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Published: 03 Aug 2023 878 views
Selected Professions Fellowships are awarded to women who intend to pursue a full-time course of study at accredited U.S. institutions during the fellowship year in one of the designated degree programs where women’s participation traditionally has been low. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
These fellowships were established in 1970 with a $25,000 grant from the Max C. Fleischmann Foundation. Initially, they focused on opening doors for women in the male-dominated fields of law and medicine. However, the focus expanded over time to include science and technology, since the demand for a technologically skilled workforce has grown without proportional representation by women.
Selected Professions Fellowships are awarded for the following master’s programs:
Fellowships in the following degree programs are restricted to women of color, who have been underrepresented in these fields:
OUR MISSION Gender Equity & Economic Security We’ve led the fight for fair pay and economic opportunity for women — and the battle continues: Women still get just 83 cents for every dollar paid to a man, and men continue to dominate the top roles and highest-paying professions. OUR VALUES Intersectional. Inclusive. Intergenerational. Empowering. Though we are nonpartisan, we are not values-neutral: We fight to remove the barriers and biases that stand in the way of gender equity. We train women to negotiate for pay and benefits and to pursue leadership roles. And... continue reading
| Application Deadline | 15 Nov 2023 |
| Country to study | United States |
| Type | Fellowship |
| Sponsor | AAUW |
| Gender | Men and Women |
Award Amount: $20,000
AAUW awards Selected Professions Fellowships to women, including people who identify as women, who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States and who have achieved high standards of academic excellence and show promise of distinction in their respective fields.
Applicants must be full-time students at an accredited U.S. institution during the fellowship year and must pursue a course of study in the United States over the full academic year. Priority is given to women who do not already hold a master’s or first professional degree.
Selected Professions Fellowships are not open to previous recipients of any AAUW national fellowship or grant (not including branch or local awards or Community Action Grants).
Women in two categories are eligible to apply:
AAUW encourages applicants interested in funding for bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, certification programs, technical school, and other master’s degrees to consider eligibility guidelines for Career Development Grants. Applicants can only apply for one AAUW award per year.
Science and Technology Group Fellowships
The following disciplines and master’s level degrees are eligible for fellowship funding:
Focus Professions Group Fellowships
Open only to women from ethnic minority groups historically underrepresented in certain fields within the United States: Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino/a, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.
The designated fields eligible for fellowship funding are:
Non-eligible Factors
Joint degree programs: Fellowships only support full-time coursework in the above designated fields. An individual enrolled in a joint-degree program may apply for support only if they plan to pursue full-time coursework during the entire fellowship year in one of the approved designated fields. Fellowship funds may not be used to support coursework in other fields, even if part of a joint-degree program.
Distance learning: Fellowships support traditional, classroom-based courses of study at colleges or universities. This fellowship program does not provide funding for distance-learning programs or for degrees heavily dependent on distance-learning components. Final decisions about what constitutes distance learning under these fellowships will be made by AAUW. AAUW will accept applications from applicants who are temporarily studying remotely due to COVID-19 precautions at their institution.
Ph.D. coursework or dissertations: Fellowships do not support Ph.D. coursework or dissertations. Applicants should be enrolled in master’s level degree programs only. Visit the AAUW website for information about doctoral funding through American Fellowships or International Fellowships.
The panel meets once a year to review applications for funding. Awards are based on the criteria outlined here. Recommendations by the panel are subject to final approval by AAUW. Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis according to funds available in a given fiscal year.
To ensure a fair review process, AAUW does not comment on the deliberations of the awards panels. AAUW does not provide evaluations of applications. No provisions exist for reconsideration of fellowship proposals. Applications and supporting documents become the sole property of AAUW and will not be returned or held for another year.
The following criteria apply to the selection of Selected Professions Fellowships:
August 1, 2023
Application opens.
November 15, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Deadline for online submission of application and supporting documents.
April 15, 2024
Notification of decisions emailed to all applicants. AAUW is not able to honor requests for earlier notification.
July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025
Fellowship year
When a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the date will be observed on the following business day.
For more details visit: AAUW website.
