National Scholarships & Fellowships
Have you ever considered a career in public service, going into scientific research, teaching English overseas, or attending a prestigious graduate school? If so, you should consider applying for major national scholarship or fellowship competitions.
Submitting a competitive application takes a lot of time, effort, and planning. So to help you on your journey, we will pair you with a volunteer advisor who can help connect you with the resources you need to put your best self forward when you apply.
Eligible UM-Dearborn Students:
- Current undergraduate student OR
- Incoming freshman or undergraduate transfer student OR
- Recent alum from a Bachelor’s program
Other Eligibility Criteria:
- Most national scholarship and fellowship applications require a cumulative college GPA of at least 3.0, with a few highly selective programs requiring a 3.7+ GPA.
- Students must be committed to putting in the time and effort needed to submit a strong application. A strong application often takes at least 20 hours of work, sometimes much more.
We encourage students to start this process as soon as possible so that we have enough time to think about experiences you might need to pursue before you apply. The sooner, the better as students often start applying for these awards in their junior year. This is why we even work with incoming freshmen and transfer students.
Want to learn more? Email [email protected] with any questions you might have.
Ready to start meeting with an advisor? Complete our National Scholarship & Fellowship Interest Form.
Below is an overview of a few popular scholarship and fellowship options, including our internal campus deadlines. This is by no means meant to be an extensive list of all opportunities.
Founded in 1975 as a living memorial to our thirty-third President, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation provides up to $30,000 for the graduate education and professional development of outstanding young people committed to public service leadership. Students apply in their third undergraduate year and should have an outstanding record of public service activities and leadership. The Foundation is bipartisan and defines public service broadly as working for the common good. Students in a wide variety of academic fields are encouraged to apply.
The Truman Scholarship does not accept direct applications; students must be nominated by UM-Dearborn’s Scholarship Committee (see “Institutional Endorsement” below).
Deadlines:
- Completion of Interest Form: December 1
- Submission of Full Application and Letters of Recommendation: January 2
- National Deadline: First Monday of February
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor the former Arizona Senator. The purpose of the Foundation is to provide support for highly qualified STEM students who plan to pursue a PhD and research career in these fields. The scholarship provides $7500 in support for the junior and/or senior year of undergraduate study. (Students apply in sophomore or junior year.) Goldwater Scholars usually go on to top PhD programs and are highly competitive for graduate funding such as NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. The scholarship is for students planning research careers. Students planning to pursue an MD only and conduct clinical research are not eligible, but those planning to pursue an MD-PhD and career in biomedical science research are eligible.
The Goldwater Scholarship does not accept direct applications; students must be nominated by UM-Dearborn’s Scholarship Committee (see “Institutional Endorsement” below).
Deadlines:
- Completion of Interest Form: December 1
- Submission of Full Application and Letters of Recommendation: January 2
- National Deadline: Last Friday of January
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistant Programs. A candidate will submit a Statement of Grant Purpose defining activities to take place during one academic year in a participating country outside the U.S.
Applicants for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program include:
- Recent graduates and graduating seniors: Graduating seniors and recent bachelor’s-degree recipients have some undergraduate preparation and/or direct work or internship experience related to the project.
- Master's and doctoral candidates: Graduate-level candidates must demonstrate the capacity for independent study or research, together with a general knowledge of the history, culture, and current events of the countries to which they are applying.
- Young professionals: This includes writers, creative and performing artists, journalists, and those in law, business, and other professional fields. Competitive candidates who have up to 5 years of professional study and/or experience in the field in which they are applying will be considered. Those with more than 5 years of experience should apply to the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.
Competitive applicants to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program will not have recent extensive experience abroad (excluding recent undergraduate study abroad), especially in the country of application.
Institutional endorsement is not required but is strongly recommended (see “Institutional Endorsement” below).
Deadlines:
- Completion of Interest Form: August 1
- Submission of Full Application and Letters of Recommendation: August 31
- National Deadline: Early October
The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor’s Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships has more in depth information on additional opportunities. (Please note that internal U-M scholarships listed there might not be open to UM-Dearborn students.)
Institutional Endorsement
Several national scholarships and fellowships require institutional endorsement. Students who would like to request an institutional endorsement need to complete this Interest Form. Submitted forms will be reviewed by a UM-Dearborn National Scholarship Selection Committee. A select group of applicants will be accepted to receive institutional endorsement as well as personalized application coaching.