As a senior, you are eligible for a large number of scholarships. Some of them fund you while still an undergraduate, others pay for graduate school (e.g. Truman) or require that you graduate by the time you begin the scholarship (e.g. Fulbright). Most of the scholarships listed below are ones that you can apply to in your senior year to pay for continued study after you graduate. If you are looking for a scholarship that covers expenses during your senior year, you should also visit the scholarships for juniors section.
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AEA (American Economic Association) Summer Training Program and Minority Fellowship: seeks to prepare talented undergraduates for doctoral programs in Economics and related disciplines.
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American-Berlin Scholarship: Sponsored by The Opera Foundation, the scholarship gives young American singers between the ages of 18 and 30 the opportunity to study (post-graduate) and perform at the Deutsche Opera Berlin.
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American Political Science Associate Minority Fellowship Program: For minority students applying to enter a doctoral program in political science for the first time. Applicants must demonstrate financial need and an interest in teaching and potential for research in political science.
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Autry Fellowship: A competitive fellowship program for recent college graduates that provides an opportunity to work for one year as a full-time, paid staff member at MDC Manpower Development Corps (MDC). The Autry Fellowship supports the mission of MDC--to help organizations and communities in the South close the gaps that separate people from opportunity--by developing a cadre of young leaders who have experience promoting economic development, increasing equity and excellence in education, and building inclusive civic cultures.
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Beebe: The Frank Huntington Beebe Fund for Musicians provides fellowships for gifted young musicians, generally performers and composers in classical disciplines, who wish to pursue advanced music study and performance abroad, usually in Europe.
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Berrie: The Russell Berrie Fellowship in Interreligious Studies
Seeks to attract well-qualified students to engage in two years of interreligious study and research at the Angelicum for up to two years at either the license or doctorate level.
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California Capital Fellows Program: The 18 Assembly Fellows, 18 Senate Fellows, 18 Executive Fellows and 10 Judicial Administration Fellows receive an outstanding opportunity to engage in public service and prepare for future careers, while actively contributing to the development and implementation of public policy in California. Fellows in each program work for 10 - 11 months, receive health benefits and a monthly stipend of $1,972 and are employees of Sacramento State. They work as full-time members of a legislative, executive, or judicial branch office, and are typically given assignments with a significant amount of responsibility and challenges.
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Carnegie Junior Fellows: This program supports 10-12 students per year to work as research assistants at the Carnegie Endowment in Washington DC for a one-year period. Fellows are paid $3,083.33/ month (equivalent to $37,000/ year) plus medical, dental, and life insurance benefits.
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Coro Kansas City Summer Internship in Public Affairs: Develops future community leaders through exposure to community issues, skill development, civic leaders and organizations. For sophomores, juniors and seniors.
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Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs
: A nine-month, full-time, post-graduate experiential leadership training program which introduces diverse, intelligent and driven young public servants to all aspects of the public affairs arena. Field assignments, site visits, interviews and special individual and group projects and consultancies prepare Coro Fellows to translate their ideals into action for improving their own communities. Fellowships are conducted in Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and St. Louis.
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Emerson: The Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellowship is a twelve-month program of the Congressional Hunger Center, it places participants in urban and rural community-based organizations involved in fighting hunger at the local level for six months and working at national organizations in Washington, DC for six months.
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Humanity in Action: Domestic and international experiences focus on minority issues that affect cultural and national assumptions, political and educational institutions and human rights standards. For sophomores, juniors and seniors.
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Huntington Public Service Award:
Provides an annual stipend of $15,000 for a graduating senior to pursue public service anywhere in the world for one year before proceeding on to graduate school or a career.
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Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund: Provides grants to students actively working for peace and justice. These need-based scholarships are awarded to those able to do academic work while actively participating in struggles for civil rights, economic justice, international solidarity or other progressive issues.
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Kinley: The Kate Neal Kinley Memorial Fellowship
Defrays the cost of advanced study in America or abroad in art, theatre, music or architecture.
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Fulbright: The US Student Fulbright Program provides financial assistance for international study and research or for teaching English overseas. Fulbright also has programs for the arts. Fulbright grants provide funding for round-trip airfare, living expenses for 8-10 months, health insurance, and sometimes tuition costs. The program covers more than 140 countries. Students applying to a Fulbright program may also be eligible for a Critical Language Enhancement Award (CLEA), which provides three to six months of intensive language study as an enhancement to the Fulbright grant. CLEAs are limited to certain countries and languages.
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Gates-Cambridge: Gates Cambridge Scholarships are prestigious, highly competitive full-cost scholarships. They are awarded to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. The awards are based on intellectual ability, leadership capacity, and desire to use their knowledge to contribute to society throughout the world by providing service to their communities and applying their talents and knowledge to improve the lives of others.
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German Chancellor Scholarship : The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation awards up to ten German Chancellor Scholarships each year to young U.S. citizens from any profession or field of study who show outstanding potential for future leadership. Applicants design individual projects tailored to their professional development and goals and decide at which institutions to pursue them in Germany. Individuals may also arrange internships, junior staff positions, or training/performance programs. Successful candidates in the past have come from fields such as the social and policy sciences, government, law, journalism, communications, management, finance, economics, architecture, arts, performing arts, humanities, public service, and environmental affairs. Command of German is not a prerequisite for application. However, before beginning the program, each scholar is expected to make an earnest effort to acquire German-language skills. Scholars with little or no prior knowledge of German are asked to undertake language training in the United States as soon as the scholarship is accepted, and to continue intensive, specialized German-language instruction while in Germany. The Humboldt Foundation covers the expenses associated with language training. The scholarship stipend consists of a monthly allowance to cover housing and living expenses, as well as travel expenses to and from Germany and the costs of the German language course, introductory seminar, study tour, and final meeting in Bonn. Applicants must be U.S. citizens who have completed a Bachelor's degree prior to commencement of the scholarship and who have not passed their 35th birthday prior to beginning their scholarship year.
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Hertz: The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation supports graduate study toward the Ph.D. degree in the applied physical, biological and engineering sciences. These fields include applied mathematics, statistics, and quantitative aspects of modern biology. "Applied" means fields of endeavor in which one applies, invents, and/or develops results from the basic physical sciences to generate solutions to problems of widespread human interest. The award consists of a cost-of-education allowance that covers fees and tuition and a personal-support stipend. There is also a substantial personal stipend, paid over the nine-month academic year. The Fellowship award is renewable annually for a total Fellowship tenure of no more than five years. Recipients of the Hertz Fellowship must attend one of the Foundation's approved university programs in the applied sciences. Universities with approved programs include Carnegie-Mellon, Cornell, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Purdue, Rice, Stanford, and many others. For a list of the approved university programs, consult the web site for the Hertz Foundation. Eligible applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States of America. Students in their first year of graduate study are also eligible.
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Horizons Foundation Scholarship Program: For juniors and seniors. Established by Women in Defense to encourage women to pursue careers related to the national security and defense interests of the US and to provide development opportunities to women already working in national security and defense fields
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Javits: This program provides fellowships to students of superior academic ability—selected on the basis of demonstrated achievement, financial need, and exceptional promise—to undertake study at the doctoral and Master of Fine Arts level in selected fields of arts, humanities, and social sciences.
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James Madison Fellowship: The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation offers $24,000 James Madison Graduate Fellowships to individuals desiring to become outstanding teachers of the American Constitution at the secondary school level. Fellowship applicants compete only against other applicants from the states of their legal residence. Generally, one Fellowship per state is awarded each year.
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Marshall: The Marshall Scholarship provides funding for one or two years of post-bachelor study at any college or university in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland). The award covers all reasonable educational costs, an allowance for living expenses, and travel costs to and from the United States.
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Mitchell: The Mitchell Scholarship provides funding for a year of postgraduate study in Ireland. It provides tuition, accommodations, a living expenses stipend, and an international travel stipend.
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New Sector Alliance Summer Fellowship program: This is an intensive, 11-week leadership development program for individuals interested in the social impact sector.
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NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
: This program aims to ensure the vitality of the scientific and technological workforce in the US and to reinforce its diversity. It funds research-based study leading to a master’s or doctoral degree in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
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NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars in Bio-medical Research Program: An accelerated, individualized doctoral training program for outstanding science students committed to bio-medical research careers.
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Pickering: The Pickering Fellowship is designed to attract outstanding individuals from all ethnic, racial and social backgrounds who have an interest in pursuing a Foreign Service career with the U.S. Department of State. The Pickering Fellowship has both an Undergraduate and Graduate Program. Pickering Undergraduate applicants must apply as rising seniors; Graduate applicants must be seeking admission to a two-year master’s degree program in the fall of 2014. 2014 Fellows will receive financial support of up to $40,000 annually* for tuition costs (first priority), room and board, books, mandatory fees, one round trip ticket between Fellow's residence and his/her academic institutions.
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Rangel International Affairs: The Rangel Program offers a few different programs, both for undergraduates and graduates, that may be of interest to students interested in pursuing international affairs. The programs have generous benefits for those who want careers in international public service. For undergraduates, there is a six-week summer enrichment program that involves two courses and a writing seminar in Washington DC. Participants are also introduced to a wide-range of professionals working on global issues. The program aims to prepare students for careers in international affairs. The program covers tuition, travel, room and board, and provides a small stipend. The program particularly encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service and those with financial need.
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Rhodes: A Rhodes Scholarship provides funding for graduate study at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. The award covers all college and university fees, a personal stipend of approximately £13,000 per annum, health insurance, and round-trip airfare. Most scholarships are for two years.
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Rotary World Peace Fellowship: Offers individuals committed to peace and cooperation the opportunity to pursue a two-year master’s degree in international studies, peace studies, and conflict resolution at one of the seven Rotary Centers for International Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution.
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Salvatori Fellowship: One of several scholarships offered by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, the Salvatori aims to further an understanding and appreciation of both the principles of the Founding Fathers and the culture that formed their values and views. Salvatori Fellows must do graduate work in a field related to the American Founding.
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Schwarzman Scholarships: The program aims to give the world’s best and brightest students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills through a one-year Master’s Degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing – one of China’s most prestigious universities. Students will live and study together on the campus of Schwarzman College, a newly-built, state-of-the-art facility, where all classes will be taught in English. Students will pursue degrees in one of three disciplines: Public Policy, Economics and Business, or International Studies.
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Scoville Peace Fellows: The Scoville Peace Fellows program provides recent college and grad school graduates with the opportunity to gain a Washington perspective on key issues of peace and security. Twice yearly, the Fellowship's Board of Directors selects a group of outstanding individuals to spend six to nine months in Washington. Supported by a salary, the fellows serve as full-time junior staff members at the participating organization of their choice.
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Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships support up to two years of graduate study – in any field and in any advanced degree-granting program – in the United States. Each award is for up to $25,000 in maintenance grants and up to $20,000 in tuition and fees or 50% of required tuition and fees/year. To be eligible, you must be a New American (a green card holder or naturalized citizen if born abroad; a child of naturalized citizens if born in this country), not yet 31 years old, as of the application deadline, a college senior or holder of a bachelor’s degree, and not beyond your second year – if already enrolled – in the graduate degree program for which you request support.
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Truman: The Truman Scholarship provides up to $30,000 toward graduate study in the U.S. or abroad in a wide variety of fields. Priority is given to candidates proposing to enroll in graduate programs oriented to careers in public service (e.g., law, public administration, public health, international relations, economics, social services, conservation and environmental protection).
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USAID Payne International Development Fellowship is designed to attract outstanding young people to careers in international development as USAID Foreign Service Officers.
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The Villers Fellowship for HealthCare Justice: The goals of the Villers Fellowship Program are three-fold: To help achieve Families USA’s goal of comprehensive, affordable, high-quality health care for all Americans; To develop a network of young leaders who share a passion for social and health care justice; and To inspire Villers Fellows to continue to work for health care justice throughout their lives.
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Weaver Fellowship
: Assists future teachers who are motivated by the need to integrate the idea of liberal education with their teaching efforts, and, in so doing, to restore to university studies their distinction and worth.
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The Wellstone Fellowship for Social Justice: Designed to foster the advancement of social justice through participation in health care advocacy work that focuses on the unique challenges facing many communities of color. Hopes to expand the pool of talented social justice advocates from underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups, particularly from the Black/African American, Latino, American Indian, and Asian and Pacific Islander communities.
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Woodrow Wilson: The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation offers a number of options teaching and education fellowships.
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Woolley Scholarship: The Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship funds one year of graduate study in the visual fine arts and music in Paris.