Opportunities & Deadlines

Plan Your Future

Find nationally competitive fellowships and scholarships. Start early, know the timelines, and check each program’s official site for the most current information. Most major deadlines fall in early fall; many info sessions run in spring and summer (see the CCPD events calendar).

Graduate Study & Prestigious Awards

Gates Cambridge Scholarship – Graduate study at the University of Cambridge (most tuition/fees/living covered).
Knight-Hennessy Scholars – Up to three years of full funding for graduate study at Stanford (all disciplines).
James Madison Graduate Fellowship – Up to $24,000 for future secondary teachers of the U.S. Constitution.
Rhodes Scholarship – Graduate study at the University of Oxford for student leaders committed to service and impact.
Additional: Andrews Endowed Fellowship (SU) – Awarded to a Southwestern student for the first year of graduate study, the fellowship was established by family and friends of James Robert Andrews ’04 in memory of his strength, courage, determination, and intellectual curiosity. The $3,000 award supports a portion of the selected candidate’s educational costs. Graduating seniors and alumni (no more than two years post-bacc) are eligible to apply. Applications open annually in February and close in April.

Public Service, Policy & Leadership

Harry S. Truman Scholarship – Up to $30,000 for graduate study for students committed to public service leadership.
Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowships (under review for continuation) – Funds two years of grad study + pathway to the U.S. Foreign Service.
Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship (under review for continuation) – Funds grad study + professional prep for careers in the U.S. Foreign Service.
Udall Undergraduate Scholarship – For leadership in environmental issues, Tribal public policy, or Native health care.
FAO Schwarz Fellowships – Paid, two-year post-bac roles at nonprofits (social impact focus) with cohort-based development.
Sumners Scholarship – Supports students committed to civic responsibility and leadership; includes professional development.

STEM & Research

Barry Goldwater Scholarship – For sophomores/juniors in STEM who show strong research potential; awards up to ~$7,500/year.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP) – Funds research-based master’s/PhD study in NSF-supported disciplines.
Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans – Supports immigrants/children of immigrants pursuing graduate study (all fields).
National GEM Consortium Fellowship – Graduate funding and industry partnerships for underrepresented students in engineering/CS/related fields.
Quad Fellowship – Supports outstanding STEM master’s/PhD students studying in the U.S.

Study Abroad, Language & Global Affairs

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship – Funding for undergraduates with financial need to study or intern abroad.
Boren Awards (under review for continuation) – Funds intensive study of critical languages/cultures abroad (undergrad & grad).
Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) & CLS Spark (under review for continuation) – Summer language study abroad (CLS) or virtual (Spark) in critical languages.
Fulbright U.S. Student Program – Grants for research, study, or English teaching abroad after graduation.
Fulbright UK Summer Institutes – 3–4 week academic/cultural programs in the UK for rising sophomores/juniors.
Schwarzman Scholars – One-year master’s in Global Affairs at Tsinghua University (leadership + China focus).

More Opportunities

Fellowship Finder (Univ. of Illinois) – Search graduate fellowships by field/eligibility.
INFO Database (Univ. of South Carolina) – National fellowships search tool.
WashU McDonnell International Scholars Academy – Graduate scholarships + global leadership program.

Upcoming Deadlines:

Fall 2025

Gilman: Oct 3, 2025
Knight-Hennessy: Oct 8, 2025 (1:00 p.m. PT)
Gates Cambridge: Oct 15, 2025 (noon, local time)
NSF GRFP: Oct 27–30, 2025 (varies by field)
Soros (New Americans): Oct 30, 2025 (2:00 p.m. ET)
CLS: November 2025 (under consideration for future funding)
Goldwater: Dec 1, 2025 (SU internal qualification)

Spring 2026

Truman: Jan 1, 2026, 11:59 p.m. CT (SU internal qualification)
Boren Fellowship (grad): Jan 2026 (TBD)
Boren Scholarship (undergrad): Jan 2026 (TBD)
Udall: Jan 2026 (TBD)
Fulbright UK Summer Institutes: Feb 2026 (TBD)
Sumners: Feb 10, 2026 (5:00 p.m.)
James Madison: Mar 2, 2026 (1:59 a.m.)
Gilman (spring cycle): Mar 2026 (TBD)

Fall 2026

Marshall: Sep 1, 2026 (SU internal qualification)
Rhodes: Sep 1, 2026 (SU internal qualification)
Fulbright U.S. Student: Sep 2026 (exact date TBD; SU internal qualification)
Schwarzman: Sep 2026 (3:00 p.m. ET)