External Funding for Applicants

The most important piece of advice we can share is to apply for fellowships and scholarships at the same time as (or even before!) you apply to graduate school.

Every spring, our office receives questions about external fellowships from applicants who were recently admitted to Georgetown University. Unfortunately, by that point, it is often too late to apply for funding. Many fellowships have deadlines 6-12 months before the funding period, so you may need to apply as early as the fall or winter before the academic year in which you need funding.

Fellowship databases are a great place to start your funding search. Many offer the ability to filter results by citizenship, degree type, and more.  Most of the databases below are focused specifically on graduate student funding, so the work of sorting through undergraduate fellowships has already been done for you.

While the databases below are free for applicants to use, note that the last option listed, Pivot, requires an affiliation with an institution that subscribes in order to create an account. Check with your undergraduate institution to see if it has a Pivot membership available to students or alumni.

The admissions contact for your program of interest at Georgetown may have recommendations for external fellowships that students in their program have successfully applied to in past years, especially field-specific awards.

If you have questions about internal merit awards, the program is also your best point of contact for information about the number of awards and the amount of funding available. In some cases, details on internal awards may be found on the departmental website.

Professional Organizations or Groups in Your Field

Many professional organizations offer scholarships and fellowships to support students planning careers in their areas of interest. If you find a relevant organization, check their website or subscribe to their newsletter for updates.

Internet Search Engines

You can also conduct a funding search through an internet search engine. You should consider both the degree type and your identity by using search phrases such as “master’s scholarships for History,” “fellowships for women in STEM,” or “scholarships for international graduate students in the US.” Unlike the fellowship databases above, internet search engine results have not been reviewed by a third party, so you should be aware of the signs of scholarship scams.

CVs of Researchers in Your Field

Discover field-specific fellowships by reviewing the CVs of researchers with similar interests. Most faculty and researchers have a section on their CV that contains honors, fellowships, awards, or grants they have received.

Your Undergraduate Institution’s Fellowship Office or Career Center

The fellowship office at your undergraduate institution can be a helpful resource as you search for and apply to fellowships. If you have already graduated, reach out to see if the fellowship office supports alumni. Many offices do offer services to their graduates. If your undergraduate institution does not have a fellowship office, the career center may be able to provide advice for career-focused graduate fellowships such as the Pickering Fellowship or Rangel Fellowship.