Scholarships & Fellowships

Demystifying the Process.

You know what scholarships are. The term “fellowships” might seem more unclear. Often these words are used interchangeably. However, a distinction that is sometimes made is that scholarships often provide support for a student’s current work, while fellowships provide new opportunities in and of themselves. As an example, you might receive a scholarship from a foreign university to support undergraduate study abroad there. After you graduate, you might be awarded something like the Scoville Peace Fellowship that would allow you to work with institutions in DC that you would not have otherwise had the opportunity to engage with.

Did you know that there are a number of government and institutional scholarship and fellowship programs that will not only pay for your education or language study abroad, but often also provide living stipends and other benefits? For instance, the U.S. Fulbright Program provides opportunities for American students and scholars to get Master’s degrees, PhDs, conduct independent research, or even teach english abroad. It awards funding to nearly 2,000 students per year to complete these activities in about 160 countries around the world. There are other lesser known programs, like the Critical Language and Boren Scholarships which provide financial assistance for students interested in intensive language study abroad. These are just a few examples of many, which you can find in more detail below.

You’ll be interested to know that some Scholarships Advisors have pointed out a ‘snowball effect’ in this world, meaning that the smaller scholarships you receive at your undergraduate institution can often lead to bigger, international ones—so don’t look down on the smaller awards or accolades you receive early on! And, of course, don’t discount yourself if you haven’t received these yet!

Name	Type	Sponsor	Brief Summary	Application Year	General Due Date	Restrictions
Critical Language Scholarship	Summer Abroad	State Department		1st, 2nd, 3rd, 34th	Fall preceding desired summer	Some require previous relevant language study; matriculated student at time of application
Boren Scholarship	Semester/Summer Abroad	Defense Department		1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th	January preceding desired summer	Requires previous language study;
Gilman Scholarship	Semester/Summer Study Abroad	State Department		1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th		Pell Grant Recipient
Language Flagship Programs	XXX
Foreign Area and Language Studies (FLAS) Scholarship	Semester/Study Abroad	State Department
IRM Specialist Program		State Department	Full-Time job positions at State Department hiring AA/BA recipients for IT positions	Anytime with degree	XXX	AA Minimum
Truman Scholarship	Prestigious Honor	Harry S. Truman Foundation	Prestigious Scholarship for Future Public Service Leaders; provides mentoring opportunities and funding for graduate schools.	3rd Year (Junior Status)	January	Restricted to junior status
Public Policy and International Affairs Program	Summer Enrichment			2nd Year (Sophmore Status, incoming junior)
Fulbright Summer Institute	Summer Enrichment	State Department		1st, 2nd
Rangel Summer Institute	Summer Enrichment	State Department		2nd, 3rd, 4th		Sophmore Status at time of application
US Foreign Service Internship Program	Professional Internship Program	State Department		2nd or 3rd year	September	Must be current sophomore or junior to apply.
Virtual Student Federal Service Program (VSFS)	Professional Internship Program	State Department			September
Consular Fellows Program	Professional Program	State Department
Hansen Summer Institute for Leadership	Summer Enrichment	UC San Diego
Foreign Affairs IT Fellowship	Professional Program & Scholarship	State Department	Provides funding for two years of IT undergraduate or graduate school, up to $37,500/year, plus two paid internships in exchange for a 5-year commitment to serve as a Foreign Service IT specialist.	2nd year	September
Charles Rangel International Affairs Program	Graduate Fellowship	State Department	Provides funding for graduate school degree program, two internships with the State Department, and full comission at a Foreign Service Officer with a five-year service commitment		Fall
Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship	Graduate Fellowship	State Department	Provides funding for graduate school degree program, two internships with the State Department, and full comission at a Foreign Service Officer with a five-year service commitment		Fall
Payne Fellowship	Graduate Fellowship	USAID	Provides funding for graduate school degree program, two internships with the USAID, and full comission at a Foreign Service Officer with a five-year service commitment		Fall
CIA Undergraduate Scholarship Program	Professional Program & Scholarship	CIA	The Undergraduate Scholarship Program is a financial needs based initiative that offers undergraduate students an unmatched experience in a diverse and inclusive environment. Undergraduate students, serving as scholarship recipients with the CIA, attend an accredited college/university on a full-time basis and work during summer breaks at the Agency. While working at the CIA, you will be exposed to real intelligence challenges while performing meaningful work that relates to your college major. An IT major, for example, might be given increasingly complex projects involving sophisticated computer systems. An engineering major might help produce a piece of state-of-the-art equipment. A finance major could be involved in developing and analyzing budgets for a worldwide operation, while a foreign language major might be instrumental in translating documents for US policymakers. An international relations major might brief a senior policymaker and, as a final example, a human resources major could have the opportunity to develop and implement personnel policies and procedures.	1st, 2nd, 3rd year	Fall
FBI Honors Internship Program	Professional Program	FBI	Summer internship at FBI location	1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th	Fall
Freeman-Asia	Study Abroad	Freeman Foundation	Funds Study Abroad in Asia			Must recieve need based aid;
Humanity in Action Fellowship	Summer Enrichment	The Humanity in Action Fellowship brings together international groups of university students and recent graduates to explore national histories of injustice and resistance—including the political foundations of racial hierarchies, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and colonial domination as they affect different minority groups today. The Summer Fellowship Program takes place in one of five cities: Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Sarajevo or Warsaw. Each interdisciplinary program features daily lectures and discussions with renowned academics, journalists, politicians, and activists, as well as site visits to government agencies, non-profit and community organizations, museums and memorials. The programs seek to highlight different models of action to remedy injustice.	Provides unique summer opportunity at intersection of peacebuilding, advocacy, and social conscience in one of five cities overseas.	1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th	January
Olive Tree Initiative	Summer Enrichment		Provides unique trip to Israel/Palestine
Ibrahim Leadership and Dialogue Program in the Middle East	Summer Enrichment	Queens College/the Ibrahim Foundation	Providues unique 6-week trip through the Modern Middle East	1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th	January
Scoville Fellowship