Getting Started
Finding and applying for fellowships may at first appear to be a confusing process. The staff at Fellowship Programs will help guide you through the steps and offer advice on your applications. To begin, we encourage you to read the descriptions below of the various fellowships available through Fellowship Programs. Types of Fellowships Available Through Fellowship ProgramsFellowship Programs administers and advises on the following types of fellowships: National Fellowships: These fellowships are open to students both at Yale and at other universities. They tend to be highly competitive and some may require Yale to nominate you to the national competition; in these circumstances Fellowship Programs manages this endorsement process. Examples of these fellowships include Fulbright, Truman, Goldwater, and many others. Yale College Fellowships: These fellowships are funded by donors to Yale College and are only open to currently enrolled Yale College students. They fall into three categories. These categories make it easier for you to apply to multiple fellowships through one application and one set of materials. |
Fellowships by Class YearRelated Links |
- Fellowship Programs Yale College Year-long Fellowships: These fellowships support diverse activities which may include research, study, and/or independent projects. Year-long fellowships are most often awarded to seniors to support a nine to twelve-month experience after graduation. Sophomores and juniors may also be eligible for specified fellowships if they are considering taking a leave of absence from Yale.
- Fellowship Programs Research Fellowships for Juniors (Bates, et al.): These fellowships are intended for juniors who are pursuing their own self-directed, academic research agenda and are often awarded to students who are researching a topic for their senior essay.
- Fellowship Programs Yale College Summer Fellowships: These fellowships are typically awarded to freshmen, sophomores and juniors for summer activities. Funding may be available for self-organized or UCS Bulldogs internships, as well as for projects such as volunteering, public service, independently-organized activities, and research. Additionally some funding is available for study abroad coursework, such as language study.
U.K. and Irish Fellowships: While these fellowships are also national competitions, Fellowship Programs has a dedicated adviser specifically for them. If you are considering doing post-graduate study in the U.K. or Ireland, you will find information on fellowships such as the Rhodes, Marshall, and Mitchell, to name but a few.
Richard U. Light Fellowship: The Light Fellowship provides full funding for Yale students to study Chinese, Japanese, or Korean at specifically approved sites in China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.
Other Major Fellowships: These are nationally competitive fellowships that Yale students often express interest in but that do not require nomination from the College. Fellowship Programs can advise on these fellowships, but you apply directly to the sponsoring agency.
Other Sources of Funding Through Yale
Fellowship Programs is a great place to look for fellowships; however, many other departments and offices on campus also administer their own competitions.
- The Student Grants Database is a searchable directory of most fellowships available at Yale, including the opportunities available through Fellowship Programs.
- The MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies offers many fellowships for Yale College students.
- The Yale Science and Engineering Research Fellowships
- International Summer Award. While not a fellowship, this is an important source of funding for students who receive Yale scholarships for term-time. The ISA provides eligible freshmen, sophomores, and juniors funding for one summer experience abroad.
- Non-Yale-funded Fellowships for Yale Students Only
