The McNair Scholars Program is a federal TRIO program funded at 187 institutions across the United States and Puerto Rico by the U.S. Department of Education. McNair participants are first-generation college students with financial need, and/or members of a group that is traditionally underrepresented in graduate education and have demonstrated strong academic potential. The goal of the McNair Scholars Program is to increase graduate education for students from underrepresented groups.  At Wellesley, the McNair Scholars Program is STEM focused, and applications are typically due in November each year.

Fellowships and scholarships can fund graduate or professional study, purposeful travel, professional placements, self-designed projects, and so much more. They can help you build your experience and qualifications, help you explore a passion, and clarify a path forward. What would you do with a fellowship?

Fellowships and scholarships offer funding to support a range of purposeful activities, including undergraduate research, language study/other study abroad, self-designed projects, teaching and service, graduate or professional study, or even internships and professional placements. They can open doors for you to things you might not be able to pursue otherwise.

There are opportunities for students and graduates of every nationality and at every stage of their careers. What might be the right fit for you?

The McCall MacBain Scholarships seek to bring together exceptional students from around the world who strive to engage in positive change by taking on meaningful leadership roles. McCall MacBain Scholars connect with mentors and participate in an interdisciplinary leadership program while pursuing a fully funded master’s or professional degree at McGill University! (Campus deadline typically in August.)

Did you know that citizens of any country are now eligible to apply for the Rhodes Scholarships, for graduate study at the University of Oxford? Campus deadline for Wellesley applicants for Global Rhodes is typically in early June and for the Canadian and US Rhodes typically in late August. Application deadlines for other Rhodes competitions may fall even earlier (see their website, and Career Education deadline listings). All prospective Wellesley Rhodes applicants are encouraged to seek advice from Kate Dailinger, of Wellesley's Career Education, and learn more through this resource page.

Scholarship for Foreign Study – up to $36,000
The scholarship will be awarded to a member of the graduating class who displays a desire for learning and an ability to impart knowledge and judgment to others.  It will fund a year of study at a foreign institution to pursue a specific subject that requires contact with foreign scholars, libraries or other resources.  

Traveling Fellowship – up to $36,000
The fellowship will be awarded to a member of the graduating class who displays an interest in and an acceptance of others, and who displays the ethos of a Wellesley education.  It will fund a year of purposeful travel abroad to explore a particular interest with the requirement that the recipient not remain in the same area for more than two months.

Wellesley College offers a number of fellowships and scholarships for graduate study or research open to Wellesley seniors and graduates. Two awards are open to women graduates of any American institution (the Schimke and the Shackford). Awards are usually made to applicants currently enrolled in or applying to graduate/professional school for the following academic year; there is a single common application process for most of these awards, and the campus deadline is typically in January.