Student Resources

• What Are Competitive Scholarships and Fellowships?
• Am I Eligible?
• How Can I Apply?
• How Can I Prepare?

What Are Competitive Scholarships and Fellowships?

Competitive scholarships and fellowships are prestigious grant awards and funding opportunities for student research, study, teaching, and travel.

The terms fellowship and scholarship are sometimes used interchangeably to describe a funding grant for academic achievement. Fellowship grants may include living expenses, travel or research funds, or a service commitment in addition to covering tuition costs, often for a period of one or more years. Scholarship grants may help pay for your undergraduate or graduate educational expenses.

Being awarded a scholarship or fellowship is a distinguishing honor that will help you throughout your career…

• A fellowship on your resume identifies you as a superstar!
• The application process helps you focus your goals, hone your writing, and utilize feedback.
• A fellowship provides you with a built-in networking community of other winners.
• A fellowship gives you valuable experience beyond the classroom.
• Fellowships fund your research or grad study and get your work out there for the world to see.
• Fellowships are a great way to travel the globe for free!

A prestigious fellowship or scholarship opens doors for you to go on to even greater success when you leave A-State!

Am I Eligible?

Every fellowship and scholarship has different criteria for eligibility, determined by the organization providing the award. Some are available to undergraduates, some to graduate students, and some to both. Also, be sure to check any citizenship requirements that the sponsoring organization has listed.

The best way to find out your eligibility is to Schedule an Appointment, and we can help you determine which awards you’re eligible for and which ones fit best with your future goals.

Applicants for national scholarships acknowledge and agree that their A-State student conduct and academic conduct records may be checked as a condition for endorsement by the university as an award candidate, and that their conduct record may keep them from being endorsed.

How Can I Apply?

A-State can help you select, prepare for, and apply for the perfect fellowship or scholarship for your interests and goals!

• Schedule an Appointment to begin the application process
• Check out the Important Dates section for application info and deadlines
• Watch for fellowship workshops and presentations to be announced on social media and the Daily Digest

How Can I Prepare?

• Start researching fellowship awards as early as possible
• Focus your extracurriculars on activities that are meaningful to you
• Seek out leadership opportunities
• Be a change agent – find ways you can make a difference
• Take challenging classes
• Get involved with research
• Learn another language
• Get to know your professors
• Look for summer employment or internships in your area of study
• Expand your knowledge of the world – keep up with current events, attend cultural events on campus, study abroad