A Brief Introduction to Fellowships and Scholarships
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)
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.
Performing Arts
Like most art disciplines, careers in theatre span widely from performance and creative roles to technical positions to administrative functions and even educational and therapeutic professions.
Museums and Galleries
Museums are educational organizations that collect, preserve, and present important artifacts and/or works of art for the public to view and study. Museums may be organized by their collections (art, history, natural history) or by their intended audiences (children's museums). Possible occupational titles include: museum director, curator, collections manager, archivist, museum technician, conservator, researcher, exhibit designer, educator, editor, photographer, and librarian.
Fine Art
Practicing artists support themselves by teaching, selling artwork, being awarded grants and commissions, and a wide variety of other related (and non-related) professional endeavors. Growing and maintaining an active studio practice requires both training and resources— in the form of materials, equipment, space, and exhibition or performance opportunities. Many artists refine their work and begin to connect with the world of galleries, grants, and exhibitions in a graduate program (usually an MFA program). However, this is not the only path to a career as an artist.
Fashion and Lifestyle
Fashion is a fast-paced and exciting industry for those who love clothes, designs, and trends. This international industry includes careers ranging from modeling to fabric/clothing design, from marketing to retail, from business to manufacturing, from buying to merchandising. Possible occupational titles include: fashion designer, model, photographer, fashion editor, fashion writer, fashion stylist, fashion buyer, retail merchandisers.
Design and Illustration
Design and illustration careers begin with a portfolio of client-based or self-inspired work that displays your talent, style, and creative thinking. While there are full-time positions in the field of design, there are fewer full-time opportunities for illustrators. For this reason, many illustrators work as designers and illustration is a part of their job.
Arts Administration
A career in arts administration combines interest in the arts with business expertise and fundraising skills. Arts administrators work for symphony orchestras, art galleries, museums, ballet companies, musical groups, theatres and other organizations.
Arts Education
As a field, art education spans traditional K-12 art classrooms to university/college teaching and even to more community-oriented spaces, like museums, arts centers, and educational non-profits. This field even crosses over into healthcare in the form of vocational rehabilitation and art therapy programs.
On-Campus Recruiting Program Policies (Students)
Career Education expects all students to abide by the following rules in order to maintain the success and integrity of Wellesley’s recruiting program.
Udall Scholarship (sophomores & juniors)
Supports a year of undergraduate study for American Indians and Alaska Natives working on an array of policy issues in Indian country or interested in pursuing health-related careers, or for students with demonstrated leadership, service, and commitment to issues related to conservation and environmental issues. Eligible are college sophomores and juniors who are US citizens, nationals, and permanent residents. Campus application deadline typically in early February.
Truman Scholarship (juniors)
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation supports the graduate education and professional development of outstanding young people committed to public service leadership. This scholarship provides funding toward senior year and graduate school for juniors interested in a career in public service. Campus application deadline typically in November.
National Institutes of Standards & Technology Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (NIST SURF) (students)
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) offers Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) at NIST laboratories in Gaithersburg, MD; Boulder, CO; and Waimanalo, Hawaii. The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship is designed to inspire undergraduate students to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) through a unique research experience that supports the NIST mission. Eligible are currently enrolled undergraduates who are US citizens or permanent residents, majoring in chemistry, computer science, physics, engineering, materials science, fire research, nanotechnology, information technology, mathematics, biology, manufacturing, statistics, or another STEM discipline.
Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (sophomores and juniors)
The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUF) was founded to increase diversity among minority faculty scholars in higher education. MMUF supports underrepresented minority students and others who have demonstrated commitment to eradicating racial disparities in academia by encouraging talented students to develop their academic interests, pursue and complete their doctoral training, and thrive in their faculty careers in higher education. With funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, MMUF undergraduates are able to conduct original undergraduate research in the humanities and social sciences. Campus deadline annually in March
Killam Fellowships Program (students)
The Killam Fellowships Program, administered by Fulbright Canada, allows undergraduate students from Canada and the United States to participate in a program of binational residential exchange. Killam Fellows spend either one semester or a full academic year as an exchange student in the host country. Students can apply either to the direct exchange program, which is limited to certain participating university partners, or to the open competition, allowing for participation from (and to) any accredited degree-granting college or university in either country.
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship (sophomores and juniors)
Supports one or two years of undergraduate study in the fields of mathematics, engineering, and natural sciences. Eligible are college sophomores or juniors who are US citizens, permanent residents, and nationals intending to pursue research careers in STEM fields. Campus application deadline typically in late November/early December.