Major Fellowship Opportunities

Students interested in any major opportunity should schedule an appointment with a member of the URFM Office. Current students, please visit our service on Starfish to schedule an appointment. Recent alumni, please contact us at urfm@psu.edu.

Note: These opportunities are not regular vehicles for paying tuition and fees at Penn State.


Astronaut Scholarship – Funding for undergraduate study in approved STEM field

Beinecke Scholarship – Funding for graduate study in the arts, humanities, or social sciences at any university around the world for Pell Grant recipients

Boren Awards – Funding for long-term undergraduate and graduate study and/or research abroad to learn a less commonly taught language in a non-traditional region; service requirement to work in federal service for one year upon graduation

Churchill Scholarship – Funding for one year of master’s study in select STEM fields at Churchill College, University of Cambridge in the U.K.

Critical Language Scholarship – Funding for an intensive summer program oriented around learning a critical language

DAAD Awards – Funding for undergraduate and graduate study or research abroad in Germany; summer internship available for sophomores and juniors in select STEM fields

FAO Schwarz Fellowship: –Funding for a two-year experience working at a leading nonprofit organizations in Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia 

Fulbright U.K. Summer Institutes – Funding for an educational summer experience in the U.K.

Fulbright U.S. Student Program – Funding for nine to ten months of study, research, or teaching English abroad

Gaither Junior Fellowship – Post-undergraduate employment opportunity as a research assistant to senior scholars of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Gates Cambridge Scholarship – Funding for one to three years of master’s and/or Ph.D. study at Cambridge in the U.K.

Gilman International Scholarship – Funding for Penn State-approved study abroad programs for Pell Grant recipients

Goldwater Scholarship – Funding for undergraduate study in an approved STEM field

Knight-Hennessy Scholarship – Funding for graduate or professional study at Stanford University

Marshall Scholarship – Funding for one to three years of master’s and/or Ph.D. study at any university in the U.K.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship – Funding for up to three years of graduate study at any university in the U.S. in select STEM fields

Rhodes Scholarship – Funding for one to three years of master’s and/or PhD study at Oxford in the U.K.

Schwarzman Scholars Program – Funding for one year of master’s study in Global Affairs at Tsinghau University in China

Soros Fellowships for New Americans – Funding for graduate or professional study at any university in the U.S. for immigrants and children of immigrants

Truman Scholarship – Funding for master’s, Ph.D., or professional study at any university in the U.S. in fields related to public service

Udall Scholarship – Funding for undergraduate study in the environment (students from any background are eligible to apply) or tribal public policy or native health care (Native Americans and Alaskan Natives, only)


URFM provides substantive and targeted feedback on application materials to help applicants. The last day to submit materials and request feedback is two weeks before a deadline (office or national).