Undergraduate Fellowships and Scholarships

The hard work you’ve put into your education can pay off in ways you might not have ever imagined. Whether you are a first-year student with an idea about how to bring peace into the world, a rising senior trying to learn more about your options for the future, or an alumnus with a passion and a vision, there may be opportunities that will provide you with the support to pursue your dreams! 

Take a look at some of the options below. If any strike your interest, contact Alexandra Olson to discuss next steps. 

Please note: Some of these fellowships and scholarships require official endorsement by Lake Forest College. Alexandra Olson serves as the contact person for all applications—and endorsements—and can explain the process for each individual fellowship and scholarship.  

Awards to Support Students During Their Undergraduate Career

Boren Scholarships

Boren Scholarships, an initiative of the National Security Education Program, provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests, and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Eligibility Requirements:

  1. A U.S. citizen at the time of application
  2. Planning an overseas program that meets home institution standards in a country outside of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, and with a focus on language study.
  3. Enrolled in an undergraduate degree program
  4. Desire to work in federal government after graduation

NOTE: Boren also offers a separate fellowship program for graduate students, but current Lake Forest undergraduates are not eligible for this program.  

Boren Scholarships

Udall Scholarships

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.

Eligibility Requirements:

  1. Current college sophomore or junior
  2. Interest in conservation, environmental stewardship, or environmental policy
  3. Demonstrated commitment to the environment through participation in campus activities or service to your community
  4. Pursuing a career that will enable you to address environmental issues on a local, national, or global scale

Udall Scholarships

Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship

By providing scholarships to college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering, the Goldwater Foundation is helping ensure that the U.S. is producing the number of highly-qualified professionals the Nation needs in these critical fields.

Eligibility Requirements:

  1. Be a full-time matriculated sophomore or junior pursuing a degree at an accredited 2- or 4-year institution of higher education during the 2018-2019 academic year,
  2. Intend to pursue a research career in a natural science, mathematics or engineering,*
  3. Have a college grade point average of at least a 3.00 on a 4.00 scale, and
  4.  Be a U.S. citizen from the 50 states or the District of Columbia; a U.S. national for those students nominated by institutions in Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; or a permanent resident. A permanent resident nominated for the scholarship must include a letter stating his/her intent to become a U.S. citizen. A photocopy of the nominee’s Permanent Resident Card, also known as the Alien Registration Card or Green Card, must also be submitted.

The College may only nominate 4 students for this award.  Therefore, though you may complete the application, it is not a guarantee that the College is able to submit your application to Goldwater.

Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship

Awards to Support Graduate Study or Postgraduate Research

Fall Deadlines 

For fellowships and scholarships that require Lake Forest College endorsement or support, potential applicants must contact Alexandra Olson to discuss the process no later than June 1 preceding fall submission. The College will not endorse any applicants who begin the process after June 1. 

The Davies-Jackson Scholarship

The Davies-Jackson Scholarship presents a unique opportunity for students with exceptional academic records, who are among the first generation in their families to graduate college, to participate in a course of study at St. John’s College at the University of Cambridge.

Eligibility Requirements:

  1. First generation college graduate
  2. GPA of 3.7
  3. Intent to study in one of the following areas: Archaeology; Classics; Economics; Education; English; Geography; History; History of Art; History and Modern Languages; History and Politics; Human, Social and Political Sciences; Mathematics; Modern and Medieval Languages; Music; Philosophy; and Psychological and Behavioural Sciences. 

The Davies-Jackson Scholarship

George J. Mitchell Scholarships - program currently paused

The George J. Mitchell Scholarship Program, named to honor former US Senator George Mitchell’s pivotal contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process, is designed to introduce and connect generations of future American leaders to the island of Ireland, while recognizing and fostering intellectual achievement, leadership, and a commitment to community and public service.

Eligibility Requirements:

  1. Be a U.S. citizen
  2. Be 18 years of age or older, but not yet 30, on September 28 of the year of the application (those who turn 30 on September 29th are not eligible).
  3. Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university before beginning study as a Mitchell Scholar. 

George J. Mitchell Scholarships

Marshall Scholarship

Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a graduate degree in the United Kingdom.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • be citizens of the United States of America (at the time they apply for a scholarship);
  • (by the time they take up their scholarship ie September 2019) hold their first undergraduate degree from an accredited four-year college or university in the United States;
  • have obtained a grade point average of not less than 3.7 on their undergraduate degree.  (Applicants must have a GPA of 3.7 at the time of application). We do not accept rounded GPA’s.
  • have graduated from their first undergraduate college or university after April 2016.
  • not have studied for, or hold a degree or degree-equivalent qualification from a British University or GCSE or A Levels taken at school in the UK.

Marshall Scholarship

Rhodes Scholarship

Administered by the Rhodes Trust in Oxford, the programme offers more than 100 fully-funded Scholarships each year for postgraduate study at the University of Oxford in the UK - one of the world’s leading universities.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • a citizen of the United States OR a lawful permanent resident of the United States OR a U.S. resident with DACA status on April 15 in the year of application. (For non-US citizens/residents: Look into if your home country has a Rhodes Scholarships Constituency, or look into the Rhodes Global Scholarship)
  • eligible to apply through one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or one of the U.S. territories: either in the state or territory where the applicant was legally resident on April 15 in the year of application, or where the applicant will have received at least two years of college training and a bachelor’s degree before October 1 in the year following election.
  • at least 18 but not yet 24 years of age (i.e., the applicant must still be 23 on October 1 in the year of application).
  • a minimum of 3.7 GPA for your bachelor’s degree

Rhodes Scholarship

Fulbright US Student Program

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistant Programs.  

Each country and program will have its own eligibility requirements.  See the award profile for details.

Fulbright US Student Program

Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship

The Rangel Graduate Fellowship is a program that aims to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State in which they can help formulate, represent and implement U.S. foreign policy.

Eligibility:

  1. Applicants  must be seeking admission to enter graduate school in the fall of 2019 for a two-year program at a U.S. university in an area of relevance to the Foreign Service. They can be in their senior year of their undergraduate studies, graduating by June 2019, or they can be college graduates.
  2. Applicants must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale at the time of application.
  3. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen.

Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship

Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans

To support graduate study by new Americans in a wide variety of fields

Eligibility:

  1. Applicant’s birth parents must have both been born outside of the US as non-US citizens, and both parents must not have been eligible for US citizenship at the time of their births. 
  • Born in the US: You are a US citizen by birth and both of your parents were born abroad as non-US citizens.
  • Naturalized Citizen: You have been naturalized as a US citizen either on your own or as a minor child under the application of one of your parents.
  • Green Card: You are in possession of a valid green card.
  • Adopted: You were born outside of the US or one of its territories and were subsequently adopted by American parents, and were awarded US citizenship as a result of your adoption.
  • DACA:  One of the following must be true:
    • You have been granted deferred action under the government’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and your status is currently active.
    • You are awaiting renewal of your DACA status.
    • You had DACA status, but because the program was rescinded by the US Government, you no longer have DACA status.

Note: You are not eligible if your DACA status was revoked because of illegal activity

2.  Planning to be enrolled full time in an eligible graduate degree program at a US university for the full 2019-20 academic year

3.  Not older than 30 years of age by application deadline

Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans

Spring Deadlines

For fellowships and scholarships that require Lake Forest College endorsement or support, potential applicants must contact Alexandra Olson to discuss the process no later than October 1 preceding spring submission. The College will not endorse any applicants who begin the process after October 1.

Truman Scholarship

The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation - the federal memorial to our thirty-third President - awards merit-based scholarships to college students who plan to pursue careers in government or elsewhere in public service. 

Eligibility Requirements:

  • a full-time junior-level student at a four-year institution pursuing a bachelor’s degree during the 2018-2019 academic year. ‘Junior’ here means a student who plans to continue full-time undergraduate study and who expects to receive a baccalaureate degree between December 2019 and August 2020, or a student in his or her third year of collegiate study who expects to graduate during the 2019-2020 academic year;
  • nominated by the Truman Scholarship Faculty Representative at his or her institution;
  • in the upper quarter of his or her class; and
  • a United States citizen or a United States national from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Resident aliens (green card holders) are not eligible.

A good candidate for the Truman Scholarship meets the above eligibility requirements and also:

  • has an extensive record of public and community service;
  • has outstanding leadership potential and communication skills; and
  • is committed to a career in government or elsewhere in public service, as defined by the Foundation.

Truman Scholarship

Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship

The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program is a program funded by the U.S. Department of State, administered by Howard University, that attracts and prepares outstanding young people for Foreign Service careers in the U.S. Department of State.   It welcomes the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the State Department, women, and those with financial need. 

Eligibility Requirements:

  1. Be a U.S. citizen.
  2. Seek admission to a two-year, full-time, on-campus, master’s degree program at a U.S.-based graduate institution to begin in the fall of 2019 in an academic field relevant to the work of the Foreign Service (public policy, international affairs, public administration, business, economics, political science, sociology, or foreign languages).
  3. Have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale

Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Junior Fellows Program

Each year, through the James C. Gaither Junior Fellows program, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace offers approximately 12-14 one-year fellowships to uniquely qualified graduating seniors and individuals who have graduated during the past academic year. They are selected from a pool of nominees nominated by several hundred participating universities and colleges. James C. Gaither Junior Fellows work as research assistants to Carnegie’s senior scholars. 

Eligibility Requirements:

  1. Graduating senior or one who has obtained their bachelor’s degree in the past year
  2. One need not be a U.S. citizen if you attend a university located in the United States. However, all applicants must be eligible to work in the United States for a full twelve months from approximately August 1 through July 31 following graduation. Students on F-1 visas who are eligible to work in the United States for the full year may apply for the program.

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Junior Fellows Program

Information for International Students

Although most of the above opportunities are restricted to United States citizens or legal permanent residents, there are other fellowships and scholarships available to international students who wish to continue their studies in the United States following graduation.  Contacting your graduate institution is an important step in seeking out funding, but feel free to also contact this office for further guidance.

http://www.borenawards.org/boren_scholarship

Planning to go to graduate school?

If you are interested in assistance with preparing personal statements and applying to graduate or professional school, please take advantage resources available on campus.  Learn more on the Career Advancement Center website.

If you are looking for funding to support graduate study, contact your graduate school first, but also take a look at GRAPES and GrantsNet.