Office of Distinguished Scholarships

The Critical Language Scholarships program includes training in the following critical languages: Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish and Urdu. This is a great opportunity to spend a summer immersing yourself in a foreign language and culture.

For more information, visit the Critical Language Scholarships program.

The DAAD offers a wide variety of scholarship and funding opportunities, for the summer or for long-term study, that include taking classes at German universities and doing research and internships with German companies. Most of these scholarships do not require knowledge of the German language. DAAD Rise is especially valuable for STEM students.

For more information, visit the DAAD Scholarships and DAAD RISE websites.

The United States Fulbright Program offers financial support for students who seek to enter fields of study abroad, with a goal of promoting mutual cultural understandings. This is an excellent opportunity for students with an interest in a foreign nation, culture or language to achieve financial support. Students may apply for a research grant, an English teaching assistantship or may apply for a grant to offset the cost of matriculating at a foreign university.

For more information, visit the United States Fulbright Program.

Each year, Gates Cambridge offers 80 full-cost scholarships to outstanding applicants from countries outside the U.K. to pursue a postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. Approximately two-thirds of these awards will be offered to PhD students, with approximately 25 awards available in the U.S. round and 55 available in the international round.

For more information, visit the Gates Cambridge website.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education program funds juniors and seniors majoring in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics, and who are intending to make a career in these fields. 

For more information, visit the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education program.

The Hertz Fellowship is awarded annually to the nation’s most promising graduate students in science and technology. Using a rigorous, merit-based process, the foundation identifies innovators with the greatest potential to create transformative solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges.

For more information, visit the Hertz Fellowship website.

James Madison Fellowships were created by Congress to honor James Madison’s legacy and Madisonian principles by providing support for graduate degrees that focus on the Constitution — its roots, its formation, its principles, and its development. The benefits of the fellowship program are manifold and lasting. While in graduate schools, fellows will gain a deeper understanding of the principles of constitutional government, which they in turn transmit to their students.

For more information, visit the James Madison Fellowships website.

Each year, the British government funds up to 40 American students who are invited to study at the graduate level in any British university. The Marshall Scholarship is open to all fields of study, and was designed to help perpetuate the strong ties between the United States and the United Kingdom. The scholarship covers one or two years of study and related expenses (tuition, plane fare, living allowance, books and travel grants associated with study).

For more information, visit the Marshall Scholarship website.

The Udall Foundation awards scholarships to college sophomores and juniors for leadership, public service, and commitment to issues related to Native American nations or to the environment. The Udall scholarship honors the legacies of Morris Udall and Stewart Udall, whose careers had a significant impact on Native American self-governance, health care, and the stewardship of public lands and natural resources.

For more information, visit the Udall Foundation website.

The Boren Awards fund the intensive study of language and culture abroad by U.S. undergraduate or graduate students. All eligible applicants have the option to either apply for a regional flagship language initiative or select/design their own study program.

For more information, visit the Boren Awards website.

The Rhodes Scholarship is awarded to 32 American students for graduate study at Oxford University.  There is no specific field or discipline requirement. The Rhodes are looking for students who combine intellectual distinction, with a series of personal qualification, involving energy, trustworthiness, and leadership potential. Students typically apply for this scholarship in the early autumn of their senior year. United States Rhodes Scholarships are limited to American citizens, but Rhodes are offered in 20 other jurisdictions, outside the United States, including Canada.

For more information, visit the Rhodes Scholarship website.

The Rotary Foundation offers grants that support a wide variety of projects, scholarships and training that Rotary members are doing around the world.

For more information, visit the Rotary Foundation website.

Schwarzman Scholars live in Beijing for a year of study and cultural immersion — attending lectures, traveling around the region and developing a better understanding of China.

For more information, visit the Schwarzman Scholars website.

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans program honors the contributions of immigrants and children of immigrants to the United States. Each year, the program invests in the graduate education of 30 New Americans — immigrants and children of immigrants — who are poised to make significant contributions to U.S. society, culture or their academic field. Each fellow receives up to $90,000 in financial support over two years, and they join a lifelong community of New American Fellows.

For more information, visit the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans program.

The Truman Scholarship provides graduate study funding for juniors intending to pursue graduate degrees in public service fields. The scholarship targets future “change agents” who will work to improve the ways that government agencies, nonprofit organizations or educational institutions serve the public. Successful applicants must be willing to work in public service for three of the first seven years after completion of a Truman Foundation-funded graduate degree.

For more information, visit the Truman Scholarship website.

The Obama-Chesky (Voyager) Scholarship for Public Service supports students who have a passion for helping others, experience serving their communities, and can demonstrate an expansive view of what’s possible through public service.

The Voyager Scholarship Program is a two-year leadership development and scholarship program. Through a transformational combination of barrier-reducing financial aid, an immersive work-travel experience, and a robust network of leaders and mentors, the Voyager Scholarship is designed to inspire, empower, and connect the next generation of leaders and equip them with the tools and resources they need to launch their careers in public service.