Category: Graduate School Funding

Apply to Be a Samvid Scholar to Drive Societal Change – Open Feb. 10, 2025 

Heidi Greenwald / / Graduate School Funding, STEM

The goal of this merit-based graduate scholarship program is to empower mission-driven graduate students with exceptional track records of impact to drive transformative change for society through leadership development, community, and financial support. Applications open on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, and close on Apr. 14, 2025, at 3:00 pm ET. 

Recipients are funded for the first two years of a graduate program (up to $50,000 a year for two years) — and join a diverse community of social impact leaders. Scholars receive two years of leadership development programming, gain valuable leadership skills and an opportunity to collaborate with individuals across degree programs. Following the two years, scholars remain active in our community as alumni Scholars. 

Eligible candidates will:   

  • Pursue a full-time graduate program of 2 years or longer at a university in the United States, in one of the following eligible programs: MD, MBA, JD, MPP/MPA, MPH, or MS/MA in the social sciences or STEM 
  • Be a first-year graduate student for the 2025-2026 academic year    
  • Have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.5    
  • Be a U.S. citizen or DACA recipient   

To learn more about the program, please visit our website. There, you can also view a recording of a recent Samvid Scholars info session, which provides an overview of the program and relevant information for supporting prospective applicants.

STEM Fellowship for Graduate Study: Quad Fellowship Now Accepting Applications for 2025-2026

Lisa Gates / / Fellowships, Graduate School Funding

Looking to pursue advanced STEM studies in the United States while joining a global network of innovators? The Quad Fellowship, a groundbreaking initiative by Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, is now accepting applications for its third cohort. This fellowship offers STEM graduate students a $20,000 stipend alongside networking opportunities with leaders in science, government, and society.

Eligible candidates must be citizens or permanent residents of the Quad countries (Australia, India, Japan, and US) or one of ten Southeast Asian nations (including Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and others) and planning to pursue a master’s or doctoral degree in STEM fields in the United States. The fellowship seeks exceptional students who are not only academically accomplished but also dedicated to advancing innovation for positive social impact.

Ready to apply? Submit your application through the Quad Fellowship website by March 3rd, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET. Prospective applicants can also attend virtual information sessions, with the first one scheduled for January 23rd at 7:30 PM ET. To stay updated on application details and upcoming events, visit quadfellowship.org, fill out the interest form, or connect with the fellowship on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X. For specific questions, reach out to QuadFellowshipInfo@iie.org.

Learn About the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Programs (fully funded!) at Nov 21 Zoom Session

Lisa Gates / / Education, Fellowships, Graduate School Funding, Postgraduate Opportunities, STEM


The University of South Carolina (USC) is hosting two Erasmus Mundus program alums for a virtual Q&A panel this Thursday. Open to interested students at all institutions.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Program Alumni Panel, November 21, 3-4:30 pm ET

Hear from Jordan Hammond (USC Class of 2020, Europubhealth+ Class of 2022) and Amanda Tregde (USC Class of 2023, IMBRSea Class of 2026) about their experiences applying for and receiving EMJM grants in public health and marine conservation.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Programs provide funding for recent grads to earn an interdisciplinary master’s in three or more European countries. From space medicine to global environment and development to animation, there’s lots of exciting opportunities to choose from. Deadlines vary by program but are typically between December and January. 

Register for the Zoom meeting here. 

Foreign Affairs Information Technology (FAIT) Fellowship – Apply by January 21, 2025

Heidi Greenwald / / Fellowships, Graduate School Funding, STEM

This two-year diversity fellowship program funded by the U.S. Department of State provides academic funding while preparing fellows to enter the Foreign Service as Diplomatic Technology Officers (DTOs). To be eligible to apply for the 2025 cohort, applicants must be a U.S. citizen, hold a minimum cumulative 3.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale, and be on a timeline to graduate with either a IT-related bachelor’s or master’s degree in spring 2027. They also must be enrolled full-time in an IT-related degree program during the two-year fellowship program. More information available on the FAIT website.

Fulbright and Watson Notes for Applicants

Lisa Gates / / Fellowships, Graduate School Funding, Postgraduate Opportunities, STEM, Teaching English Abroad

 It’s almost August (gasp!) and this is usually that time when I get a lot of questions from students and alumni wanting to apply for a Fulbright or Watson fellowship. It’s also a time of year when I am not always in the office so try to answer some frequently asked questions below. Read on–and read carefully! It is long.

How do I talk with Dean Gates? Check out go/appt for open appointments through Aug 13. You can also email me with good dates/times (M-F, 9am-5pm ET only). I will post appointment hours for Watson and Fulbright applicants (and UK nominees) the week of August 26 soon.  Appointment hours for Sept. will be posted later in August. Please note, I will be away from the office for parts of August.

I missed the preliminary deadline for Watson or Fulbright. Can I still apply? Yes, you can! The HARD deadlines coming up are Middlebury’s internal deadline: Thursday 9/5 at noon for Watson, Sunday 9/8 at 11:59pm for Fulbright. We also strongly encourage Fulbright applicants to complete the August 15 tasks in MiddApply with drafts of their essays–this will ensure you receive feedback before the internal deadline.

I’m just thinking about applying for a Watson or Fulbright right now. How do I get started? Review the information and directions at go/fulbright or go/watson and start the application processes in MiddApply. Some application types may be more or less feasible at this point in time, so it’s important you get some feedback.

Watson FAQs

I want to apply for the Watson and need to get access to the Watson online application. How do I do this? If you are not yet registered for the Watson online application, contact fellowships@middlebury.edu. Read the instructions at go/watson carefully regarding which application sections to complete for the internal deadline. We ask you to complete abbreviated essays and only some sections of the Watson application for the internal deadline. Again, instructions are available in your MiddApply (go/middapply) portal as you complete the Watson materials there.

Where do I find info about the Watson internal application process? Instructions for nomination materials and submission are online at go/watson . Please review the linked Google documents carefully–there’s a lot of useful info there and answers to common questions. You will need to complete the tasks in MiddApply (go/middapply) and selected sections of the Watson online application.

Is the Watson Internal Deadline (Thursday September 5, 2024 at noon) a hard deadline? Yes, it is. If you anticipate any difficulties with this, talk with us.

Fulbright FAQs

I’m an alum and interested in the Fulbright. Can I still apply through Middlebury? Yes! You will need to adhere to our internal deadline and interview with our campus committee via Zoom in September.

What is the August 15 “Intent to Apply” deadline, what do I do, and what happens if I miss it? This deadline tells us who is planning to apply in this cycle. You can still apply for the Fulbright if you miss it, and you can decide in September that you don’t want to proceed–just tell us. This deadline gives us a sense of the number of Fulbright applicants we will interview and most importantly, TIME to send you feedback on your drafts before the internal deadline.  For the August 15 deadline, complete the tasks in your MiddApply (go/middapply) portal. This gives us the materials we need to review! Note: Drafts are fine at this point! Make sure you review the guidance at go/fulbright (see Fulbright Guidance Google doc) before sending to us, however. Make sure you are including the information required for the Statement of Grant Purpose in your draft. Recommendations, transcripts, affiliation letters, etc. are not needed at this time (but if you have an affiliation lined up, include a copy of that). We will review your materials, send comments as needed, and you can continue working on your application. We will provide official transcripts for those who complete the August 15 tasks in MiddApply.

If you do not complete your Aug 15 tasks in MiddApply, we may be less able to provide substantive comments on your essays depending on when you send in your materials to review. You will also need to order your own transcript. If you discontinue your application after this point, that is also fine, just let us know.

Is September 8 at 11:59pm (Sunday) a hard deadline for my Fulbright application? What if I’m missing some recommendations or a letter of affiliation? Yes, this is a hard deadline. You will need to lock your application for campus review by this deadline. If you have a letter (recommendation, affiliation) that is late in arriving, just be in touch with us. If you want to apply after this deadline, you may do so, but will not be able to participate in the campus review process and may not receive feedback. As always, if you have questions or issues, talk with us.

Are you expecting a complete and polished Fulbright application on Sept 8? Yes. But see note above about missing letters–it does happen. But everything in your control should be done and finalized at this point. Essays must be polished with no grammatical or spelling errors. You will be able to continue working on your materials after this date, however. You will often receive suggestions during your campus committee interview and may find things you want to tweak. 

Fulbright webinars and tutorials: are ongoing this summer. Check out http://us.fulbrightonline.org/about/videos-tutorials and http://us.fulbrightonline.org/applicants/information-sessions  (click on webinars to see schedule).