Opportunities

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship Programme was founded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to award scholarships to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge.

Eligibility: Applicants must have at least a GPA of 3.8 to qualify for pre-application. Gates Cambridge is open to both U.S. citizens and international students, as well as recent alumni. All disciplines, except business, are encouraged to apply. STEM candidates must have past publications. High ambition and concrete goals for academic pursuits are preferred. Candidates must be able to demonstrate why pursuing higher studies at the University of Cambridge will benefit their life's work and how that work will help improve the lives of others. Receiving a Gates Cambridge Scholarship is contingent upon acceptance to a postgraduate program of study at the University of Cambridge. 

National Deadline: The deadline varies by year. However, typically the deadline for U.S. candidates is in early to mid-October and in December and January for all other candidates. Please check Gates Cambridge website at https://www.gatescambridge.org/apply/deadlines for year-specific details.

When should you come see us? Pre-applicants who are envisioning applying to the Gates Cambridge Scholarship should set up an appointment with Dr. Sayandeb Basu in the spring before the application deadline, or earlier the year before for an assessment meeting. However, we strongly encourage extensive and continuing engagement with ONS staff during your journey at USF, as often ONS has played active roles in pipelining students to research and meaningful leadership activities, which in the end play a vital role in the application.

ONS Contact: Dr. Sayandeb Basu, sayandeb@honors.usf.edu            

https://www.gatescambridge.org

The Goldwater Scholarship Program, one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics in the United States, seeks to identify and support college sophomores and juniors (by year of graduation) who show exceptional promise of becoming this nation's next generation of research leaders in these fields. Selected students will receive a stipend for academic and research support for their remaining years as an undergraduate.

Eligibility: Goldwater applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents aspiring toward obtaining a PhD or MD/PHD. Applicants must also have a minimum 3.0 GPA. Candidates who are aiming to obtain a master’s degree in a STEM area are not eligible and pre-med candidates are also ineligible.

Undergraduates with one or more years of deep dive research experiences are ideal candidates. Candidates must have a significant role in the research project(s) on which the Goldwater application research paper will be written. Completed research, and not research proposals, are desired. At least a significant study pertaining to the research question being used to apply must be complete at the time of the application. Papers either in submitted or published status, as well as presentations in local, regional or national conferences are preferred. USF can only nominate 4 students plus one student transferring from a 2-year institution. Therefore, there is a campus review process associated with choosing nominees. The review committee meets in the December before the application deadline, reviews the application dossiers in its entirety and chooses nominees based on (A) strength and intellectual merit of research (B) preparation and steps taken towards completed research (C) career goals and (D) leadership and Broader impacts of research and extracurricular activities related to STEM.

National Deadline: Last Friday of January of every year.

When should you come see us?  ONS will usually recruit and mentor potential Goldwater candidates early in their freshman year. But we realize that we will not be able to reach all students who are involved in research. Ideally the first Goldwater assessment meeting should take place at least a year prior to the application, but it should be no later than the August before the January when the application is due.

ONS Contact: Dr. Sayandeb Basu, sayandeb@honors.usf.edu

https://goldwater.scholarsapply.org/

Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a graduate degree in the United Kingdom. As future leaders with a lasting understanding of British society, Marshall Scholars strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, their governments, and their institutions.

Eligibility: Applicants must be U.S citizens and have at least a GPA of 3.8 to qualify for pre-application. Candidates participate in pre-application in their junior year. Degree must be completed by May of the following year at the latest. Candidates are assessed on academic excellence, leadership and ambassador potential. Leadership activities may be focused in one area or varied, but must have delivered concrete and measurable outcomes. An extensive record of civic engagement is preferred. Candidates from Health Sciences must have a research or public health focus and are eligible to apply to the NIH-Marshall Scholarships to complete a PhD. MD candidates are ineligible as the British Medical Degree is an undergraduate and not a post graduate degree. The Marshall Scholarships should not be thought of as a mere funding source for studies in the UK.

National Deadline: Late September

When should you come see us? Students must participate in pre-application the spring before the application is due, but there is no fixed timeline. Maturing into an ideal candidate for a Marshall Scholar takes the entire duration of a student’s journey at USF. Early engagement with ONS is encouraged, as ONS takes great pride in shaping students’ journeys. These journeys later mature into a competitive edge.

ONS Contact: Dr. Sayandeb Basu, sayandeb@honors.usf.edu

http://www.marshallscholarship.org/

The Rhodes Scholarships are the oldest and most celebrated international fellowship awards in the world. Each year, thirty-two young students from the United States are selected as Rhodes Scholars to read for a degree or degrees at the University of Oxford. Rhodes Scholars are chosen not only for their outstanding scholarly achievements, but for their character, commitment to others and the common good, and for their potential for leadership in whatever domains their careers may lead.

Eligibility: Applicants must have at least a GPA of 3.8 to qualify for pre-application. Current students participate in pre-application in their junior year. Graduating seniors and alumni are also eligible to apply, provided they are under 24-years-old on October 1st of the application year. Applicants must be a citizen of the U.S., lawful permanent resident, or have DACA status as of April 15th of the year of application.

Although the other requirements for selection for Rhodes are open-ended, ideal candidates are campus or community leaders, having already delivered significant outcomes in their leadership or civic engagement activities at the local, regional or national level or have engaged significantly with a specific contemporary social or socio-political issue.  Candidates are also ambitious, and have a vision for their lives and academic pursuits to which pursuing a program at Oxford, they can argue, will play a transformative and pivotal role. The Rhodes scholarships should not be thought of as a funding source for studying at Oxford.

International students studying at USF are also eligible to apply. For the complete list of eligible countries please see https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/scholarships/apply/.

National Deadline? Early October

When should you come see us? Students must participate in pre-application the spring before the application is due, but there is no fixed timeline. A potential candidate for a Rhodes Scholarship at USF would have an extensive track record of engagement in academics and leadership, and it is likely would have already engaged with ONS for some time prior to the year of application. Interested candidates are encouraged to engage with ONS as early as freshman year.

ONS Contact: Dr. Sayandeb Basu, sayandeb@honors.usf.edu

http://www.rhodesscholar.org

The Truman Scholarship recognizes future "change agents." The scholarship program provides professional development training and graduate school support. Ideal candidates have the passion, intellect, and leadership potential that, in time, should enable them to improve the ways that public entities - be they government agencies, nonprofit organizations, public and private educational institutions, or advocacy organizations - serve the public good. 

Eligibility: Eligible applicants will undergraduates with a junior-level academic standing at the time of application. They must plan to attend professional or graduate school to prepare for careers in government or the nonprofit and advocacy sectors where they will improve the ways these institutions work. Candidates must be U.S. citizens.

National Deadline: Early February

When should you come see us? Students must participate in the pre-application process the spring before the deadline.

ONS Contact: Dr. Sayandeb Basu, sayandeb@honors.usf.edu

https://www.truman.gov

Schwarzman Scholars is a highly selective, fully-funded one-year master's program at Tsinghua University in Beijing that is designed to prepare the next generation of global leaders for the challenges of the future. Whether in politics, business or science, the success of future leaders around the world will depend upon an understanding of China's role in global trends.

Eligibility: Applicants must be rising undergraduate seniors, graduate students, and alumni (any degree in progress must be completed by the start of the program) and at least 18 but not yet 29 years of age as of August 1 of their Schwarzman Scholars enrollment year. There are no citizenship or nationality requirements.

National Deadline: Late September

When should you come see us? Students must participate in the pre-application process in the spring before the deadline.

ONS Contact: Dr. Sayandeb Basu, sayandeb@honors.usf.edu

http://www.schwarzmanscholars.org

Knight-Hennessy Scholars develops a community of future global leaders to address complex challenges through collaboration and innovation. Every year, up to 100 high-achieving students from around the world will receive full funding to pursue any graduate degree at Stanford, including the DMA, JD, MA, MBA, MD, MFA, MS, and PhD programs, as well as joint- and dual-degrees. Knight-Hennessy Scholars is the largest fully endowed scholars program in the world.

Eligibility: Applications to the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship Program are encouraged from citizens from all countries. Applicants must have at least a GPA of 3.75 to qualify for pre-application. You are eligible to apply to the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship Program if you are applying to enroll in any full-time graduate degree program(s) at Stanford (for example, but not limited to, DMA, Eng, JD, MA, MBA, MD, MFA, MS, or PhD) or if you plan on pursuing one of Stanford’s many joint- and dual- graduate degree options (for example, but not limited to, MD+PhD, JD+MA, MBA+MS). For more information, please visit: https://knight-hennessy.stanford.edu/admission/eligibility.

To be a competitive Knight-Hennessy Scholarship Program applicant, you must have:

• Independence of Thought
• Purposeful Leadership
• Civic Mindset

For more information on these three areas, please visit: https://knight-hennessy.stanford.edu/admission/criteria.

National Deadline: Early October

When should you come and see us? Students must participate in pre-application the spring before the application is due, but there is no fixed timeline. However, we strongly encourage extensive and continuing engagement with ONS staff during your journey at USF, as often ONS has played active roles in pipelining students to research and meaningful leadership activities, which in the end play a vital role in the application.

ONS Contact: Ms. Lauren Chambers, lschumac@honors.usf.edu

https://knight-hennessy.stanford.edu/

The Udall Foundation awards scholarships to college sophomores and juniors who demonstrate leadership, activities in public service, and commitment to issues related to Native American nations or to the environment.

Eligibility: Be a sophomore or junior in good academic standing with a track record of advocacy and experience in public policy, community engaged work, leadership, and/or research focused on the environment, tribal policy and/or the health care of the Native American nations. Individuals who work on issues related to Native American nations must be an enrolled member or a descendant in first or second degree of an enrolled member of a state or federally recognized Indian tribe or band, including any tribe or band terminated since 1940.

You should answer “yes” to these questions:

• Are you working towards positive solutions to environmental challenges or to issues impacting Indian country?
• Have you demonstrated your commitment to one of these areas through public service? Do you inspire and motivate others to take action? Are you committed to making a difference through civility and consensus building?

When is the national deadline? Early March

When should you come see us? First and second year students should meet with us in the spring semester (approximately one year before applying). Students must participate in the pre-application process the spring before the deadline.

What is the application timeline? Potential candidates are nominated in the spring of their first or second year and undergo an extensive internal review process to be endorsed to apply for the Udall Scholarship through USF. The following summer and fall semesters, applicants undergo a structured process of drafting application essays, learning about public policy, and other professional development. In early fall, applicants submit the names of three recommendation letter writers and drafts of the letters will be due for feedback in early November.

ONS Contact: Dr. Sayandeb Basu, sayandeb@honors.usf.edu

https://www.udall.gov/OurPrograms/Scholarship/Scholarship.aspx