USA Today Academic Scholarships

College Team

USA TODAY honors outstanding students with the All-USA Academic Teams. The top twenty students selected for each of the All-USA First Teams will receive a $2,500 cash award, trophy and will receive extensive national recognition through coverage in USA TODAY and usatoday.com. Second and third teams are named and each receive certificates of achievement.

For more information and to fill out an online nomination form, click here

To learn more about past winners of USA TODAY’s All-USA College Academic Team, click here

Community College Team

USA TODAY’s All-USA Community College Academic Team recognizes exceptional students at the nation’s community colleges. Judges consider grades, academic rigor, growth and how well the students use their education to benefit their schools and communities. The program is administered by Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. Each school may nominate two students. Phi Theta Kappa notifies community college presidents about the program in September. Nomination deadline is early December and the teams are announced in April.

For more information on how to apply, click here

To learn more about past winners on USA TODAY’s All-USA Community College Academic Team, click here

Udall Scholarship

The Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation expects to award 50 scholarships of up to $5000 and 50 honorable mentions 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 including policy, engineering, science, education, urban planning and renewal, business, health, justice, economics, and other related fields; or
  • To Native American and Alaska Native students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to tribal public policy, including fields related to tribal sovereignty, tribal governance, tribal law, Native American education, Native American justice, natural resource management, cultural preservation and revitalization, Native American economic development, and other areas affecting Native American communities; or
  • To Native American and Alaska Native students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to Native health care, including health care administration, social work, medicine, dentistry, counseling, and research into health conditions affecting Native American communities, and other related fields.

Meet our Scholars

Find out more about the Udall Scholarship: watch the video

2012 Udall Scholar Press Release

Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation

The Truman is a very competitive national scholarship. Each year, the Foundation reviews over 600 applications for our 60 to 65 Scholarships awarded annually. These 600 applications do not include the students who compete on their own campus for one of a school’s four nominations.

Although the award is competitive, we hope that our application process – while challenging – is straightforward. We hope that by providing clear information to all prospective applicants we enable everyone to produce the best application possible.

Below is a step-by-step guide through the Truman selection process.

Are You a Potential Truman Scholar?
A listing of the general requirements for the Truman Scholarship.

Find Your Faculty Representative
All Candidates for the Truman must be nominated by their undergraduate institution. Our Fac Rep Locator will help you to find the representative at your school – and provide guidance if there is not a current representative at your school. Faculty Representatives can also answer both specific questions about the application process as well as general questions about whether the Truman is right for you.

Review Important Dates
The deadlines for the competition as well as information on the announcements of finalists and Scholars.

Review the Application
The Truman Application consists of an Institutional Nomination form and letter, three additional letters of recommendation, a recent transcript, a 14 question application, and a policy proposal.

Get Nominated
Nominations must be made by either the Fac Rep or the Truman Nomination Committee at your undergraduate institution.

Prepare Your Application
Suggestions for preparing the best application possible.

Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans

Paul and Daisy Soros, Hungarian immigrants and American philanthropists, established their fellowship program for New Americans in December 1997 with a charitable trust of fifty million dollars. Their reasons for doing so were several. They wished to “give back” to the country that had afforded them and their children such great opportunities and felt a fellowship program was an appropriate vehicle. They also felt that assisting young New Americans at critical points in their educations was an unmet need. Finally, they wished to call attention of all Americans to the extensive and diverse contributions of New Americans to the quality of life in this country.

In 2010, Mr. and Mrs. Soros contributed an additional $25 million to the charitable trust that funds their Fellowships for New Americans.   For details, see the Wall Street Journal article at the end of this section.

The program of fellowships they shaped has the following characteristics:

  • It honors and supports the graduate educations of 30 New Americans – permanent residents or naturalized citizens if born abroad; otherwise children of naturalized citizen parents — each year.
  • At the time of their selection, fellows must be college seniors or early in the graduate programs for which they request support.
  • Each fellow receives tuition and living expenses that can total as much as $90,000 over two academic years.
  • Fellows can study in any degree-granting program in any field at any university in the United States.
  • Fellows are selected on the basis of merit – the specific criteria emphasize creativity, originality, initiative and sustained accomplishment — in annual national competitions.  Candidates apply directly.  The program does not depend on recommendations from universities or regional screening.   Neither financial need nor distributive considerations are taken into account in the selection process.
  • Each fellows attends two weekend conferences of fellows. The great majority continue to be involved with the program through regional dinners, service in the selection process for later classes, etc.

Since the founding of the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans:

  • Approximately 12,500 applications have been received and processed.
  • 14 classes of Fellows have been selected, beginning in 1998
  • 415 Fellows have been appointed:  20 in the first year and 30 in most subsequent years (the four additional fellows were appointed in 2003, 2007, and 2009).
  • The 61 current Fellows received undergraduate degrees from 34 different colleges and universities.  They are receiving support for graduate study at 22 different universities in 27 different fields of study.
  • 354 former Fellows are now alumni of the program.

 

Oxford and Rhodes Scholarships

Oxford and the Rhodes Scholarships

Welcome to the website of the American Rhodes Scholarships. The Rhodes Scholarships are the oldest and most celebrated international fellowship awards in the world. Each year 32 young Americans are selected as Rhodes Scholars, through a decentralized process representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Applicants from more than 300 American colleges and universities have been selected as Rhodes Scholars. In most years, even after a century of competition, a Rhodes Scholar is selected from an institution which has not formerly supplied a successful applicant.

Rhodes Scholars are chosen not only for their outstanding scholarly achievements, but for their character, commitment to others and to the common good, and for their potential for leadership in whatever domains their careers may lead. The Rhodes Trust, a British charity established to honor the will and bequest of Cecil J. Rhodes, provides full financial support for Rhodes Scholars to pursue a degree or degrees at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. The first American Rhodes Scholars entered Oxford in 1904.

This website provides information about the annual competition for the Rhodes Scholarships available to United States citizens, and is an introduction to the community of American Rhodes Scholars. Rhodes Scholarships are also available to citizens of certain other countries. For information about the global Rhodes Scholarships, and further information about the Rhodes Trust and Oxford University generally, see the links below. There you will also find a link for further information about American Rhodes Scholars and their alumni community.

American Rhodes Scholars for 2012

On Saturday, November 19, 2011, the American Rhodes Scholar Class of 2012 was elected.  These 32 outstanding students will commence their studies at Oxford in October 2012.  They were selected from a pool of 830 candidates who had been nominated by their colleges and universities.  They will now complete their applications to begin courses at Oxford next year, widely across the University’s academic disciplines.

For today’s press release and a list of winners and short profiles, click here.

PPIA Fellowships

The PPIA Fellowship Program helps students achieve a Master’s Degree or joint degree, typically in public policy, public administration, international affairs or a related field. The organization does this through the intensive study provided by participation in a Junior Summer Institute (JSI), through partnerships with universities across the country, and through an alumni network that provides opportunities to connect with nearly 4000 individuals who share the same interest in public service.

The entry point for the PPIA Fellowship Program is attendance at one of our Junior Summer Institutes (JSI). Each year, this national program selects an elite group of students to participate in our Junior Summer Institutes, where these high-potential individuals are equipped with the knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in graduate school and ultimately, in influential roles serving the public good.

Once a student has successfully completed their JSI, they join an alumni network of nearly 4,000 leaders. In addition to the opportunities that this network provides for mentoring and career development, our alumni network has the opportunity to receive financial support for their graduate school education if they attend one of the programs in our Graduate School Consortium.

 

About the Graduate School Consortium

PPIA’s Graduate School Consortium is comprised of over 30 public policy and international affairs programs from across the county. PPIA alumni who apply to receive a graduate degree at these schools are able to waive the application fees and, if accepted, are guaranteed a minimum, one-time financial award of $5,000 from the school. Most alumni who are accepted to a consortium school receive well above this figure in financial aid towards their graduate education.

PPIA Fellows are encouraged to wait a couple of years before applying to graduate school in order to gain work experience and further preparation for graduate studies. However, enrollment into one of the PPIA Consortium schools is expected for PPIA Fellows within 3 years of graduation. An additional one year extension may be requested.

 

Woodrow Wilson Fellowships

To Apply

A completed application for the Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship includes:

  • The online application form. This requires secure registration at the Woodrow Wilson Foundation website and email addresses for two recommenders. Your recommenders will be required to submit their recommendations using an online form that also includes a rubric.
  • Hard-copies of the following supporting documents:
  • •  Certification of U.S. citizenship: copy of U.S. passport, birth certificate, or U.S. citizen naturalization papers

    •  Copy of GRE or GMAT scores. It is not necessary to have an official copy of your test scores sent to the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. Photocopies of your online notification will be accepted.

    •  Official academic transcriptsfrom every undergraduate school attended.

In addition:

  • All applicants who receive(d) financial aid must also provide a copy of their most recent financial aid letter that lists grants or loans. They must also provide a copy of the Student Aid Report (SAR), which indicates the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) number. The SAR is generated from the submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.
  • Applicants who have not received financial aid do not need to provide the Student Aid Report (SAR). These applicants must submit a brief statement indicating their funding source.
  • Send all supporting documents to:

    Dr. Caryl Loney-McFarlane
    Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program
    The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
    P.O. Box 2437
    Princeton, NJ 08543-2437

  • Faxed documents will NOT be accepted.

PLEASE NOTE: In order to file an application, you must register as a user of the secure Woodrow Wilson website. There is no filing or registration fee.

When you register, you will provide basic contact information and choose a username and password. Completing this user profile will enable you to save your unfinished application, so that you can return later to add or change entries and view a checklist of supporting documents received.

After registering, select “Apply for Fellowship,” then choose “Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship” and follow the instructions given.

If you have any questions about the program, you may send an email to PickeringGFAF@woodrow.org or write to:

Dr. Caryl Loney-McFarlane
Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program
The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
P.O. Box 2437
Princeton, NJ 08543-2437

Faxed documents will NOT be accepted.

Continue on to register and apply…

 

National Science Foundation Research Fellowships

The National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) helps ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and reinforces 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 US institutions.  The NSF welcomes applications from all qualified students and strongly encourages under-represented populations, including women, under-represented racial and ethnic minorities, and persons with disabilities, to apply for this fellowship.

The 2013 GRFP application is now available.

Applicants who wish to start a new application can do so by clicking the “Begin a Fellowship Application/Register Here” button.

The 2013 NSF GRFP Program Solicitation is now available.

All prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to review the 2013 Program Solicitation for the official guidelines for the 2013 competition.

Deadlines for the 2013 NSF GRFP:

All deadlines are at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

November 13, 2012

  • Engineering
  • Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering
  • Materials Research

November 14, 2012

  • Mathematical Sciences
  • Chemistry
  • Physics and Astronomy

November 16, 2012

  • Social Sciences
  • Psychology
  • STEM Education and Learning

November 19, 2012

  • Life Sciences
  • Geosciences

November 27, 2012

  • Reference letters for all fields of study

All application materials are due at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the deadline dates. Material submitted after 8:00 p.m. EST on the deadline dates will not be accepted under any circumstances.

 

National Physical Science Consortium Fellowships

Fellowship Information

Number of Awards: Varies yearly

Type: Fellowship

Duration: In the traditional fellowship, initial support may be for two or three years, or for a full six years, depending on the employer-sponsor. If the initial support is for the shorter period, it may be extended up to six years at the discretion of the employer. The Dissertation Support Program covers the period of dissertation research and defense, up to a maximum of four years.

Amount: The charge to the employer for each student supported is $26,000 annually, of which $20,000 is the student stipend and $6,000 is NPSC’s fee to support its operations. The charge is subject to change at the discretion of the NPSC Board of Directors.

Fields of Study: Though the fields supported can vary annually depending on employer needs, in general NPSC covers the following: Astronomy, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geology, Materials Science, Mathematical Sciences, Physics, and their subdisciplines, and related engineering fields: Chemical, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Mechanical.

Location or Type of Institution: Any participating NPSC Member University or College

Eligibility: NPSC welcomes applications from any qualified U.S. citizen who has the ability to pursue graduate work at an NPSC member institution. Applicants should be in one of the following categories:

For the Traditional Program:

  • Be in your senior year.
  • Be in your first or second year of a graduate program.
  • Be in a terminal master’s program (your university offers no Ph.D. in your discipline).
  • Be returning from the workforce

For the Dissertation Support Program, be near the point at which your research will begin.

Persons who already possess a doctoral degree in any field are ineligible.

Employers may nominate NPSC fellows directly, obviating the selection process. These fellows may enroll for either a Master’s or a PhD degree.

Selection: NPSC’s employers select fellows based the following factors, not in order:

  • Whether the applicant’s field of study matches the employer’s needs
  • Undergraduate and graduate course work and grades
  • Research experience at a university or in industry
  • Letters of recommendation from professors and employers. These can be decisive. The most effective letters are from persons who have supervised or observed the applicant’s participation in research.
  • The GRE General tests are required; the Subject test is suggested and may be required by your university.

Using these criteria, employers review the pool of applicants and advise NPSC of which students the employer wishes to support. NPSC then makes the award.

Additional Requirements

  • Applicants must be accepted at a participating NPSC-member university or college and progress through a full-time study program leading to a graduate degree in the physical sciences or related engineering fields.
  • Fellows must complete one or two summer internships, as the sponsoring employer requires.
  • To continue in good standing, fellows must submit a transcript annually as well as any forms and information that NPSC requests.
  • Fellows must perform satisfactorily in their summer internship and during the academic year.
  • A fellow who switches his or her field of study to one not of interest to the sponsoring employer may have support terminated.

The following employers have additional stipulations:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: Requires fellows to make a good faith effort to conduct collaborative research that involves both the LLNL mentor and the graduate thesis advisor. Metrics for this collaboration include joint publications, research done at LLNL and frequent visits to LLNL. Fellows should plan their course work and research direction with their university department and LLNL as a team effort.

National Security Agency (NSA): Requires Fellow to pass a background investigation.

Sandia National Laboratories: Requires Fellow to successfully pass a background investigation.

George J. Mitchell Scholarship

The Mitchell Scholars Program offers a national competitive scholarship sponsored by the US-Ireland Alliance.

The Mitchell Scholars Program, named to honor former US Senator George Mitchell’s pivotal contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process, is designed to introduce and connect generations of future American leaders to the island of Ireland, while recognizing and fostering intellectual achievement, leadership, and a commitment to community and public service.

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:

  • scholarship,
  • leadership, and
  • a sustained commitment to community and public service.

The Mitchell Scholars Program provides tuition, accommodations, a living expenses stipend, and an international travel stipend.


Learn more about the institutions at which Mitchell Scholars may study.