Top 10 Fellowship and Scholarship Opportunities for International Students

American Association for University Women – International Fellowships
http://www.aauw.org/what-we-do/educational-funding-and-awards/international-fellowships/international-fellowships-application/

International Fellowships are awarded for full-time study or research in the United States to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Both graduate and postgraduate studies at accredited U.S. institutions are supported. Applicants must have earned the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree by September 30, 2013, and must have applied to their proposed institutions of study by the time of the application. Up to five fellowships are renewable for a second year. Recipients are selected for academic achievement and demonstrated commitment to women and girls. Recipients return to their home countries to become leaders in business, government, academia, community activism, the arts, and sciences.

Application due December 1^st.

American Scandinavian Foundation
http://www.amscan.org/study_scandinavia_details.html

The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) offers fellowships (up to $23,000) and grants (up to $5,000) to individuals to pursue research, study or creative arts projects in one or more Scandinavian country for up to one year. The number of awards varies each year according to total funds available. Awards are made in all fields. Applicants must have a well-defined research, study or creative arts project that makes a stay in Scandinavia essential. Applicants must be United States citizens or permanent residents and have completed their undergraduate education by the start of their project in Scandinavia. Team projects are eligible, but each member must apply as an individual, submitting a separate, fully-documented application. First priority will be given to applicants who have not previously received an ASF award. Only in exceptional cases will a third award be considered

Application due November 1^st.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) – Japan Scholarship Program
http://www.adb.org/site/careers/japan-scholarship-program/main
For citizens of ADB’s developing member countries to pursue postgraduate studies in economics, management, science and technology, and other development-related fields at participating academic institutions in the Asian and Pacific Region. The ADB-JSP provides full scholarships for one to two years.

Association for Women in Science Educational Foundation
http://www.bibsocamer.org/fellows.htm

Several fellowships available, all of which support bibliographical inquiry and research in the history of the book trades and in publishing history. Eligible topics may concentrate on books and documents in any field, but should focus on the book or manuscript (the physical object) as historical evidence.

Applications due December 15^th.

National Academies Fellowships
http://www.nationalacademies.org/grantprograms/index.html

The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council offer several fellowships in science, engineering, and medicine. Information on eligibility guidelines and application deadlines is available on specific programs’ websites. The Fellowships Office (FO) of the National Academies administers predoctoral, postdoctoral, and senior fellowship awards on behalf of government and private/foundation sponsors; these fellowship awards play an important role in the career development of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers and scholars for the academic, federal, industrial and international workforce. Current opportunities can be found on the above listed website.

Deadlines vary.

Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program
http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/policyfellows/index.htm

This fellowship is designed to engage graduate science, engineering, medical, veterinary, business, and law students in the analysis that informs the creation of science and technology policy and to familiarize them with the interactions of science, technology and government.

Applications are due the fall before the session begins.

International Dissertation Field Research Fellowships
http://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/idrf-fellowship/

The Mellon International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF) offers nine to twelve months of support to graduate students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who are enrolled in PhD programs in the United States and conducting dissertation research on non-US topics. Eighty fellowships are awarded annually.

Applications due November 5^th.

Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholarships
http://www.jkcf.org/scholarships/graduate-scholarships/

The Foundation’s Dissertation Fellowship is for up to $25,000 for advanced doctoral students who are completing dissertations that inform the Foundation’s mission: advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. To be eligible, candidates must demonstrate superior academic achievement, have successfully defended their dissertation proposals, and be enrolled full-time in a US graduate degree program.

Application deadline is February 4^th.

Josephine de Karman Scholarships
http://www.dekarman.org/

$16,000 scholarship to support either the final year of study for juniors or for Ph.D. candidates with ABD status. DeKarman fellowships are open to students in any discipline, including international students, who are currently enrolled in a university or college located within the United States.  Only candidates for the PhD who will defend their dissertation by June 2015 and undergraduates entering their senior year (will receive bachelors degree in June 2015) are eligible for consideration.  Postdoctoral and masters degree students are not eligible for consideration.  Special consideration will be given to applicants in the Humanities.

Application due January 31^st.

Spencer Foundation Dissertation Fellowship
http://www.spencer.org/content.cfm/fellowship-awards

Candidates for the doctoral degree at a graduate school within the United States are eligible.

Looking for external funding opportunities?
External Fellowship Databases and Information Resources

USC Graduate School External Fellowship Resources page
http://www.usc.edu/schools/GraduateSchool/resources.html

USC Visual Studies Research Institute
http://dornsife.usc.edu/visual-studies/external-funding/

USC Office of Academic & International Fellowships
http://www.usc.edu/programs/ugprograms/aif/fellowships.htm

H-Net, resource for fellowships, jobs, conferences, and calls for papers
http://www.h-net.org/announce/group.cgi?type=Funding

USC Center for Excellence in Research, Federal Programs and Fellowships that Provide Support for Graduate Students
https://research.usc.edu/files/2011/05/Fed_Programs-Support-Grad_Stud-6_2012.pdf

Grinnell College, Resources for International Students
http://www.grinnell.edu/files/scholarships_for_international_students_2012.pdf

University of Illinois, Champagne-Urbana, Fellowship Database
https://www.grad.illinois.edu/fellowship/

UCLA Graduate & Postdoctoral Extramural Support (GRAPES) Database
http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/grpinst.htm

Dissertation Fellowships Wiki
http://academicjobs.wikia.com/wiki/Dissertation_Fellowships_2014-2015

USC Graduate School Pinterest page
http://www.pinterest.com/uscgradschool/

Fellowships: They’re For You!
By Adam Feinman

Every graduate program has different standards for how their students pay their way. However, everyone can benefit from investing the time in applying for fellowships. Be they large or small, unheard of or prestigious, acquiring fellowships demonstrates a person’s ability to convince others that they can do valuable research. This is particularly important in academia (where grant-awarding agencies often fund projects with societal impact), but all research fields need people who can communicate about their research.

No matter who you are, what your personal profile looks like, or how much research you have done to date, there are fellowships geared towards you. Many fellowships are designed towards advancing research done by minorities. Some fellowships are looking to encourage certain types of research, such as certain types of literary scholarship or particular medical disorders. Others are “patriotic” in nature, seeking to advance a national interest.

One of the most broadly available fellowships is the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program, abbreviated as NSF GRFP. (How scientists love their abbreviations!) The overall mission of the NSF is to fund scientific research that has societal benefit and broad impact. It is not, however, limited to the so-called “hard-sciences”. Any field that is scientific and non-clinical can apply for this fellowship. So if you’re working with human subjects, you might be out of luck for this one. If you’re studying animal models of human disease you’re also going to be ineligible. But some clinical psychology and bio/medical engineering projects are eligible, as are the humanities aspects of science (e.g., science education, history of science). This fellowship is usually due in November, and requires essays, a research plan, and letters of recommendation.

It might be hard to get prestigious fellowships like this (or the Hertz and NDSEG fellowships) without previous research experience, but the process of applying can help you refine your research proposal and the way you write about it. The NSF GRFP wants your essays to reflect the “Broader Impacts” (i.e., how it affects society) and “Intellectual Merit” (how it advances knowledge), and the former is very important in this fellowship. One of the great things about this process though is that if you don’t get the fellowship, the NSF will give you feedback on how you can shore up your application. In many cases, you can apply for it as a first-year grad student and still re-apply as a second-year student.

Follow the USC Graduate School and #USCgetfunded on Facebook and Twitter for continuing articles and advice on obtaining external fellowships. Get a head-start with this breakdown of the application timeline. Your path to external funding begins now!