AAUW International Fellowships 2018 for Masters, Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Studies

Deadline: December 1, 2017

Applicants must have earned the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree by September 30, 2017, and must have applied to their proposed institutions of study by the time of the application. Up to five International Fellowships for master’s/first professional degrees will be renewable for a second year; renewal instructions will be provided to fellows during their fellowship year.

Recipients are selected for academic achievement and demonstrated commitment to women and girls. Recipients return to their home countries to become leaders in business, government, academia, community activism, the arts, and sciences.

Award

• Master’s/first professional degree: $18,000
• Doctoral: $20,000
• Postdoctoral: $30,000

International Fellowship funds are available for

• Educational expenses
• Living expenses
• Dependent child care
• Travel to professional meetings, conferences, or seminars, as long as it does not exceed 10 percent of the fellowship

Eligibility

To be eligible for an International Fellowship, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Have citizenship in a country other than the United States or possession of a nonimmigrant visa if residing in the United States. Women holding dual citizenship in the United States and another country or who are permanent legal residents of the United States are not eligible.

• Hold an academic degree (earned in the United States or abroad) equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree completed by September 30, 2017.

• Intend to devote herself full-time to the proposed academic plan during the fellowship year

• Intend to return to her home country to pursue a professional career

• Be proficient in English. Unless the applicant can verify that her native language is English, that she received her secondary diploma or undergraduate degree from an English-speaking institution, or that she will have completed one semester of full-time study in her discipline at an English-speaking college or university between October 2015 and September 30, 2017 (transcript required for validation), she must upload a recent ETS TOEFL* (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score (no older than December 2015). Institutional TOEFL scores and other English proficiency test scores (such as IELTS) will not be accepted. Minimum score acceptable: 550 for Paper-Based Test (TOEFL PBT); 79 for Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT); 60 for Revised TOEFL Paper-Delivered Test.

• Master’s/first professional degree and doctoral applicants must have applied by December 1, 2017, to an accredited institution of study for the period of the fellowship year and must indicate the name of the institution in the International Fellowship application.

• Master’s/first professional degree fellowships are intended for master’s or professional degree-level programs such as J.D., M.F.A., L.L.M., M.Arch., or medical degrees such as M.D., D.D.S., etc.

• Doctoral fellowships are intended for doctorate degrees, such as Ph.D. or Ed.D.

• Postdoctoral applicants must provide proof of their doctorate degree; hold a doctorate classified as a research degree (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D., D.B.A., D.M.) or an M.F.A. by December 1, 2017; and indicate where they will conduct their research.

• Master’s/first professional degree and doctoral applicants must be enrolled in a U.S. accredited institution located in the United States during the fellowship year.

• A limited number of awards are available to GWI members for study or research in any country other than their own. Note that foreign branches of U.S. institutions are considered outside of the United States.

• Applicants must be conducting a full year of study or research. International Fellowships do not provide funding for a partial year of study or research. Programs ending prior to April of the fellowship year are not eligible.

• Master’s/first professional degree and doctoral fellowships support traditional classroom-based courses of study at colleges or universities. This fellowship program does not provide funding for distance-learning or online programs or for degrees heavily dependent on distance-learning components.Final decisions about what constitutes distance learning under these fellowships will be made by AAUW.

A limited number of awards are available for study outside of the United States (excluding the applicant’s home country) to women who are members of Graduate Women International (see the list of GWI affiliates). Preference is given to women who show prior commitment to the advancement of women and girls through civic, community, or professional work.

Selection Criteria

The following criteria apply to the selection of International Fellowships:

• Residing in home country at time of application
• Position on return to home country
• Academic and/or professional qualifications
• Applicant’s commitment to the advancement of women and girls in her home country
• Proposed time schedule
• Quality and feasibility of proposed plan of study or research
• Demonstrated evidence of prior community and/or civic service in home country
• Applicant’s country’s need for the specialized knowledge or skill
• Financial need
• Motivation for graduate study or research
• Applicant is from an underrepresented area of the country and/or type of university other than a top-level research institution

Application

Start the application process by clicking on the link to access the application and create an account through our vendor site.

Timeline

• December 1, 2017, by 11:59 p.m. Central Time: Deadline for online submission of application, recommendations, and supporting documents.
• April 15, 2018: Notification of decisions e-mailed to all applicants. When April 15 falls on a weekend, notifications will be emailed on the next business day. AAUW is not able to honor requests for earlier notification.
• July 1, 2018–June 30, 2019: Fellowship year

For more information, visit AAUW International Fellowships.