Inside Graduate Fellowships: How to Fund Your Master’s Degree

Graduate fellowships are like scholarships and grants in that you won’t be paying back the money you receive from them. What sets them apart, in most cases, is that fellowships are usually for graduate students only, while scholarships are most often for undergrads. Grants can be for both undergrads and grads. Also, graduate fellowships are almost always merit-based (as opposed to need-based) and designated for specialized areas of study within an academic discipline. Scholarships and grants, on the other hand, may be merit-based, need-based, a combination of both, or limited to applicants with a particular talent or ability (athletic, artistic, etc.) or other characteristic (ethnic or gender identity, membership in a club or organization, etc.)

Fellowships come with lots of valuable benefits, including:

• Financial awards: We mentioned earlier the financial support fellowships provide. That support can be quite substantial, sometimes adding up to tens of thousands of dollars annually in the form of salaries or stipends to help cover living expenses, tuition and fees, medical insurance, research costs, and/or travel expenses.
• Rewarding and challenging work: Fellowships can offer you the opportunity to dive right into your professional field and the topics you’re most interested in. That work will be highly challenging and come with high expectations. But with those big challenges and big expectations come big rewards, like professional prestige and better job offers.
• Networking: Fellowships offer tons of opportunities to get to know established leaders in your professional field and, more importantly, to give them the opportunity to know you. It’s the kind of thing that can supercharge your career prospects once you’ve completed your fellowship and earned your degree.

There are lots of graduate opportunities out there. The key is locating the ones that best suit your academic interests and career goals. Here’s where to find them:

• Your degree program’s academic department: Faculty members doing the kind of research you’re interested in are possibly the single best source for locating great fellowship programs. Also, check around with your fellow students, especially those that are a bit ahead of you in their studies. They’ve already gone through the fellowship search process and know where the best programs are hidden.
• Your school’s career center or financial aid office: Beyond your own academic department, these are the next best sources on your campus for fellowship leads.
• Professional associations: You’re probably already aware of the professional associations for your career field. What you might not realize is that these associations often sponsor graduate fellowship programs. If not, they’re still a great source for helping you locate fellowships in your field.
• Online databases and search engines: Lots of colleges and universities, particularly the bigger ones, provide online fellowship databases and search engines for their graduate students. But that doesn’t mean you can’t access them, too. We’ve included information and links for several school search engines in the Graduate Fellowship Resources section below.

That depends on the specific requirements for the fellowship you’re interested in. Generally speaking, candidates for most graduate fellowships possess a number of common characteristics. First, they are highly self-motivated individuals who have distinguished themselves academically in their undergraduate and (if currently enrolled) graduate studies. Specific qualities that fellowship selection committees look for in candidates include demonstrated self-responsibility and sufficiency, intellectual curiosity, leadership and drive, and the ability to communicate and interact well with colleagues.

That will, of course, depend on your specific goals and the specific fellowship. However, most graduate fellows find that successful completion of a fellowship program provides them with all-important exposure to the leaders and influencers in their area of academic expertise. It’s simple: When an employer is ready to fill a position in their company or organization, who better to hire than someone they’ve worked with themselves or who comes highly recommended by others in their professional community?

This is a very good question and one that requires serious consideration. Graduate fellowships are great, but failing to meet your obligations to your fellowship program can negate all of the benefits of the program in an instant. Therefore, it’s imperative that you clearly understand all of the requirements you are expected to meet in a fellowship program before you apply. If you’re uncertain of the requirements or have any concerns as to whether you can meet all of them in their entirety, don’t hesitate to contact the fellowship sponsor directly and discuss these issues.

There are hundreds (or maybe even thousands) of quality graduate fellowship opportunities out there, but there are likely only a few that will fit well with your unique academic interests and specific career goals. Here are a few tips to increase your chances of finding your dream fellowship:

• Find your unique passion within your academic/career field: The more clearly you can define your specific interests and goals (including those that correspond to the different types of fellowships discussed above), the more likely you’ll be to find the fellowship that best matches them.
• Take into account important characteristics of your lifestyle: These include where you would like to live, your personal and financial needs and responsibilities, etc.
• Network: Speak with anyone and everyone you can think of who can provide you with advice and direction on how to define your interests and priorities. This is a great time to find a mentor to help guide you along your academic and career path, as well as with your fellowship search.

If you’ve been through the process of applying for undergraduate scholarships, then you know the drill. The biggest key to your success in landing the fellowship you want is to understand every application requirement in detail and meet each one. So, go over every detail carefully, making notes as you go. Write out a list of the steps you’ll take to meet each requirement and set a time limit for completing each step. And, most importantly of all, be very clear about any and all application submittal deadlines. Nothing will sink your hopes for landing the fellowship of your dreams faster than a missed deadline.

Somewhere in your fellowship application you will be required to make the case for why you’re the best candidate for the fellowship. There are many places in which this may occur, including a statement of purpose, project proposal, or even your CV or resume. Don’t beat around the bush. Be specific and concise in your reasoning. State your case with confidence. Remember, you’re not going to convince the selection committee that you’re the right choice for their fellowship until you know that yourself.

Many fellowships involve the recipient in carrying out research or other fellowship project, often designed by the recipient. If so, you’ll be required to submit a research statement or project proposal with your fellowship application. Your proposal will serve a number of critical functions. It’s impossible to overstate the importance of getting your proposal right. To do so, you must:

• Describe your proposed project with a balance of detail and conciseness.
• Explain how your proposed project is feasible, possesses reasonable objectives, and will produce valuable results.
• Provide evidence that you have adequately researched your proposal and are well prepared to carry it out.
• Provide evidence that you have sought the input of experts in developing your proposal and that you will receive continued support from those experts as you carry out your project.

Besides missing a deadline, there’s nothing that will destroy your chances of landing the fellowship you want more quickly than a poorly written application. You’d be surprised at the negative impact of a single misspelled word or mistake in grammar. So, carve this piece of advice in stone: Proofread your application several times until you are entirely confident in the integrity of its content. And then find one or more people to proofread it again before you submit it. Hire an expert if you have to. Your college is likely crawling with English majors who would be happy to make a few bucks helping you out.

If you make it past the initial stages of the fellowship application process, you’ll more than likely be required to sit for one or possibly several interviews with members of the selection committee. Your interview will be your last, and best, opportunity to seal the deal on a fellowship win. Do not—we repeat—do not go into your interview without being thoroughly prepared. That includes:

• Preparing a short (two minutes or so) summary of your research or project plans.
• Preparing responses to a number of standard interview questions, such as “What is your proudest achievement?”, “What do you like most about your major?”, “What do you like most about your college?”, “What are your career plans?”, and “What will you do if you do not receive this fellowship?”
• Review your application. One major mistake you can make is not knowing—or worse yet—contradicting what you wrote in your application. The good news is that this mistake is totally avoidable if you review your application.
• Rehearse! Rehearse! Rehearse! Find someone willing to play the part of the interviewer and run through some standard questions. You’ll find this to be time well spent.