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Undergraduates

Explore fellowships and scholarships for undergraduate students.

A Note About Deadlines

Internal deadlines indicate when an application is due to the Undergraduate Dean's Office. If applicable, external deadlines refer to the date all application materials are due at the awarding institution. Be aware that most institutions do not accept late applications.

Fellowships and Scholarships

 

Up to three hundred Goldwater Scholarships are awarded each year to sophomores and juniors planning to pursue careers in mathematics, engineering and the natural sciences. Goldwater Scholars receive $7,500 for each of their remaining years of undergraduate studies. The scholarship confers a good deal of prestige and can greatly strengthen future fellowship and graduate school applications.

Advisers: Katherine Marenco, Geology Department, and Eleanor (Ellie) Stanford, Fellowship Adviser

Eligibility: To be eligible, you must be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident. You must also have at least a 3.0 GPA. Eligible students will be notified at the beginning of fall semester.

Selection criteria: The Goldwater Committee looks for evidence of involvement in science and for potential to carry out scientific research. Research experience is helpful but not necessary. Goldwater Scholars are expected to pursue advanced degrees. Career plans could include any research positions in the sciences. Students who plan to study medicine must plan a research career rather than a career as a clinician.

Application procedure: Students interested in being nominated should submit the online internal application to the Dean’s Office by 5 p.m. on the listed deadline.

You will find out whether you have been selected as a nominee by early December.

The external application is due to Ellie Stanford by the listed deadline.

  • Twenty Beinecke Memorial Scholarships are awarded each year to juniors who have demonstrated superior intellectual ability, scholastic achievement and personal promise during their undergraduate careers. Each scholar receives $4,000 immediately prior to entering graduate school and an additional $30,000 while attending graduate school in the U.S. or abroad. Students are allowed to supplement the award with other scholarships, assistantships and research grants. Bryn Mawr is one of approximately 100 selective colleges and universities that can each nominate one candidate for consideration by the Foundation.

    Deadlines

  • Preliminary: N/A
  • Internal: Feb. 3, 2025
  • External: Mar. 28, 2025

 

Beinecke Scholars are named by May 1 each year.

Who is Eligible?

To be eligible, you must be a U.S. citizen planning graduate study in the arts, humanities and the social sciences. You must also have a history of receiving need-based financial aid. Because the Beinecke Scholarship demands “superior” academic achievement, application is by invitation only. Between ten and twenty students will be invited to apply near the end of the fall semester each year, based on GPA and a history of receiving financial need.

Adviser: Eleanor Stanford, Fellowship Adviser, Undergraduate Dean's Office

Selection criteria: Again, superior academic achievement and intellectual potential are central. These characteristics should be demonstrated not just by high grades but by your personal statement and your faculty recommendations.

Application procedure: Bryn Mawr will select its nominee on the basis of the online internal application.

Applicants must also request three online recommendations from faculty members.

The Fellowships Committee may decide to invite some applicants to an informal interview with the committee. An interview is not a part of the external selection process, but it can help the committee decide which candidate will, with revision, be able to produce the strongest possible written application. JYA students will be interviewed by phone.

External application is due to Eleanor Stanford. The application includes the following:

The personal statement, revised to take into account comments from the Fellowships Committee Three letters of recommendation Beinecke Financial Aid form A current resumé An official transcript

External application is due to Eleanor Stanford. The application includes the following:

  • The personal statement, revised to take into account comments from the Fellowships Committee
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Beinecke Financial Aid form
  • A current resumé
  • An official transcript

Beinecke Scholars are named by May 1 each year.

Critical Language Scholarship

  • Deadline(s): External: mid-Nov. 2024

Awarded to current undergraduates for summer study overseas in one of fourteen critical languages. Depending on the language, candidates may apply with no previous study (for example, Swahili, Indonesian, Hindi and Korean) or are required to have some previous study (for example, one year for Arabic, two years for Chinese, Japanese and Russian). U.S. citizenship required. Application requires two letters of recommendation, transcripts, answers to four short essays and a statement of purpose. Applicants are evaluated according to the following criteria: 

  • Academic record and potential to succeed in a rigorous academic setting.
  • Ability to adapt to a different cultural environment.
  • Plan for continuation of study of the language.
  • Plan to use the language in future career.

There is no internal nomination process, but applicants with questions should contact relevant language faculty in the Bi-Co or Eleanor (Ellie) Stanford, Fellowship Adviser, in the Dean's Office if they are applying in a language not taught in the Bi-Co. 

DAAD Undergraduate Scholarship Program

  • Adviser: Eleanor (Ellie) Stanford, Fellowship Adviser.

Provides scholarship support for study in Germany. Also available to fund senior thesis research and/or internships, preferably based at a German university. Period of study must be at least four months and no more than ten. International students are eligible.

Davis Projects for Peace

Provides $10,000 to a Bryn Mawr student or group of students to design a grassroots summer project to promote peace.

  • Adviser: Eleanor (Ellie) Stanford, Fellowship Adviser
  • Deadline(s): Internal: Feb. 12, 2025

Provides up to 1 million yen for those seeking direct contact with Japanese culture. It can be used to fund summer study abroad in Japan. Although in general preference will be given to those with at least basic knowledge of Japanese, exceptions may be made depending on the nature of the project or program proposed. 

The Elizabeth Gray Vining Scholarship provides up to 1 million yen for those seeking direct contact with Japanese culture.

It can be used to fund summer study abroad in Japan. Although in general preference will be given to those with at least basic knowledge of Japanese, exceptions may be made depending on the nature of the project or program proposed.

Eligibility

The scholarship is open to graduating students, but returning students will receive preference.

To Apply

  • Complete the online Elizabeth Gray Vining Scholarship for Summer Study Abroad online application.
  • Arrange to have two letters of recommendation submitted through this online recommendation form. Send this link to your recommenders to complete.
  • Deadline: Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, at midnight

More Information

For more information, please contact Fellowship Adviser Ellie Stanford at estanford1@brynmawr.edu or 610-526-5375.

Fulbright UK Summer Institutes

  • Adviser: Eleanor (Ellie) Stanford, Fellowship Adviser
  • Deadline(s): Feb. 1, 2025

The Fulbright UK Summer Institutes are three- to four week-programs for US undergraduate students, who have no or very little travel experience outside North America. Funding includes travel, tuition, and room and board. Participants can explore the culture, heritage and history of the UK while experiencing higher education at a UK university. Open to first-years and sophomores with a 3.7 GPA or higher. U.S. citizenship required.

Gilman International Scholarship Program

  • Adviser: Eleanor (Ellie) Stanford, Fellowship Adviser
  • Deadline(s): External: Early Match for Fall, Full-Year and Summer; October 10, 2024 for Spring and/or Summer

Provides grants of up to $5,000 to U.S. citizens receiving Pell Grants for study abroad. Study outside of Western Europe and Australia is especially encouraged. Recipients must undertake a follow-on project upon their return from abroad that helps to promote international education and the Gilman International Scholarship.

Global Bryn Mawr Student Fellowship

  • Billie Jo Ember, Grants Associate; Department Coordinator, Russian; Co-Director of the Russian Language Institute.
  • Rolling Deadline

Bryn Mawr students can apply for funding of up to $1,500 to support overseas-related travel in the form of study abroad, internships, or organization-led projects. 

  • Adviser: Eleanor (Ellie) Stanford, Fellowship Adviser
  • Deadline(s): Internal: Feb. 5, 2025
  • Learn more

Up to 15 students are selected each summer and have the opportunity to spend the summer conducting independent research. Students receive fellowships of $4,500 while they do research that can either be the beginning of the senior thesis or a project that stands alone, but is relevant to their intellectual interests.

  • Up to 65 Truman Scholarships are awarded each year to college juniors with an outstanding potential for leadership in any sector of government. Each scholarship provides up to $30,000 for graduate or professional school. Scholars are required to work in public service for three of the seven years following completion of a Foundation-funded graduate degree program as a condition of receiving funding. Recipients are allowed to defer graduate education for four years. The Truman Foundation’s definition of public service includes work for government agencies, public and private schools, many nonprofit organizations, and more. One scholar is chosen from every state and U.S. territory and approximately 30 are chosen at large.

    Deadlines

  • Preliminary: N/A
  • Internal: Nov. 8, 2024
  • External: Early February 2025

 

After the application is considered: On the basis of this application, the Finalists Selection Committee selects finalists to interview. Finalists are announced on the Truman website at the end of February or beginning of March. Being selected as a finalist is a great honor. Finalists are interviewed in mid-March, in their home state or region. Eleanor Stanford (Fellowships Adviser) will arrange for one or more formal mock interviews to help finalists prepare. Winners are announced by March.

Application procedures: Bryn Mawr will select candidates to interview on the basis of the online internal application, due in the Dean's Office by 5:00p.m. on the deadline date. 

On-campus interview: Candidates with promising application will be invited to interview with the Fellowships Committee. Study abroad students will be interviewed by phone. On the basis of the application and interview, 1 to 4 nominees will be selected.

The online external application includes the following:

A demanding application form. This asks you for four separate lists of extracurricular activities: college and high school activities, public service and community activities, government activities, and part-time and full-time jobs and non-government internships. It also asks you for one or two parargraph-long answers to several questions: for example, “describe one specific example of your leadership,” “describe a recent particularly satisfying public service activity,” "What do you hope to do and what position do you hope to have upon completing your graduate studies? A 1-page (plus footnotes and references) policy proposal, addressed to the most relevant government leader. This will usually be a refined (and edited — approximately 500 words) version of the policy proposal you submitted in your internal application. Three letters of recommendation, one which speaks to your leadership abilities and potential, one to your public service record, and one to your academic achievements. Official transcript

Who is Eligible?

To be eligible, you must be a U.S. citizen or national. Officially, you must also be in the top quarter of your class, but the Truman Foundation permits and even encourages colleges to make exceptions. Finally, you must have a demonstrated interest in a career in public service.  Public service includes but is not limited to government service.  Many of the fields Bryn Mawr students are most drawn to (for example, education, public health, environmental studies, urban studies, law) would make them eligible for the Truman.

Adviser: Eleanor (Ellie) Stanford, Fellowship Adviser.

Selection criteria: The Truman Foundation has identified four major selection criteria. They are:

Extensive record of public and community service Commitment to a career in government or elsewhere in public service Communication skills and a high probability of becoming a “change agent” Strong academic record with likely acceptance by a first-rate graduate school.

On-campus interview: Candidates with promising application will be invited to interview with the Fellowships Committee. Study abroad students will be interviewed by phone. On the basis of the application and interview, 1 to 4 nominees will be selected.

The online external application includes the following:

  • A demanding application form. This asks you for four separate lists of extracurricular activities: college and high school activities, public service and community activities, government activities, and part-time and full-time jobs and non-government internships. It also asks you for one or two parargraph-long answers to several questions: for example, “describe one specific example of your leadership,” “describe a recent particularly satisfying public service activity,” "What do you hope to do and what position do you hope to have upon completing your graduate studies?
  • A 1-page (plus footnotes and references) policy proposal, addressed to the most relevant government leader. This will usually be a refined (and edited — approximately 500 words) version of the policy proposal you submitted in your internal application.
  • Three letters of recommendation, one which speaks to your leadership abilities and potential, one to your public service record, and one to your academic achievements.
  • Official transcript

After the application is considered: On the basis of this application, the Finalists Selection Committee selects finalists to interview. Finalists are announced on the Truman website at the end of February or beginning of March. Being selected as a finalist is a great honor. Finalists are interviewed in mid-March, in their home state or region. Eleanor Stanford (Fellowships Adviser) will arrange for one or more formal mock interviews to help finalists prepare. Winners are announced by March.

  • Adviser: 
  • Deadline(s): Internal: March
  • Learn more

Provides a $4,500 stipend for an 8-10 week research or project period. The project must be related to The Impact Center's mission of promoting diversity, inclusion and community development.

Judy Loomis Gould Scholarship

  • Adviser: Eleanor (Ellie) Stanford, Fellowship Adviser
  • Deadline(s): Internal: Feb. 12, 2025

Bryn Mawr summer study abroad grant.

Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship

  • Adviser: 
  • Deadline(s): Internal: TBA

Awarded primarily to current sophomores. Applications accepted from underrepresented minority students interested in pursuing a research project in one of the Mellon designated fields of study and any student, regardless of race or ethnicity, who has a demonstrated commitment to eradicating racial disparities in academia and who wishes to pursue research in one of the designated areas.

Noyce Partnership Teacher Scholarship

Bryn Mawr College, as a partner in the Philadelphia Regional Noyce Partnership, offers a number of $15,000 scholarships to science and math majors who have been accepted into the Bryn Mawr/Haverford Education Program as a post-baccalaureate student pursuing secondary teacher certification. Students receiving this award must commit to teaching in a high-need school district for two years. 

  • Students interested in academic programs abroad, in countries other than Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and all those of Western Europe, may want to learn more about the NSEP Boren Scholarship. The Boren Scholarship Program is designed to increase U.S. knowledge of languages and countries deemed to have security interest for the U.S.

    Applicants must write a statement of purpose that discusses their plans to “address important global economic, political and social issues affecting national security.” Recipients must agree to a “service requirement,” to work either in a federal agency with national security responsibilities or in an academic field related to the area of study for which the scholarship was given.

    Deadlines

  • Preliminary: N/A
  • Internal: Jan. 8, 2025
  • External: early February 2025

 

Who is Eligible?

Current undergraduates (including seniors willing to defer officially receiving their degree) committed to the study of languages, cultures, and world regions that are critical to U.S. national security and that are not widely studied in the U.S. Only freshmen and sophomores may apply for funding for summer programs. The Boren may also be used to fund a semester of study abroad during the junior year. U.S. citizenship required.

Adviser: Eleanor (Ellie) Stanford, Fellowship Adviser.

Internal application: Students interested in the Boren Scholarship should access the online application on the Boren website and submit it by the deadline. Students will receive feedback and will have the chance to revise and resubmit their application before formal internal review.  

There is no limit on the number of students who may apply from Bryn Mawr. Each applicant will be reviewed and rated by an on-campus committee. Interested students are encouraged to contact Eleanor (Ellie) Stanford, Fellowship Adviser, in the fall semester or over winter break.

Public Policy and International Affairs Scholarship (PPIA)

  • Adviser: Eleanor (Ellie) Stanford, Fellowship Adviser
  • Deadline(s): Early November

Fully funded Junior Summer Institutes at various colleges and universities for students committed to pursuing a career in public service such as government, nonprofits, and humanitarian and international organizations. Open to juniors U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and DACA recipients. Several Summer Institutes are also open to international students. 

  • Five scholarships are awarded each year to sophomores from Philadelphia-area colleges and universities planning a full year of study in Scotland.

    Deadlines

  • Preliminary: N/A
  • Internal: Jan. 7, 2025
  • External: early March 2025

 

Application procedure: Students interested in being nominated should submit the online internal application to the Dean's Office.

We will choose a nominee very soon after the internal deadline. Final application is due to the Dean’s Office a few days in advance of the external deadline. You will have the opportunity to revise your essay. All nominees are expected to attend a luncheon and interview with the St. Andrew’s Society in Philadelphia in mid-March

Who is Eligible?

To be eligible, you must be a U.S. citizen, enrolled in a full-time course of study, and in the top quarter of your class. You must also be willing to spend a full academic year in a Scottish university. (Students who receive this scholarship are automatically exempt from Bryn Mawr's one-semester limitation.) Potentially eligible students will be notified at the beginning of fall semester.

Adviser: Eleanor (Ellie) Stanford, Fellowship Adviser.

Selection criteria: The St. Andrew's Society looks for the following qualities in selecting recipients:

A high level of enthusiasm Respect for and interest in other views and cultures Involvement in the community A genuine and serious interest in the intellectual and cultural benefits of a year abroad in Scotland Strong interpersonal skills The ability to adapt to changing/new situations Motivation/drive/focus Financial need

Thomas Raeburn White Scholarship

  • Adviser: Eleanor (Ellie) Stanford, Fellowship Adviser
  • Deadline(s): Internal: Feb. 12, 2025

Provides funding for summer language instruction, usually abroad.

  • The Udall Scholarship was instituted in 1992 to provide scholarship aid to undergraduate students from any ethnic group who demonstrate a commitment to improving or preserving the environment and to Native American undergraduates committed to a career in health care or tribal public policy. Bryn Mawr College may nominate up to six candidates.

    Deadlines

  • Preliminary: N/A
  • Internal: Jan. 29, 2025
  • External: early March 2025

 

After the application is submitted: In early April, the Udall Foundation announces the names of Udall Scholars and Honorable Mentions.

Who is Eligible?

To be eligible, you must be a U.S. citizen or resident alien or national. You must be a full-time sophomore or junior with at least a 3.0 general grade-point average (most successful Udall candidates will have a higher GPA). Finally, you must be committed to a career related to the environment, or committed to a career in tribal public policy or Native American health care (only Native Americans and Alaska Natives are eligible to apply in tribal public policy or Native American health care).

Adviser: Eleanor (Ellie) Stanford, Fellowship Adviser.

Application procedures: Students interested in being nominated should submit the online internal application by 5 p.m.

On the basis of this internal application, the Fellowships Adviser, in consultation with the fellowships committee, will name up to six nominees.

The external application will be available online soon. The external application includes:

A 6-page application form. This asks you for short answers to several questions: for example, “describe one specific example of your leadership” and “describe a recent particularly satisfying public service activity.” The public service careers of Congressman Morris K. Udall and Secretary of Interior Stewart L. Udall were guided by the core values of civility, integrity, and consensus. In 800 words or less, tell us how these three characteristics resonate with you today and how you exemplify at least one of these values in your personal and professional life.  Three letters of recommendation, one of which may be a letter on nomination prepared by the Fellowships Adviser. Official transcript

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Contact Us

Global Engagement

Tracy Weber
Director, Office of Global Education
tweber1@brynmawr.edu