Office of National & International Fellowships

It depends on the fellowship, and more importantly, the timing. 

Some fellowships specifically fund tuition costs and room and board. 

For example, the Goldwater Scholarship awards up to $7,500 to college sophomores and juniors with aspirations of pursuing a career as a research scientist. This funding can be used towards tuition and room and board.

However, the application process is typically longer than most students realize. If you apply for the award during your sophomore year and are selected, you won't receive the funding until your junior year.

Most fellowships take at least a year to process applications, select recipients, and disperse the funds.

These lengthy timelines especially impact graduate students pursuing one-year or two-year master's degree programs. As such, ONIF strongly encourages you to identify and apply for graduate funding before your program begins. For many graduate fellowships, like McCall MacBain, you must apply even before you've been admitted to your graduate program!

Finally, if you are seeking need-based aid or LMU scholarships, you should contact LMU Financial Aid or your department. 

It depends on the fellowship, but sometimes there is no difference. 

However, most fellowships offer more than just funding or work experience. They may include professional development such as mentorship, specialized training, and graduate school prep.

This fellowship, for example, provides funding for a master's degree, foreign service training, and two (paid) summer internships with the U.S. Department of State. 

And this (paid) summer fellowship places students with social justice-based organizations focused on immigrant rights issues.

Once again, ONIF uses the term "fellowship" broadly to sometimes include scholarships, summer programs, and internships. Contact ONIF for help identifying fellowship opportunities.

If interested in internship support, utilize Career Professional Development (CPD) as they are a fantastic resource available to our Lions.

You win whether you receive a fellowship or not.

By completing the arduous fellowship application process, you will emerge as a winner in one way or another. Those who successfully complete final product gain valuable new skills to navigate the wider world and negotiate life.

The fellowship application process is a rite of passage into a more responsible and mature world where your efforts are truly respected by experts in your field. All applicants are honored. Every completed application is a proud achievement. Most importantly, the process forces you to engage in self-reflection and honest self-assessment, which teaches you a great deal about who you are and what you want out of life.

Further, applying for fellowships prepares you for what the graduate school application process is like. If you think graduate school is a possibility, apply for a fellowship first (or even at the same time). Learning to articulate an argument and perfecting the art of selling yourself are invaluable skills that will serve you as you continue on your career path.

You should disregard fellowship opportunities only if ineligibility has been established. Assume eligibility until proven otherwise, but by the same token, don't overstretch qualifications because fellowships are highly competitive. There is a fellowship that is the right fit for you, and sometimes it takes time to figure out which one is best for you.  

Fellowship foundations want to support those talented students most capable of and motivated to improve society with a track record of achievement at a high level. Foundations seek those who stand out, whose accomplishments are normally achieved by older students, a leader who produces results in her world. More specifically, the ideal candidate is one who:

• Understands the art of self-presentation
• Can contribute to society and make a difference in the world.
• Possesses strong character exemplified especially through community service and extracurricular initiatives in addition to high or solid academic achievement
• Is an interesting and interested student involved in life, takes moral stands or sensible risks, pushes the envelope, expands his or her horizons, and embraces ever bigger challenges.

The process of applying for a fellowship is an accomplishment in itself and the product of this effort will be useful for graduate school and other applications. Moreover, garnering a fellowship is a distinction that will stand you in good stead for the rest of your life. Click on the tabs to the left to learn more about how the process of applying for fellowships can enrich your life.

In general, there is no limit. You can apply to as many fellowship opportunities as you'd like.

However, most have extensive applications, so expect to devote time and effort into composing a polished application. 

Additionally, there are select fellowships, like Truman, for which you can only apply once.

For most other fellowships, like Fulbright, you can re-apply if you are not selected the first time around.

When in doubt, contact ONIF with questions about fellowship eligibility and selection criteria. 

It depends on the fellowship.

Some have minimum GPA requirements, others do not. Typically, if you have a 3.0 or above you will be eligible for more fellowship opportunities. 

Other fellowships are discipline-specific (e.g., social sciences only), or seek students at certain academic levels (e.g., freshmen and sophomores only), or may have citizenship requirements.

Fellowships also have selection criteria or an established set of criteria used to evaluate candidates.

Note: Students often confuse eligibility with selection criteria. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can apply. ONIF can then help you demonstrate the selection criteria in your application.

When in doubt, contact ONIF with questions. 

It depends on the fellowship.

Most applications ask for a combination of the following:

• Biographical information (e.g., name, email, address)
• Resume or C.V.
• Short-answer responses
• Personal statement or statement of purpose
• Letters of recommendation (3 is average)
• Transcripts

When in doubt, contact ONIF with questions.