Our Role
The Fellowships Team’s core mission is to support the 40+ awards that require applicants to obtain institutional nominations or endorsement from Vanderbilt.
To be considered for VU nomination, applicants must:
- Attend “Exploring Fellowships” Office Hours
- Submit the Fellowships Interest Form* and updated Fellowships CV before priority deadlines
- Meet any campus priority deadlines (see below)
- Actively participate in campus review process(es)
Please contact the Fellowships Team at fellowships@vanderbilt.edu to request current Interest Form and award-specific preapplication links, portal logins, one-pagers/ process documents and timelines.
Postgraduate award applicants who meet Priority Deadlines will also be added to a BrightSpace course with additional information and timelines for the required [asynchronous] Postgraduate Proposal Development Program.
Nomination Timelines for Academic Year 2026–27
InfoReady Portal
Students and alumni can review open competitions in the InfoReady Portal.
Potential Vanderbilt nominees must submit pre-applications through InfoReady or the applicable award portal by the priority deadlines listed below.
Undergraduate Awards
| Award | Priority Deadline | Campus Submission Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Truman (juniors only) | Oct. 15 | Nov. 1 |
| Gilman/Gilman-McCain (spring/summer early deadline)* | Sept. 20 | Oct. 1 |
| Goldwater (sophomores and juniors only) | Oct. 15 | Nov. 1 |
| Beinecke (juniors only) | Nov. 15 | Dec. 1 |
| Boren Scholarship | Nov. 15 | Dec. 15 |
| Udall (sophomores and juniors only) | Dec. 15 | Feb. 1 |
| Freeman-ASIA | March 1 | April 1 |
| Gilman/Gilman-McCain (summer/fall/academic year) | Feb. 1 | March 1 |
| AATJ Bridging | March 1 | April 15 |
Postgraduate Awards
Open to seniors, eligible alumni and graduate students.
| Award | Priority Deadline | Campus Submission Deadline |
| Marshall/Chevening* | Jan. 15 | March 1 |
| Mitchell* | Paused through 2027 | Paused through 2027 |
| Rhodes (U.S./Canada)+ | Jan. 15 | March 1 |
| Fulbright U.S. Student Program* | April 1 (undergraduates/alumni) | Aug. 1 (Ph.D. students) |
| Churchill* | Feb. 15 | April 15 |
| Luce* | April 15 | Aug. 1 |
| McCall MacBain* | April 15 | Aug. 1 |
| Carnegie/Gaither | Nov. 15 | Dec. 1 |
| Boren Fellowship | Dec. 1 | Jan. 1 |
| DAAD-RISE Pro | Dec. 1 | Jan. 15 |
| Yenching Scholars | April 15 | Oct. 15 |
| Ellison Scholars* | April 1 | Aug. 1 |
| Lafayette | Aug. 1 | Nov. 1 |
| Knight-Hennessy* | April 15 | Aug. 1 |
| Rales Fellows (CMU) | Oct. 15 | Dec. 15 |
| DAAD | April 1 | Aug. 1 |
After submitting any preapplication, you should contact the Fellowships Team to confirm next steps and campus review timelines.
Awards denoted with an asterisk (*) require participation in the PPDP/ Bootcamp co-hosted with the Writing Studio and ELC.
Potential Rhodes nominees must complete PPDP/ Bootcamp and obtain VU nomination for another award prior to being considered for VU Rhodes nomination. Due to restrictions on Rhodes applicants receiving assistance and to equitably support UK award applicants, all VU applicants must complete their submissions before Bootcamp begins.
NSF GRFP applicants will be invited to join a Peer Review cohort in September (or as soon as the 2027 application opens. [Note: the 2027 NSF GRFP deadline has not yet been announced.]
Supported Awards
The Fellowships Team provides application support for the following awards.
Undergraduate Awards
| Award | Priority Deadline | Submission Deadline | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBYX | Aug. 15 | November | — |
| PPIA | Oct. 1 | November | Juniors only |
| CLS (Critical Language Scholarship) | Nov. 1 | November | — |
| Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship | Feb. 15 | March | Juniors |
| Humanity in Action | Dec. 1 | January | Sophomores, juniors and seniors |
| Hollings/NOAA | Dec. 1 | January | Sophomores |
| Rangel Summer | Paused | Paused | Juniors recommended |
| Fulbright UK Summer | Jan. 15 | February | First-year students and sophomores |
| AATJ Bridging | March 1 | April 15 | — |
Postgraduate Awards
| Award | Priority Deadline | Submission Deadline |
| Gates Cambridge* | April 15 | Aug. 1 |
| Erasmus | April 15 | Varies by program/country |
| Samvid | Feb. 1 | March 15 |
| Schwarzman* | May 15 | September |
| IPS (Berlin) | July 15 | August |
| Pickering/Rangel | Paused | Paused |
| Payne | Paused | Paused |
| NSF GRFP | Sept. 1 | TBA |
| JET | Aug. 1 | October/November |
| CBYX | Sept. 15 | November |
| USTA | Nov. 15 | January |
| FAO Schwarz | Dec. 15 | February |
| NALCAP and Other ETA | Jan. 31 | February–April |
| American-Scandinavian Foundation* | April 15 | November |
| Princeton in Asia/Africa/Latin America | April 15 | October/November |
| Ubben Fellows | Aug. 1 | October |
| Project Horseshoe Farm | October | January |
Graduate and Professional Students and Eligible Postdoctoral Applicants
| Award | Priority Deadline | Submission Deadline |
| Gates Cambridge* | May 1 | September/October |
| Fulbright CIES (Postdoc) | July 15 | August/September |
| Schwarzman* | May 15 | September |
| IPS (Berlin) | July 15 | August |
| Presidential Management Fellowship* | — | Paused for 2026–27 |
| NSF GRFP | Sept. 1 | TBA |
| American-Scandinavian Foundation* | Sept. 15 | November |
| CBYX | Sept. 15 | November |
| JET | Sept. 15 | October/November |
| CLS (Critical Language Scholarship) | Oct. 15 | November |
| USTA | Nov. 15 | January |
| Emerson/Leland* | Nov. 15 | January |
| FAO Schwarz | Nov. 15 | February |
| NALCAP and Other ETA | Jan. 31 | February–April |
| Lafayette | Aug. 1 | Nov. 1 |
Support for Non-Nominated Awards
The Fellowships Team maintains extensive resources for awards that do not require Vanderbilt endorsement or nomination. Vanderbilt-affiliated applicants seeking support for non-nominated awards should:
- Share application drafts with the Fellowships Team at least four weeks before the priority deadlines listed above, or at least eight weeks before national or international deadlines for postgraduate awards.
- Provide recommenders with at least four to six weeks of lead time to craft strong references.
This guidance also applies to applicants pursuing fellowships that support postgraduate research; DAAD short-term programs; UAS7 study and internship programs; Princeton in Asia, Princeton in Africa and Princeton in Latin America programs; Udall Graduate and Internship programs; American-Scandinavian Foundation programs; Erasmus Mundus; Marie Curie; and related European Union programs with multiple deadlines or application cycles.
These timelines allow applicants to receive multiple rounds of feedback on their application materials and help ensure that recommenders have access to polished drafts before submitting final recommendations.