Call for Application: International Fellowships with AAUW

Application Deadline: November 15 every year

The American Association of University Women International Fellowships have been in existence since 1917. The program provides support for women pursuing full-time graduate or postdoctoral study in the United States to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and who intend to return to their home country to pursue a professional career. A limited number of awards are available for study outside of the U.S. (excluding the applicant’s home country) to women who are members of Graduate Women International (see the list of GWI affiliates). Both graduate and postgraduate studies at accredited U.S. institutions are supported.

Applicants must have earned the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree by the application deadline and must have applied to their proposed institutions of study by the time of the application. Recipients are selected for academic achievement and demonstrated commitment to women and girls. Recipients return to their home countries to become leaders in business, government, academia, community activism, and the arts or scientific fields. 

Funding: $20,000–$50,000
Opens: August 1 every year

Eligibility

• Have citizenship in a country other than the U.S. or possession of a nonimmigrant visa if residing in the U.S. Women who are currently, or expect to be during the fellowship year, a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, or dual citizen with the U.S. and another country are not eligible.
• Hold an academic degree (earned in the U.S. or abroad) equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree completed by the application deadline. 
• Intend to devote themselves full-time to the proposed academic plan during the fellowship year.
• Intend to return to their home country to pursue a professional career upon completion of their studies. 
• Master’s/first professional degree fellowships are intended for master’s or professional degree-level programs such as J.D., M.F.A., L.L.M., M.Arch., or medical degrees such as M.D., D.D.S., etc. Certificates, associate degrees, and undergraduate degrees are ineligible.
• Doctoral fellowships are intended for doctorate degrees classified as research degrees, such as Ph.D. or Ed.D.
• Postdoctoral applicants must provide proof of their doctorate degree; hold a doctorate classified 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 indicate where they will conduct their research. 
• Master’s/first professional degree and doctoral applicants must be enrolled in a U.S.-accredited institution located in the U.S. during the fellowship year. 
• A limited number of awards are available to Graduate Women International members for study or research in any country other than their own. Note that foreign branches of U.S. institutions are considered outside of the U.S.
• Applicants can apply for the fellowship for any year of their program but must be conducting a full year of study or research. International Fellowships do not provide funding for a partial year of study or research. Programs ending prior to April of the fellowship year are not eligible.
• Distance learning/online programs: Master’s/first professional degree and doctoral fellowships support traditional classroom-based courses of study at colleges or universities. This fellowship program does not provide funding for distance-learning or online programs or for degrees heavily dependent on distance-learning components. 

Application Details

• Proof of highest degree: Upload transcripts** from the college or university where the highest degree (not a certificate) was obtained. The highest degree must be at least a bachelor’s degree (must be earned on or before the application deadline).
  • Transcripts** must include a list of courses taken and grades received.
  • If the institution does not provide a transcript or a list of courses taken and grades received or the degree did not require coursework, an official letter from the institution where the degree was received that includes the degree completion date must be uploaded.
  • Do not upload copies of additional certificates or other documents the applicant may have received during their education.
• Proof of current enrollment (currently enrolled applicants only): Upload transcripts/lists of courses/institution letters from the college or university in which the applicant is currently enrolled, if enrolled.
  • Transcripts must include a list of courses taken and grades received.
  • Many transcripts do not include current coursework. If fall 2023 semester grades are not available and are not on your transcript, a list of courses taken that semester must be provided by the institution’s Office of the Registrar.
  • If the institution does not provide a transcript or a list of courses taken and grades received or the degree did not require coursework, an official letter* from the institution where the degree was received that includes the degree completion date must be uploaded.
• Proof of a doctorate or M.F.A. degree (postdoctoral applicants only): Upload any one of the following:
  • Transcript showing degree and date received (must be on or before application deadline). 
  • Official letter from institution where degree was received that includes the degree completion date.
  • Copy of diploma showing date degree was received (must be on or before application deadline). 
• Proof of English proficiency: Upload one of the following:
  • Official report of an acceptable and valid TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge assessment score. Scores are valid for two years. Institutional TOEFL scores and other English proficiency test scores will not be accepted.
    • Minimum acceptable scores 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 
  • Written statement verifying the applicant’s native language is English.
  • Academic transcript or diploma confirming one of the following:
    • Secondary diploma or undergraduate degree is from an English-speaking institution.
    • One semester of full-time study in the applicant’s discipline at an English-speaking institution between November 2021 and November 2023.

The panel meets once a year to review applications for funding. Awards are based on the criteria outlined here. Recommendations by the panel are subject to final approval by AAUW. Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis according to funds available in a given fiscal year.

To ensure a fair review process, AAUW does not comment on the deliberations of its award panels. AAUW does not provide evaluations of applications. No provisions exist for the reconsideration of fellowship proposals. Applications and supporting documents become the sole property of AAUW and will neither be returned nor held for another year.