Soros Fellowship for New Americans
Purpose
The purpose of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans is to provide opportunities for continuing generations of able and accomplished New Americans to achieve leadership in their chosen fields. A Fellow may pursue a graduate degree in any professional field (e.g., engineering, medicine, law, social work, etc.) or scholarly discipline in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. The Fine and Performing Arts are included. The Trustees strongly encourage applications from candidates who have not yet begun their graduate studies, but full consideration will be given to candidates in the first or second years of graduate study.
Selection Criteria
Candidates must demonstrate the relevance of graduate education to their long-term career goals and potential in enhancing their contributions to society. Fellowships are not solely awarded on the basis of academic record. The academic record is relevant as evidence of the candidate's ability to complete successfully a graduate degree program, and it strengthens the demonstration of achieving the Program's specific criteria for selection.
A successful candidate will give evidence of at least two of the following three attributes or criteria for selection:
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Creativity, originality, and initiative, demonstrated in any area of her/his life;
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A capacity for accomplishment, demonstrated through activity that has required drive and sustained effort;
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A commitment to the values expressed in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This includes activity in support of human rights and the rule of law, in opposition to unwarranted encroachment on personal liberty, and in advancing the responsibilities of citizenship in a free society.
Eligibility
Applicants must:
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Hold a green card, be a naturalized citizen, or have two parents who are naturalized citizens as of the date of application (if you do not fall under one of these categories, you are not eligible for consideration);
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Not be older than 30 as of the application deadline;
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Be a senior in college, hold a bachelor’s degree, or enrolled in a graduate program. Individuals who are in the third, or subsequent, year of study in the same graduate program are not, however, eligible for this competition.
Stipend
Each year the Fellow receives a maintenance grant of $20,000 and a tuition grant of one-half the tuition cost of the U.S. graduate program attended by the Fellow (up to a maximum of $16,000 per academic year). The size of the tuition grant depends on the cost of tuition at the institution the Fellow attends.
Duration
The Fellowship supports up to two years of graduate study in the U.S.
