Resources for Graduate Students

Applying for external fellowships is an important part of graduate education. Funds from a successful fellowship application will typically cover educational and living expenses while grants usually cover expenses related to specific projects. The application process in itself can aid both in clarifying the aims of a research project and in the cultivation of grant-writing skills.

As a graduate student you will also be able to find other forms of financial aid such as research or teaching assistantships that subsidize your tuition or pay a salary. It should be noted that ONSF does not assist students in finding these sources of funding.

Scholarships and Fellowships for Graduate Students

These programs are available to graduate students:

  • Boren Fellows study a wide range of critical languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, and Swahili. Boren Awards are available to students of all proficiency levels who are committed to enhancing their skills. (Deadline: late January)
  • The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an immersive summer opportunity for American college and university students to learn languages essential to America’s engagement with the world. (Deadline: October)
  • The Fulbright US Student Program provides grants for individually designed study or research projects and for English Teaching Assistantships. The program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction with people in the host country, which promotes mutual understanding across cultural boundaries. (Deadline: early September)
  • The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant research achievements in STEM or STEM education. (Deadline:  mid-October)
  • The Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship aims to prepare outstanding young people for careers in the foreign service. (Deadline: early fall)

Useful Resources

You may find the following resources useful in your pursuit of graduate fellowships:

A Note on the NSF GRFP

The recent uncertainty over NSF funding has prompted numerous questions about the status of the GRFP. The program status is listed on the NSF website as “applications will be available on the GRFP application portal later this year,” which is concerning because the call usually happens in June or July. NSF has not been responsive to our inquiries, so, unfortunately, we do not know when, or if, this year’s application cycle will happen.

We will update this site with new information as it becomes available.