Fully Funded AAUW International Fellowships in USA-2024
Funding: $20,000–$50,000
Opens: August 1 every year
Deadline: November 15, every year
Since 1917, the fully funded AAUW International Fellowships in USA-2024 international fellowships have existed. The program provides financial assistance to women studying full-time graduate or postdoctoral studies in the United States who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States and want to return to their native country to pursue a professional career.
A limited number of grants are available to women who are members of Graduate Women International (see the list of GWI affiliates) for studies outside of the United States (excluding the applicant’s home country).Graduate and postgraduate studies at accredited US schools are also encouraged.
By the application deadline, applicants must have obtained the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in the United States and must have applied to their proposed institutions of study. Recipients are selected based on their academic achievements as well as their demonstrated commitment to women and girls.
Recipients return to their home countries to pursue careers as leaders in industry, government, academia, community action, the arts, or science.
Amount
Master’s/first professional degree: $20,000
Doctoral: $25,000
Postdoctoral: $50,000
Timeline
August 1, 2023
Application opens.
November 15, 2023, by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Deadline for online submission of applications, recommendations, and supporting documents
April 15, 2024
All applicants are notified of decisions via email. AAUW is unable to accommodate demands for early notice.
July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025
Fellowship year
When a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the date will be observed on the following business day.
Apply now: University of Calgary scholarship for international students in 2024.
Eligibility
- Previous recipients of any AAUW national fellowship or grant (except branch or local awards or Community Action Grants) are not eligible for International Fellowships.
- AAUW board members, committees, panels, task forces, and staff, as well as current interns, are ineligible to apply for fellowships and awards. Anyone who currently holds an award is eligible for election or appointment to boards, committees, panels, and task forces.
- International fellowships are available to women, including those who identify as women, in all disciplines of study at a recognized institution of higher education or research for postdoctoral fellows. The AAUW will make the final decision on what institutions are eligible.
- Unsuccessful applicants may reapply. Applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for an international fellowship: Have citizenship in a country other than the United States, or be in possession of a nonimmigrant visa if resident in the United States. Women who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents of the United States, or dual citizens of the United States and another nation are not eligible. Hold an academic degree (acquired in the United States or overseas) comparable to a bachelor’s degree earned in the United States and completed by the application deadline. During the fellowship year, they intend to devote themselves entirely to the suggested academic agenda. They plan to return to their home country after finishing their studies to pursue a professional job. Be fluent in English and demonstrate proficiency by providing one of the needed components (see below), which include specific English proficiency exams, transcripts from English-speaking institutions, or a written statement confirming English is the applicant’s native language. Applicants who wish to take one of the accepted English proficiency exams should do so as soon as feasible. Please direct any questions about the test to the test provider. Master’s/first professional degree and doctoral applicants must have applied to an approved school of study for the fellowship year by the AAUW application deadline, and the name of the institution must be included in the International Fellowship application. While acceptance at the time of application is not required, fellows must include official institutional confirmation with their grant acceptance documentation.
- Master’s degree or first professional degree Fellowships are designed for master’s or professional degree programs such as J.D., M.F.A., L.L.M., M. M. Arch., or medical degrees such as M.D., D.D.S., and so on. Certificates, associate degrees, and bachelor’s degrees will not be accepted.
- Doctoral fellowships are designed for doctorates designated as research degrees, such as the Ph.D. or Ed.D.
- Postdoctoral applicants must submit verification of their doctorate degree; hold a doctorate classed as a research degree (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D., D.B.A., D.M.) or an M.F.A. by the application deadline; and identify where their research would be conducted.
- During the fellowship year, master’s/first professional degree applicants and doctoral candidates must be enrolled at a U.S.-accredited institution in the United States.
- Members of Graduate Women International are eligible for a limited number of prizes for studying or conducting research in countries other than their own. It should be noted that worldwide branches of US institutions are considered to be located outside of the US.
- Applicants may apply for the fellowship at any time during their program, but they must be enrolled in at least one year of study or research. A single semester of study or research is not covered by an international fellowship. Programs that end before the end of the fellowship year in April are ineligible.
- Master’s/first professional degree and doctorate fellowships fund traditional classroom-based courses of study at colleges or universities through distance learning or online programs. This fellowship program does not sponsor distance learning, online programs, or degrees that rely primarily on distance learning components. AAUW will make the final determination on what qualifies as distance learning under these fellowships. Due to COVID-19 safeguards, AAUW will allow submissions from applicants who are temporarily studying remotely at their university.
Criteria for the Fully Funded AAUW International Fellowships in USA-2024
The committee meets once a year to review grant submissions. The above-mentioned criteria are utilized to determine rewards. The panel’s recommendations are subject to AAUW’s final approval. Fellowships are competitively awarded based on available money in a given fiscal year.
To guarantee a fair evaluation process, Fully funded AAUW International Fellowships in USA-2024 does not comment on the proceedings of its award panels. The AAUW does not conduct application reviews. There is no provision for evaluating fellowship applications. Applications and supporting documentation become the sole property of AAUW and are not returned or kept for another year.
- Applicants residing in their home country at the time of application, from developing or emerging countries, or from an underrepresented group in any region, will receive special consideration.
- Position on return to the home country
- Academic and/or professional qualifications.
- Proven dedication to the advancement of women and girls in their home nation
- Proposed time schedule.
- The suggested study or research plan’s quality and practicality
- Evidence of earlier community and/or civic service in one’s home country
- The applicant’s country’s need for specialized knowledge or skill
- Financial need.
- Motivation for graduate study or research.
Regulations
International Fellowship funds are available for:
- Educational expenses.
- Living expenses. Dependent child care
- Travel to professional meetings, conferences, or seminars that do not exceed 10% of the fellowship total.
International Fellowship funds are not available for:
- Purchase of equipment.
- Indirect costs.
- Research assistants.
- Previous expenditures, deficits, or repayment of loans
- Publication costs.
- Institutional (overhead) costs
- Tuition for dependent’s education.
- Grants-in-aid for less than a full academic year or travel grants
- Travel to or from the home nation of a fellow
- Travel to and from the fellow’s research location, if overseas (this does not apply to GWI fellows).
AAUW regards the acceptance of a fellowship as a contract requiring the fulfillment of the following terms:
- As part of accepting the prize, all International Fellowship recipients must sign a contract. Keep these instructions because they will form part of the fellowship contract if the applicant is selected.
- An International Fellow is expected to work on their project full-time during the fellowship year (July 1–June 30). There are no available half fellowships.
- Any changes to plans for the fellowship year must be approved in writing by AAUW. Any change in the status of an application as a result of the acceptance of another award must be communicated to AAUW as soon as possible.
- Fellows may go overseas for up to two months for research related to their project plan with AAUW’s prior written consent.
- During the fellowship year, postdoctoral fellows are not permitted to seek a degree.
- Renewable for a second year are up to five International Master’s or First Professional Degree Fellowships.
- During their fellowship year, fellows will get application information for this competitive program.
- Stipends are made directly to fellows, not to institutions.
- The fellowship payment is subject to a 14 or 30 percent tax, with possible exceptions dependent on applicable tax statuses and treaties. These monies will be withheld by AAUW for payment to the Internal Revenue Service.
- The applicant is solely responsible for determining whether or not there is a tax liability associated with receiving an AAUW grant. Specific income tax questions should be sent to the Internal Revenue Service, the applicant’s financial assistance office, or a personal tax counsel. AAUW does not offer tax advice. AAUW is a 501(c)(3) public charity that was created for educational purposes.
The fellow is exclusively responsible for obtaining visas and other papers, as well as adhering to visa policies.
Required Components
Start the application process by clicking the Apply Now button below to access the application and create an account through our vendor site. Complete all required components in the following areas:
- Start
- Background
- Proposal
- Recommendations, Documents and Review
Recommendations:
- Provide two references from academics or professional colleagues who are familiar with the applicant’s work and academic background in pursuit of intellectual objectives. When possible, recommenders should be academics or professional colleagues from the applicant’s home country who can talk about the applicant’s qualifications as well as the country’s demand for the particular skill or knowledge they intend to gain through their intended study or research. The fully funded AAUW International Fellowships in USA-2024 do not accept dossier service references such as Parment or Interfolio.
Documents:
Proof of highest degree: Transcripts from the college or university where the highest degree (not a certificate) was acquired should be uploaded. The highest degree required is a bachelor’s degree (acquired on or before the application deadline).
- Transcripts must include a list of courses taken as well as grades obtained.
- If the institution does not provide a transcript or a list of courses completed and grades received, or if the degree did not require coursework, an official letter from the institution where the degree was obtained must be uploaded, along with the degree completion date.
- Upload no extra certifications or documents that the applicant may have obtained during their study.
Proof of current enrollment (currently enrolled applicants only): Upload transcripts, course lists, and institution letters from the college or university where the applicant is presently enrolled, if applicable.
- Transcripts must include a list of courses taken as well as grades obtained.
- Many transcripts exclude current coursework. If fall 2023 semester grades are not accessible and are not on your transcript, the institution’s Office of the Registrar must give a list of courses taken that semester.
- If the institution does not provide a transcript or a record of courses completed and grades received, or if the degree did not require coursework, an official letter* from the institution where the degree was obtained must be uploaded along with the degree completion date.
Proof of a doctorate or M.F.A. degree (postdoctoral applicants only): Please upload one of the following:
- Transcript indicating degree earned and date received (must be received on or before the application deadline).
- Official letter from the institution where the degree was obtained, indicating the degree completion date.
- A copy of the diploma with the date of graduation (must be on or before the application deadline).
Proof of English proficiency: Upload one of the following:
- Official confirmation of a valid and acceptable TOEFL, IELTS, or Cambridge assessment score The results are valid for two years. TOEFL and other English proficiency test scores from institutions will not be accepted.
The minimum acceptable scores for the fully funded AAUW International Fellowships are as follows:
- TOEFL iBT (Internet-Based Test): 79
- TOEFL Essentials: 8.5
- Revised TOEFL Paper-Delivered Test: 60
- IELTS: 6.5
- Cambridge Assessment: 176
- A written statement verifying the applicant’s native language is English
Academic transcript or diploma confirming one of the following:
- A secondary diploma, sometimes known as an undergraduate degree, is obtained from an English-speaking institution.
- Between November 2021 and November 2023, one semester of full-time study in the applicant’s discipline at an English-speaking institution
For all components offered in a foreign language, a certified English translation is necessary. Translations must bear a certification mark or an official signature indicating that they are true and full.
All transcripts must include the applicant’s full name, the name of the school, all courses and grades, and any additional information needed in the application instructions.
