and related fields who are U.S. citizens, nationals or resident aliens; also Native American and Alaska Native students in fields related to health care or tribal public policy. Applicants must have at least a B average. Sophomore winners may be nominated again as juniors. The award pays up to $5000 for tuition, fees, books, room and board.

The Golub Foundation Graduate or Professional School Scholarship contributes $2000 per year for two years, paid directly to the graduate program, to help support college seniors living in the Price Chopper Supermarket marketing area and planning to attend graduate school in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire or Connecticut.

The Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Fellowships are intended for undergraduates whose major relates in some way to oceanographic or atmospheric sciences. Application is in the sophomore year, and the award pays up to $8,000 a year for the junior and senior years, a paid 10 week summer internship between the junior and senior year, and expenses to participate in an NOAA Conference after the internship.

The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships support graduating student athletes who are enrolling in a graduate program. This is a one-time payment of $7,500 to help with the costs of the first year of graduate school. The 174 scholarships are divided evenly between men and women with a minimum GPA of 3.2. The NCAA also holds an annual competition for 2 Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarships that pay $21,500 a year for 2 years. Requires nomination by athletics director or varsity coaches.

The William E. Simon Fellowship for Noble Purpose gives one graduating senior an unrestricted cash grant of $40,000 to pursue a “noble mission.” The foundation seeks to inspire greatness and benevolent purpose in America’s youth. Winners may use the award to engage directly in the civic life of their community, to help create opportunity for others, to fund the ultimate realization of their noble purpose, or to advance their expertise. Two $5,000 cash awards are also granted.

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES:

The above are only a few of the hundreds of fellowship and scholarship opportunities.  You can learn about the many others by consulting the following books (in the Resource Room, Smith 215) or by searching the web. 

Directory of Financial Aids for Minorities, Gail Ann Schlachter and R. David Weber 
Directory of Financial Aids for Women, Gail Ann Schlachter 
Financial Aid for Study & Training Abroad, Gail Ann Schlachter and R. David Weber, 
The Graduate Scholarship Book, Daniel J. Cassidy 
The Grants Register, ed. Lisa Williams, St. Martin's Press 
The Harvard College Guide to Grants, Lisa Muto & Paul A. Bohlmann 
The International Scholarship Book, Daniel J. Cassidy 

For further information contact Anthony Cashman, Ph.D., Director of the Office of Distinguished Fellowships and Graduate Studies, 793-2353, Smith 333; acashman@holycross.edu  

Back to top

Return to Graduate Studies Home Page