Fellowships
Beinecke Scholarship
Is it for you?
The program encourages and enables highly motivated juniors who have received or been eligible for financial aid to pursue opportunities available and be courageous in pursuing research-focused graduate study in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Each scholar receives $5,000 prior to entering graduate school and an additional $30,000 while attending graduate school (paid directly to the school) as a full-time student. There are no geographic restrictions on the use of the scholarship, and recipients are allowed to supplement the award with other scholarships, assistantships, and research grants. Scholars must utilize all of the funding within five years of completion of undergraduate studies.
What are the key dates?
JHU campus deadline: March 7, 2025
To be considered for nomination by JHU, please plan to submit the following application materials by the campus deadline (via email to [email protected]):
- 1000-word statement of research interests and plans for graduate study
- Current C.V.
- Unofficial transcript(s)
- 3 letters of recommendation
Official deadline: March 28, 2025 – for JHU nominee to submit final application in national competition
Are you eligible?
Candidates for the Beinecke Scholarship must:
- be a US citizen or US national from American Samoa or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
- be a college junior pursuing a bachelor’s degree. A junior during the 2023–2024 school year is defined as a student who expects to graduate between December 2024 and August 2025.
- have demonstrated superior standards of intellectual ability, scholastic achievement, and personal promise during their undergraduate career.
- plan to enter a research-focused doctoral program in the arts, humanities or social sciences, or an MFA. Students in the social sciences who plan to pursue graduate study in neuroscience should not apply for a Beinecke Scholarship; nor should students applying for professional degrees that emphasize skills and practical analysis (i.e. JD, MD, MPH, MPP, MBA, MAT, etc.).
- have a documented history of receiving or being eligible to receive need-based financial aid during college.
Students currently in a joint BA/MA program, please note: please determine how much of your remaining coursework is considered “undergraduate” to confirm your eligibility. For applicants in spring 2024, you would need to still have undergraduate study ahead of you in the 2024-25 academic year to be considered equivalent to Beinecke’s definition of a junior (enrolled full-time and expecting to graduate between December 2024 and August 2025). If you are not sure about this, please check with your program administrator. If you are eligible, please note that you would not be able to use the Beinecke funding for the MA portion of your joint degree. It would need to be used to fund a subsequent research-oriented PhD.
How do you work with the NFP?
JHU nomination is required through a campus selection process (JHU may nominate one candidate). Beinecke nominees work closely with us on their application materials before submitting them to the national competition.
The timeline gives an overview of the application process and when to reach out to us. In preparation, see “have a closer look” below for more resources about the Beinecke.
| January-February | Contact NFP; begin working on application essay and gathering other application materials (e.g. recommendations) |
| early March | Meet JHU campus deadline; JHU may nominate 1 candidate |
| mid-March | Revise application (for nominee) |
| late March | Meet Beinecke official deadline (for nominee) |
Are you competitive?
Up to 20 scholarships are awarded each year. One student at JHU is selected as our nominee for the national competition.
Selection decisions (both on-campus and at the national level) are based on the following criteria:
- Academic record: evidence of academic background that is strong and relevant to plans for graduate school and beyond.
- Knowledge of proposed course(s): in the statement of research interests and plans for graduate study, applicants should show they have researched graduate programs and have chosen one or more that are aspirational and appropriate.
- Clarity of research/creative focus: applicants should articulate a clear line of inquiry they wish to pursue and make clear its significance.
- Three letters of recommendation: strong letters generally come from professors who know you well and can comment in detail on your intellectual curiosity, strength of character, and potential for advanced graduate study.
- Financial need: The amount of financial need will be one of the factors considered during the selection process (though not as a primary one).