Introduction to Fellowships for Graduates

Kate Dailinger
Kate Dailinger

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 for Graduate Study

Kate Dailinger
Kate Dailinger

There are more fellowships and scholarships than you might think there are to help fund graduate or professional study. It’s helpful to be creative and persistent in your search, and in your applications. This research will give you an overview of some of the fellowships out there, and tips for searching for opportunities.

    "I reached out to several Wellesley alums and former Pickering/Rangel recipients to help me prepare for the finalist interviews and essays. If I can give advice to anyone wanting to apply for this fellowship in the future it is to do the same thing! I couldn’t have done this without their guidance and encouragement."

    "I'm excited by the unknown. I'm not sure where I'll be or who I'll meet at these embassies, but I'm looking forward to the new experiences!"

    “In order to make changes in laws and policies, we need to have data on our side. We need to be able to make a case that shows a causal link between misinformation online and the erosion of democracy.”

    Undergraduate Research Fellowships

    Caitlin Roberts-Donovan
    Caitlin Roberts-Donovan

    This page is a resource for students looking for fellowships to support undergraduate research (you can also check out our resource on language and study abroad). 

    McCall MacBain Scholarships at McGill (rising seniors & graduates)

    Kate Dailinger
    Kate Dailinger

    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.)

    “I am so thrilled that I will be able to learn directly from women leaders in crucial environmental projects in a diverse array of Latin American countries that I otherwise could not have ever imagined visiting.”

    Graduate School Preparation Mini-Grants

    Wellesley Career Education logo
    Wellesley Career Education

    The Graduate/Professional School Preparation Fund, funded by a generous grant from the Wellesley Students’ Aid Society, is intended to help current Wellesley students with expenses related to graduate or professional school preparation. 

    Learn About Careers in Public Health

    Marisa Crowley
    Marisa Crowley ’05

    Public health is a wide ranging, interdisciplinary pathway with the goals of protecting and improving the health of individuals, families, communities, and populations at local and global levels.

    “I will be the first doctor in my family and the first to attend graduate school with the gift of the Sarah Perry Wood Medical Fellowship.”

    A Brief Introduction to Fellowships and Scholarships

    Kate Dailinger
    Kate Dailinger

    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?

    Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program at Wellesley College (sophomores and juniors)

    Kate Dailinger
    Kate Dailinger

    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.

    Fulbright Program (rising seniors & graduates)

    Kate Dailinger
    Kate Dailinger

    Supports a year (or occasionally more) of study or research abroad in any discipline, or year-long English teaching assistantships (ETAs) abroad in programs designed by the host countries. Eligible are graduating seniors and graduates who are US citizens. Campus application deadline for Wellesley students and graduates typically in August.

    Wellesley College Graduate Fellowships (WCGF—seniors & graduates)

    Kate Dailinger
    Kate Dailinger

    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.

    Yenching Academy Scholarship at Peking University (seniors & graduates)

    Kate Dailinger
    Kate Dailinger

    The Yenching Academy of Peking University builds bridges between China and the rest of the world through an interdisciplinary master’s program in China Studies for outstanding graduates from all over the globe. This initiative brings together young people who show promise to lead and innovate in their fields in an intensive learning environment where they can explore China and its role in the world — past, present, and future. The Academy aims to thereby shape a new generation of global citizens with a nuanced understanding of China and its role in the world.

    Wellesley is an official Partner Institution for the Yenching Academy: campus deadline typically in November.