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!

  • Meet with a staff member in the Office of Fellowships to review options for grants to support your study abroad and grants for when you return. You can make an appointment or drop in on an open Fellowships Forum (Thursdays at 4PM in the 1940 Sheridan conference room).
  • Browse through the Office of Fellowships web site at http://www.northwestern.edu/fellowships. Also see "Research Opportunities for Undergraduates at Northwestern" at http://www.northwestern.edu/undergrad-research/.
  • Check out project proposals from past winners of fellowship competitions. The Office of Fellowship has binders full of proposals you can peruse at the office. Take notes so you have them while abroad; this will help when contemplating or drafting statements or proposals.
  • There are a number of fellowships to apply for as a junior. Don't miss out just because you're abroad! Before you leave, find fellowships of interest, and note their deadlines. Also, arrange meetings with faculty from whom you might request recommendations while you're abroad. (Give them advance warning.)
  • Many fellowships (especially for seniors) have early fall deadlines. Students studying abroad are eligible; they just need to plan accordingly. Speak with someone at the Office of Fellowships before you go abroad and stay in touch by phone and internet over the summer.
  • 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 message's body, type "SUBSCRIBE fellowships Your first name Your last name"
  • Drop off a résumé and transcript at the Office of Fellowships before you go abroad. Pick up the Guide to Major Fellowships and other materials related to fellowships of interest.
  • Join the Office of Fellowships group on Facebook.

While Abroad

  • Make contacts and investigate graduate programs and research centers.
  • Visit campuses and professors and check out library resources where you're living and when you travel.
  • Think ahead about future projects and interests so that you can pursue appropriate fellowships.
  • Remember the deadlines for fellowships that interest you; make sure to complete the applications on time!
  • Stay in touch with the Office of Fellowships while abroad to discuss how you can keep up to speed with preparations.

National Security Education Program (NSEP) (sophomores, juniors) www.iie.org/nsep
Freeman Asia Scholarship www.iie.org/pgms/freeman-asia
American Institute for Foreign Study Scholarships www.aifs.org
Council Student Scholarship Program www.ciee.org
DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) http://www.daad.org/?p=47220
  • NU Undergraduate Research Grant (mid-March)
  • Provost's Office Immersion Language Grant (early February)
  • Provost's Office Immersion Experience Grant (early April)
  • UCS Summer Internship Grant (mid-April)
  • WCAS Summer Research Grant (early June)
  • Harriman Foreign Service Fellowship (early November)
  • Critical Language Scholarship for Intensive Summer Institutes (late January)
  • Humanity in Action (early February)
  • Center for Strategic & International Studies Internship (mid-March)
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      • NU and WCAS Undergraduate Research Grant (generally used for research conducted during winter or spring breaks)
      • Fulbright (seniors: any field)
      • NSEP (seniors: any field)
      • Rotary (seniors: any field)
      • DAAD (seniors: any field, but to Germany)
      • Rhodes (seniors+: Oxford; any field; NU nomination required)
      • Marshall (seniors+: Britain; any field; NU nomination required)
      • Churchill (seniors+: science & engineering; NU nomination required)
      • Mitchell (seniors+: to Ireland, any field; NU nomination required)
      • Luce Scholars Program (seniors+: apprenticeship in Asia; NU nomination required)
      • 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) www.explorers.org
      • Institute of Current World Affairs Fellowship (seniors & up to 35)
      • American Friends of the London School of Economics Scholarship (seniors+)
      • Josephine de Kármán Fellowship (juniors: humanities)
      • Glamour Magazine Top 10 College Women (junior women: any field)
      • Humane Studies Fellowship (juniors & seniors)
      • Goldwater Scholarship (sophomores & juniors: science & engineering; NU nomination required)
      • Truman Scholarship (juniors: public service; NU nomination required)
      • Beinecke Scholarship (juniors; NU nomination required)
      • State Farm Exceptional Students Fellowship (juniors & seniors: math, econ, business-related fields)
      • National Science Foundation Fellowship & others (seniors+: sciences, engineering, social sciences)
      • Javits Fellowship (seniors+: humanities, social sciences, & arts)
      • Jack Kent Cooke Fellowship (seniors+: all fields)
      • Alpha Lambda Delta Fellowship (seniors+: all fields)
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        • Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Junior Fellows Program (seniors)
        • Urban Fellows Program (seniors+)
        • Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs (seniors+)
        • Congressional Hunger Fellowship (seniors+)
        • Samuel Huntington Public Service Award (seniors)
        • American India Service Corps (seniors+)
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          • Visit the Office of Fellowships web site (www.northwestern.edu/fellowships) or "Research Opportunities for Undergraduates at Northwestern (http://www.northwestern.edu/undergrad-research/).
          • Use metasearches such as those found at http://www.northwestern.edu/fellowships/info/external.htm.
          • Visit the Office of Fellowships!

        • For More Information on Fellowships

    • Grants for Going Abroad Again!
      Apply for these throughout senior year and, for some, in the years after graduation


      Other Fellowships That Might Interest You (with year in which you apply)

      Grants for Law School, Med School, Grad School


      Grants for Public Service Work

Call for an appointment: 847-491-2617.
Drop by an open Fellowships Forum (Thursdays at 4PM in the 1940 Sheridan conference room).
For More Information on Funds for Undergraduate Research Available from Northwester
  • NU: http://www.northwestern.edu/undergrad-research/
  • WCAS: http://www.wcas.northwestern.edu/advising/awards/money.html
  • Medill: http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/journalism/undergrad/page.aspx?id=60867
  • SESP: http://www.sesp.northwestern.edu/docs/Hess_Award_Fund.pdf
  • SoC: http://commweb.soc.northwestern.edu/upload/StudentsSoCsmallgrantsWeb.pdf