Direct Apply Scholarships

The following selection of featured awards do not require institutional endorsement or place a cap on the number of nominees. The Office of National Fellowships and Academic Opportunities offers support and guidance to applicants and URI students have been successful in most of these competitions.

Search the list below, and if you don’t find an opportunity that is right for you, check our Fellowship Finder.


Featured Scholarships

  • Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program: Graduate Fellowship Program -

    The Rangel Graduate Fellowship is a program that aims to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State in which they can help formulate, represent and implement U.S. foreign policy.

    Deadline Month: September
  • Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program: Summer Enrichment Program -

    The Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program is a six-week summer program designed to provide undergraduate students with a deeper appreciation of current issues and trends in international affairs, a greater understanding of career opportunities in international affairs, and the enhanced knowledge and skills to pursue such careers.

    Deadline Month: February
  • Critical Language Scholarship -

    The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities.

    Deadline Month: November
  • Demers Foreign Language Fellowship -

    Awarded to Rhode Island residents and anyone who is a student at a Rhode Island college or university who wishes to pursue foreign language study.

    Deadline Month: January
  • Ford Pre-Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship -

    For individuals enrolled in or planning to enroll in a research-based (dissertation-required) program in eligible fields of study leading to a Ph.D. or Sc.D.

    Deadline Month: December
  • Fulbright UK Summer Institutes -

    The Fulbright UK Summer Institutes are three or four week programmes for US undergraduate students. Participants can explore the culture, heritage and history of the UK while experiencing higher education at a UK university.

    Deadline Month: February
  • Gates Cambridge Scholarship -

    Gates Cambridge will offer 80 full-cost 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.

    Deadline Month: October
  • Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship Award -

    The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation is dedicated to advancing groundbreaking applied science with real-world benefits for all humanity.

    Deadline Month: October
  • Humanity in Action Fellowship -

    The Humanity in Action Fellowship explores issues of democracy, pluralism, human rights, and social justice.

    Deadline Month: Program Deadline Varies
  • James Madison Graduate Fellowship -

    Awarded to outstanding college graduates without teaching experience who intend to become secondary school teachers of American history, American government, or social studies in grades 7-12.

    Deadline Month: March
  • Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program -

    Designed to build a multidisciplinary community of Stanford graduate students dedicated to finding creative solutions to the world’s greatest challenges.

    Deadline Month: October
  • Luce Scholars Program -

    The Luce Scholars Program is a nationally competitive fellowship program.

    Deadline Month: October
  • Michael P. Metcalf Memorial Fund -

    The funds provide grants to college students to subsidize experiences intended to broaden their perspective and enhance personal growth.

    Deadline Month: February
  • National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) -

    Awarded to applicants who demonstrate ability and special aptitude for advanced training in science or engineering (i.e. a doctoral degree) in an area of interest to the Department of Defense.

    Deadline Month: December
  • National Institutes of Health: Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program (NIH OXCAM) -

    An accelerated, individualized doctoral training program for outstanding science students committed to biomedical research careers.

    Deadline Month: December
  • National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU) -

    Funded full-time summer research experiences in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation.

    Deadline Month: August
  • National Science Foundation Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) -

    The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States.

    Deadline Month: November, October
  • Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA): Junior Summer Institute (JSI) -

    The Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA) works to promote the inclusion and full participation of underrepresented groups in public service and to advance their leadership roles throughout our civic institutions serving domestic and international affairs.

    Deadline Month: November
  • Rotary Scholarships & Fellowships -

    The Rotary offers a variety of scholarships, grants and fellowships at the local, national and international level.

    Deadline Month: Program Deadline Varies
  • Schwarzman Scholarships -

    Schwarzman Scholars is a highly selective, one-year master's program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.

    Deadline Month: May
  • Stephen Phillips Memorial Scholarship Fund -

    A scholarship for permanent residents of New England states, with financial need, who display academic achievement, a commitment to serving others, a strong work ethic and leadership qualities.

    Deadline Month: May
  • The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans -

    The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans program honors the contributions of immigrants and children of immigrants to the United States.

    Deadline Month: November
  • The USAID Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship Program -

    The USAID Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship Program seeks to attract outstanding individuals who are interested in pursuing careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

    Deadline Month: December
  • Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Fellowship -

    The Thomas R. Pickering Fellowship Program provides graduate students with financial support, mentoring and professional development to prepare them academically and professionally for a career with the U.S. Department of State.

    Deadline Month: January
  • Three Rams Selected for Fulbright US Student Awards - Two University of Rhode Island graduate students and a 2020 alumna have been awarded Fulbright grants to teach and conduct research abroad.
  • Owen Fleischer URI sophomore in marine biology, aquaculture and fisheries science awarded Hollings Scholarship from NOAA - Owen Fleischer is the 42nd URI student selected for the nationally competitive honor in the program’s 18 years.
  • Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation -

    Places talented, committed individuals with backgrounds in the STEM fields into teaching in high-need secondary schools in Georgia and New Jersey.

    Deadline Month: January
  • Yenching Academy Scholarships -

    The Yenching Academy of Peking University builds bridges between China and the rest of the world through an interdisciplinary master's program in China Studies for outstanding graduates from all over the globe.

    Deadline Month: December