Application Basics
Below you'll find information about why it is valuable to apply for a fellowship and which fellowships require nomination through our office.
Why Applying is Valuable
The application process is rigorous and time-consuming but also valuable. Applying for a fellowship can help students and recent alums in at least three ways.
- First, you can grow as a writer. Our office has the resources and expertise to guide you through multiple revisions of your application, and it is in the revision process that writing growth most occurs.
- Second, you can learn about yourself. Fellowships challenge you to tell stories about your past and articulate a vision for your future in ways you seldom or never do in class.
- Lastly, the process can help you identify and strengthen your relationships with the faculty and mentors who have shaped you into the person you are today. Download this fillable PDF of the mentor map to identify the sources of support you can rely upon as you pursue fellowships.
Nomination Process
Some fellowships require nomination, facilitated by our office, but most do not.
The following fellowships currently require a Northwestern nomination:
- Beinecke Scholarship
- Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship
- This award does not require nomination facilitated by the Office of Fellowships, but it does require that both a financial aid adviser and a study abroad adviser certify your application. All of the advisers are already in Gilman's online database, where you can select them from a drop-down menu. Krista Bethel (krista@northwestern.edu) is the financial aid adviser for all programs and terms. Choose your study abroad adviser based upon your destination.
- Boren Scholarship
- Churchill Scholarship
- Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst German Studies Research Grant
- Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst Study Scholarship
- Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund Fellowship
- Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship
- This award does not require nomination facilitated by the Office of Fellowships, but it does require a statement from the institution, often supplied by the school's dean or the department's director of graduate studies, confirming that the applicant is on schedule to graduate by the end of the grant period.
- Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship
- This award does not require nomination facilitated by the Office of Fellowships, but it does require a statement from the institution, often supplied by the school's dean or the department's director of graduate studies, confirming that the applicant has at least three more years in their program.
- Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad
- Fulbright US Student Program
- George J. Mitchell Scholarship (for current undergraduates)
- Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study
- Gilman-McCain Scholarship
- This award does not require nomination facilitated by the Office of Fellowships, but it does require that both a financial aid adviser and a study abroad adviser certify your application. All of the advisers are already in Gilman's online database, where you can select them from a drop-down menu. Krista Bethel (krista@northwestern.edu) is the financial aid adviser for all programs and terms. Choose your study abroad adviser based upon your destination.
- Goldwater Scholarship
- Google PhD Fellowship
- James C. Gaither Junior Fellows
- Marshall Scholarship
- McCall MacBain Scholarships
- Michel David-Weill Scholarship
- Rhodes Scholarship
- Schmidt Science Fellows
- SITE Lombardy
- Please contact the Department of French and Italian for more information about how to be nominated for this award.
- Truman Scholarship
- Udall Undergraduate Scholarship
- Yenching Scholars
To view a list of fellowships, including those that do not require nomination, use our fellowship finder tool.
A Note on Fellowship Applications and Confidentiality
Northwestern University is committed to fostering an environment where students are safe and free from sexual misconduct. Confidential resources are available to those who have experienced sexual misconduct. Staff in the Office of Fellowships are not confidential resources and are required to report to the Office of Equity incidents of sexual misconduct, whether discussed in your application materials or in person and regardless of when or where they occurred. The Office of Equity will then provide information about resources and options. We encourage students who have experienced sexual misconduct to talk with someone to get support.