Resources


The Office of Fellowships is a service of Academic Success and serves KU undergraduates and alumni, as well as graduate students for certain fellowships. We are proud to help students interested in pursuing national scholarship opportunities. Many of the most prestigious awards require KU nomination or coordination either through this office or through other KU units. Below are resources for both students and faculty to help connect students to these fellowships.


Resources for Students

We provide guidance through every step of the process, starting with workshops and informational sessions on a wide array of nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships.

Students attending a lecture

Resources for Faculty

The Office of Fellowships can help Faculty/Staff with understanding the wide variety of fellowship programs available to students, highlighting candidate strengths effectively in your letter, and connecting students with opportunities.

Professor engaging with a student

Frequently Asked Questions

"Fellowship" and "Scholarship" are often interchangeable terms for financial awards given by institutions to fund students.

The Office of Fellowships generally uses the word “fellowship,” following the National Association of Fellowship Advisors.  We focus on nationally competitive, external awards that help students achieve their goals related to experiential learning.

For us: Fellowships are funded opportunities related to a wide range of experiential learning opportunities, such as study abroad, research, public service, internships, and/or graduate study.

While “scholarships” often refer to need-based aid to help cover basic educational costs, “fellowships” often imply a variety of opportunities in addition to funding.

KU Students have a tradition of great success in national awards competitions. Many factors influence your chances with a particular scholarship. The Office of Fellowships can help you determine your suitability as a candidate.

Most importantly, even for those who don’t win awards, the process of putting together the application, working with faculty members and advisors, and figuring out goals is itself very rewarding.

The earlier the better! Fill out the Scholarship Interest Form to get started. If you already have a specific award in mind, Dr. Wallen can work with you to start establishing timelines.

However, some awards allow students to apply even after they’ve graduated. Contact us to find out if you are eligible.

Many national awards require endorsement from or nomination by KU. Campus deadlines are usually several months in advance of the national deadline, so that KU will have plenty of time to review the candidates and decide on whom to nominate or endorse. In most cases, it is not possible to apply at the national level if you have missed the campus deadline.

Most of the national fellowships and scholarships we focus on in this office are not financial aid and are not primarily need-based. These awards mostly focus on helping you get additional opportunities during college and funding for graduate study.

KU Financial and and Scholarships has a lot of information on great ways to help pay for your undergraduate education.

Many of the awards coordinated by this office do require U.S. Citizenship, but not all of them. Some awards are open to some non-citizens (PPIA), some awards are open to citizens of any country (Schwarzman), and some are open to permanent residents and New Americans (Soros). More opportunities emerge all the time, and we are happy to discuss your options with you.

How to Help

Faculty engagement is key for successful national fellowship and scholarship candidates. Use our form to refer students, and contact Dr. Anne Wallen at annewallen@ku.edu to get more information about some of the other ways to get involved.

Refer Students and Publicize Opportunities

Getting a nudge from an admired faculty member leads many students to apply for fellowships and scholarships. You can schedule a classroom visit to promote specific fellowship opportunities to your students or request information to share with them directly.

Serve on Selection Committees

The campus selection committees for fellowships and scholarships that require endorsement perform very important service for the wider university community.

One committee oversees campus nomination for the major UK and Ireland awards (Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, and Churchill), and individual campus committees meet for each of the other fellowships and scholarships requiring KU nomination. Many faculty members really enjoy this service experience, as it gives them an opportunity to get to know outstanding students from a variety of disciplines across campus.

Participate in Mock Interview Panels

Many fellowships and scholarships have interview components. The Office of Fellowships and Scholarships arranges for mock or practice interviews for students. These are most helpful when they faculty from a wide variety of fields as well as experts from the student's own discipline. There are usually opportunities to help with mock interview panels in both fall and spring semesters each year.

Schedule An Appointment

The Office of Fellowships partnersr with our colleagues in the University Career Center to provide online appointment scheduling via the "HireJayhawks" platform. Using the HireJayhakws platform you can schedule an appointment with an administrator.