Turning Study Abroad into a Fellowship

The following tips are from students, faculty members and advisers.

Before leaving

You're off to distant parts--life-changing times and places. But, you still want to keep up with campus life and deadlines that affect your after-graduation plans!

Use the resources offered by the Office of Fellowships.

  • Meet with a staff person at the Office of Fellowships before studying abroad, to review options for possible grants while you're abroad and grants for when you return.
  • Use the materials in the Office of Fellowships to find out what to look into while you're abroad, including programs, universities, and faculty that interest you.
  • Pick up the Guide to Fellowships.
  • Spend time browsing through the Office of Fellowships web site. Also see "Research Opportunities for Undergraduates at Northwestern."
  • Check out project proposals from past winners of fellowship competitions. The Office of Fellowship has proposals you can browse through at their office, and the Study Abroad Office has a few that they can give out to students who request them.
  • Drop off a résume and transcript at the Office of Fellowships before you go abroad.

Be aware of fellowship deadlines.

  • There are a number of fellowships to apply for as a junior. Don't miss deadlines just because you're abroad! Also, arrange meetings with faculty from whom you might request recommendations while you're abroad. (Give them advance warning.)
  • Many fellowships that students apply for as seniors have early fall deadlines, and the Office of Fellowships is closed in the summer (they open right after Labor Day). So, make sure to work with them before you leave for abroad!

Subscribe to the fellowships listserv for announcements about upcoming deadlines.
Send an email to listserv@listserv.it.northwestern.edu
 Leave the subject line BLANK.
In the body of the message, type:
SUBSCRIBE fellowships Your first name Your last name

While abroad:

  • Make contacts and find out about graduate programs. This is particularly important if you are interested in the Fulbright.
  • Visit campuses, professors, and libraries. Check out resources where you're living and when you travel.
  • Be aware of fellowship deadlines. Remember the deadlines for fellowships that you're interested in, and make sure to complete the applications on time!
  • Contact us. This discussion can keep you up to speed with preparations.

Fellowships to consider

For details, see the Office of Fellowships Web site.

Grants for Undergraduate Study Abroad
Deadlines are generally around the end of fall quarter/beginning of winter quarter

  • National Security Education Program (NSEP) (sophomores, juniors)
  • Midwest Networkers Scholarship
  • American Institute for Foreign Study Scholarships
  • Council Student Scholarship Program

Summer Grants
Apply for these from abroad, for the summer between junior/senior years.

  • NU and WCAS Undergraduate Research Grant (any field)
  • Pfizer Research Grant
  • Endocrine Society Grant
  • Harriman Foreign Service Fellowship
  • Center for Strategic & International Studies Internship

Grants for Going Abroad Again!

  • NU and WCAS Undergraduate Research Grant (generally used for research conducted during winter or spring breaks)
  • Fulbright
  • NSEP (seniors: any field)
  • Rotary (seniors: any field)
  • DAAD (seniors: any field, to Germany)
  • Frank Huntington Beebe (seniors: musicians)
  • Kate Neal Kinley (seniors: musicians)
  • East European Language Training Grant (seniors: any field; funds 2nd-year language study—American Council of Learned Societies)
  • Explorers Club Exploration Grant (seniors)
  • Institute of Current World Affairs Fellowship (seniors & up to 35)
  • Rhodes (seniors+: Oxford; any field)
  • Marshall (seniors+: Britain; any field)
  • Churchill (seniors+: science & engineering)
  • Mitchell (seniors+: to Ireland, any field)
  • Luce Scholars Program (seniors+: apprenticeship in Asia)
  • American Friends of the London School of Economics Scholarship (seniors+)

Other General Fellowships That Might Interest You When You're a Senior

  • State Farm Exceptional Students Fellowship (juniors & seniors: math, econ, business-related fields)
  • Josephine de Kármán Fellowship (juniors: humanities)
  • Glamour Magazine Fellowship (junior women: any field)
  • Humane Studies Fellowship (juniors & seniors)
  • Goldwater Scholarship (sophomores & juniors: science & engineering)
  • Truman Scholarship (juniors: public service)
  • USA Today All-Academic Team (all years: all fields)
  • Beinecke Scholarship (juniors)

Grants for Law School, Med School, Grad School

  • Alpha Lambda Delta Fellowship (seniors+: all fields)
  • National Science Foundation Fellowship & others (seniors+: sciences, engineering, social sciences)
  • Mellon Fellowship in Humanistic Studies (seniors+)
  • Javits Fellowship (seniors+: humanities, social sciences, & arts)

Grants for Public Service Work

  • Urban Fellows Program (seniors)
  • Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs (seniors)
  • Congressional Hunger Fellowship (seniors)
  • Carnegie Endowment for Int'l Peace Junior Fellows Program (seniors)
  • Samuel Huntington Public Service Award (seniors)

For More Information on Fellowships