Postgraduate Fellowships

Postgraduate fellowships are prestigious opportunities designed to support students in their pursuit of advanced research or academic studies, often situated abroad. Typically awarded during a student’s final year of undergraduate education, these financial awards provide essential funding for one- to two-year structured programs that may lead to a graduate degree. Fellowships not only offer financial assistance but also open doors to invaluable experiences, allowing recipients to immerse themselves in new academic environments, collaborate with leading scholars, and engage in innovative research.

Timeline

Sophomore through Junior Year

Engage in academics and extracurricular activities that are, above all, of interest to you — and invest time into them accordingly. Take difficult classes and work to achieve good grades. Every individual’s path to a fellowship is different, but consistent themes emerge: top grades, extracurricular or research interests that span beyond the classroom, and a demonstrated commitment to leadership and service throughout one’s career.

Senior Year

May — June:

Begin compiling a list of references or recommenders, and make them aware of your intent to apply for a fellowship soon; inform them of coming deadlines for submitted letters, especially for fellowships with multiple, or summer, application deadlines. Notify recommenders about deadlines for institutional endorsement, if necessary.

Reflect on your career goals and ask if pursuing any sort of fellowship is right for you, and whether the specific ones chosen are a good fit for your long-term professional or personal vision. Discuss your interest with mentors, past fellowship awardees, career advisers, and House Fellowship tutors. Notify your House fellowship committee of your interest in applying. Begin working on your submitted resumé and any required personal statements or essays.

June — July:

Early in the summer, meet with your House Fellowship Committee and discuss your potential fit for a fellowship. If needed, fill out an ‘intent to apply’ form. Follow up with references or recommenders about coming deadlines, and — at least one month prior — remember to follow up with recommenders about an institutional endorsement deadline, if needed. For fellowships with later application deadlines, such as those due in late November or December, this may be an equally appropriate time to begin initial outreach.

August:

If required, send in an application for institutional endorsement; responses will typically be released by early September. Continue work on personal statements and required essays. For fellowships with application deadlines in September or October, follow up with your recommenders and make sure that letters of recommendation are on track to be submitted on time — even if your application for institutional endorsement remains pending. Stay in touch with your fellowships committee for advice on your essays and applications ahead of submission.

September:

Some fellowships may have application deadlines throughout this month, such as the Schwarzman; for any that do, make sure that your recommendation letters are submitted, proofread your essays and submitted documentation, and submit your application. Congratulations!

For fellowships that require institutional endorsement, results will likely come out this month. If you receive an endorsement and proceed with your application, reconnect with your House fellowships committee alongside any other provided resources. Once an endorsement decision comes out, the turnaround for your final submission will likely be several weeks to a month, if not less. Use that time efficiently

For fellowship deadlines that are in the fall, irrespective of whether a fellowship requires an endorsement, use this month to begin preparing for submission.

Refamiliarize yourself with coming deadlines. Finalize all outreach to recommenders who will submit letters for your final application and provide them with information on when materials are due. Later in the month, begin thinking about interview preparation.

October — December:

Many fellowships have application deadlines throughout this time, and others will conduct interviews.

For applications already submitted that require an interview, begin preparation soon after submission. Coordinate with any available resources, such as your House Fellowships Committee, about advice and talking points; engage in mock interviews regularly.

For applications that have submission deadlines, review all required materials and make sure that letters of recommendation are submitted ahead of time. Proofread any essays and coordinate with your House Fellowships Committee, alongside any other mentors or resources, to do so as well. Submit, and begin preparing for any future interviews.

Fellowship Description

Postgraduate fellowships are financial awards or scholarships given to students, typically during their final year of undergraduate education, to pursue further research or academic opportunities. Such opportunities are typically situated abroad and may consist of one-to-two year structured programs that culminate in a degree. While required qualifications may vary widely by program, postgraduate fellowships are generally awarded to students who demonstrate exceptional academic performance, a strong commitment to the pursuit of knowledge, potential for leadership, and a defined vision for the use of their time abroad.

However, no two fellowships are the same. Some, like the Schwarzman Scholarship, McCall McBain Scholarship, and Harvard-Cambridge Scholarship, bind successful applicants to study at a particular institution abroad. Others, like the Marshall Scholarship or DAAD Study Scholarship, allow successful applicants to study at any one of several institutions, often within a specific country. Finally, some fellowships — such as the Fulbright Program — may allow successful applicants to pursue teaching or research abroad, even if not culminating in a degree.

Fellowship applications vary widely by program, but many contain similar characteristics. Applicants will often be required to submit academic transcripts, a resumé, several references or letters of recommendation, and a personal statement or series of essays. Project or research proposals may also be required, alongside an interview with a selection committee. In addition, for many programs, acceptance into a scholarship or fellowship does not guarantee acceptance into the applicant’s chosen course of study; applicants will often have to apply to a degree after receiving notice of fellowship funding.

In addition, some postgraduate fellowships require letters of institutional endorsement. This means that applicants often go through two stages of an application: first, they must apply to receive an endorsement from Harvard, and then they must apply to the fellowship itself. The application process for an institutional endorsement typically takes place several months prior to the submission deadline for the fellowship itself, though is modeled similarly and may also require letters of recommendation, transcripts, a resumé, and essays.

Prominent Fellowships Include...

- The Rhodes Scholarship
- The Marshall Scholarship
- The Schwarzman Scholarship
- Harvard-UK / Harvard-Cambridge Scholarship
- DAAD Study Scholarships
- Fulbright Scholarships
- Knight-Hennessy Scholarship