Start Your Funding Search
Are you looking for . . .
- Awards for experiential learning overseas?
- Awards for 1-2 years of undergrad education?
- Awards for stipend and/or tuition for graduate school?
- Awards to support dissertation completion?
- Grants to support graduate or postdoctoral research?
Then an external scholarship or fellowship may be for you! External scholarships and fellowships are prestigious and nationally competitive merit-based funding opportunities.Typically, you apply for these awards a year in advance, so it’s important to start planning early.
If you are seeking information on need-based financial aid (i.e. grants and loans that require submission of a FAFSA), please visit the Financial Aid Office.
STEP 1: IDENTIFY YOUR CURRENT CAREER STAGE
Before you start your funding search, FIRST are you a:
- CURRENT UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
STEP 2: FIND YOUR FIT
Think about what kind of funding you want?
Apply as To Pay for First year or Sophomore - Overseas experiential learning opportunities prior to graduation (such as study abroad programs, mentored research, foreign language study, etc.)
Junior - Overseas experiential learning opportunities prior to graduation (such as study abroad programs, mentored research, foreign language study, etc.)
- Funding for undergrad study during Senior year
- Funding for graduate study (most commonly for PhD programs)
Senior - Overseas experiential learning following graduation
- Funding for graduate study (most commonly for PhD programs)
Think about "FIT," as you review opportunities. Does the award fit your needs? Do you fit the mission of the award?
Think about:
- Does the funder support the work I do?
- Am I eligible in terms of citizenship, discipline, career stage, etc.?
- Can I complete the application requirements by the deadline?
- Will the funding cover what I need, when I need it?
STEP 3: BROWSE OUR LIST
Review the list of awards we advise on, which are all national competitions and external to SBU.
STEP 4: FIND OTHER OPTIONS
Want to see more options? You can also look here:
Publicly available databases with easy search features, including career stage and citizenship:
Institute for Broadening Participation's Pathways to Science: A curated list of fellowships for undergrad students from underrepresented groups.
Note that although these databases are maintained by entities outside SBU, they feature nationally competitive opportunities and may be used by anyone!
STEP 5: MAKE YOUR SHORT LIST
Make your short list of awards that are of interest to you so you can keep track of deadlines and identify which information sessions you should attend.
STEP 6: APPLY!
Now that you have a plan, you should enact it! Watch out in particular for any awards that have an on-campus nomination or selection process with an earlier deadline. Then let us know if you’re successful so we can celebrate your achievements!
- CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENTS & POSTDOCS
STEP 2: FIND YOUR FIT
Think about what kind of funding you want?
Career Stage Types of Activities Types of Funding Graduate Students Early: Training & Preparation - Coursework
- Developing research proposal
- Working on/towards comps/prelims
- Pre-dissertation or early-career fellowships
- Training grants
- Small grants
Graduate Students Middle: Research - Data collection
- Field or lab work
- Comps/prelims
- Research grants
Graduate Students Late: Analysis & Writing - Data collection
- Field or lab work
- Comps/prelims
- Dissertation writing fellowships
Postdocs - Data collection
- Field or lab work
- Comps/prelims
- Postdoc fellowships
- Early-career faculty grants
- Independent researcher/scholar grants and fellowships
Think about "FIT," as you review opportunities. Does the award fit your needs? Do you fit the mission of the award?
Think about:
- Does the funder support the work I do?
- Am I eligible in terms of citizenship, discipline, career stage, etc.?
- Can I complete the application requirements by the deadline?
- Will the funding cover what I need, when I need it?
STEP 3: BROWSE OUR LIST
Review the list of awards we advise on, which are all national competitions and external to SBU.
STEP 4: FIND OTHER OPTIONS
Want to see more options? You can also look here:
Publicly available databases with easy search features, including career stage and citizenship:
Institute for Broadening Participation's Pathways to Science: A curated list of fellowships for undergrad students from underrepresented groups.
Graduate Fellowships Handout: A handy, downloadable list of the fellowships that our grad students most often apply for.
Note that although these databases are maintained by entities outside SBU, they feature nationally competitive opportunities and may be used by anyone!
STEP 5: MAKE YOUR SHORT LIST
Make your short list of awards that are of interest to you so you can keep track of deadlines and identify which information sessions you should attend.
STEP 6: APPLY!
Now that you have a plan, you should enact it! Watch out in particular for any awards that have an on-campus nomination or selection process with an earlier deadline. Then let us know if you’re successful so we can celebrate your achievements!
- OTHER PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES
SBU Writing Center: Writing Center staff can give great feedback on the overall structure and impact of your writing for fellowships.
SBU's Pivot Funding Database: A powerful search tool for virtually every kind of grant and fellowship for any citizenship and any career stage. Login with your SBU single sign on.
Grant Writing Workshops: Graduate and Postdoctoral Professional Development offer regular inperson and online workshops on grant writing each semester. Watch the fellowships calendar for more and see videos from past events here.
Fellowships 101 and Other Info Sessions: Graduate and Postdoctoral Professional Development offers regular info sessions on preparing to apply fellowships and many fellowship-specific sessions.