The American Association of University Women (AUWW) is a leading voice in promoting equity and education for women. Learn how you can qualify for an international fellowship below.
AUWW currently offers international fellowships for women who want to pursue a masters or doctoral education in the US for the academic year 2022-2023.
The fellowships are awarded for full-time study or research in the United States to women who are not US citizens or permanent residents. Both graduate and postgraduate studies only at accredited US institutions are supported.
Application deadline: November 15, 2021
Table of contents
AAUW International Fellowship Benefits
The following amounts will be awarded to fellows at varying educational levels:
- Master’s/First Professional Degree Fellowship: $18,000
- Doctoral Fellowship: $20,000
- Postdoctoral Fellowship: $30,000
Additional AAUW Fellowship Details
Recipients of the AUWW International Fellowships for Women are selected for academic achievement and demonstrated commitment to women and girls.
Following the program’s completion, fellows are expected to return to their home countries and become leaders in business, government, academia, community activism, the arts, and sciences.
| Looking for other international fellowships for women?
Check out:
Women for Africa Foundation – Science by Women Program
African Women’s Public Service Fellowship
Eligibility Criteria for Masters and Doctoral Studies
International Fellowships are not open to previous recipients of any AAUW national fellowship or grant (not including branch or local awards or Community Action Grants). Members and officers of the AAUW Board of Directors are not eligible to apply for fellowships and grant awards. AAUW staff or volunteers with decision-making authority who wish to apply for an award must recuse themselves from the decision-making process.
Unsuccessful applicants for both masters and doctoral studies may reapply.
To be eligible for an international fellowship, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Have citizenship in a country other than the U.S. or possession of a nonimmigrant visa if residing in the U.S. Women who are currently, or expect to be during the fellowship year, a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, or dual citizen with the U.S. and another country are not eligible.
- Hold an academic degree (earned in the U.S. or abroad) equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree completed by November 15, 2021.
- Intend to devote herself full-time to the proposed academic plan during the fellowship year
- Promise to return to her home country to pursue a professional career
- Be proficient in English. Unless the applicant can verify that her native language is English (written statement required), that she received her secondary diploma or undergraduate degree from an English-speaking institution (transcript required), or that she will have completed one semester of full-time study in her discipline at an English-speaking college or university between November 2019 and November 2021 (transcript required), she must upload a recent ETS TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score (no older than November 2019). Institutional TOEFL scores and other English proficiency test scores (such as IELTS) will not be accepted. Minimum score acceptable: 550 for Paper-Based Test (TOEFL PBT); 79 for Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT); 60 for Revised TOEFL Paper-Delivered Test.
- Master’s/first professional degree and doctoral applicants must have applied by November 15, 2020, to an accredited institution of study for the period of the fellowship year and must indicate the name of the institution in the International Fellowship application.
- Master’s/first professional degree fellowships are intended for master’s or professional degree-level programs such as J.D., M.F.A., L.L.M., M.Arch., or medical degrees such as M.D., D.D.S., etc.
- Doctoral fellowships are intended for doctorate degrees, such as Ph.D. or Ed.D.
- Postdoctoral applicants must provide proof of their doctorate degree; hold a doctorate classified as a research degree (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D., D.B.A., D.M.) or an M.F.A. by November 15, 2019; and indicate where they will conduct their research.
- Master’s/first professional degree and doctoral applicants must be enrolled in a U.S. accredited institution located in the U.S. during the fellowship year.
- A limited number of awards are available to GWI members for study or research in any country other than their own. Note that foreign branches of U.S. institutions are considered outside of the U.S.
- Applicants must be conducting a full year of study or research. International Fellowships do not provide funding for a partial year of study or research. Programs ending prior to April of the fellowship year are not eligible.
- Master’s/first professional degree and doctoral fellowships support traditional classroom-based courses of study at colleges or universities. This fellowship program does not provide funding for distance-learning or online 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.
Selection Criteria for Women
The AAUW panel meets once a year to review applications for funding. Awards are then based on the criteria outlined here.
Recommendations by the panel are still subject to final approval by AAUW. Furthermore, the international fellowships for women are awarded on a competitive basis according to funds available in a given fiscal year.
The following criteria apply to the selection of international fellowship recipients:
- Residing in home country at time of application
- Position on return to home country
- Academic and/or professional qualifications
- Applicant’s commitment to the advancement of women and girls in her home country
- Proposed time schedule
- Quality and feasibility of proposed plan of study or research
- Demonstrated evidence of prior community and/or civic service in home country
- Applicant’s country’s need for the specialized knowledge or skill
- Financial need
- Motivation for graduate study or research
- Applicant is from an underrepresented area of the country and/or type of university other than a top-level research institution
Timeline of Application
August 1, 2021
Application opens.
November 15, 2021, by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time
Deadline for online submission of application, recommendations, and supporting documents.
April 15, 2022
Notification of decisions emailed to all applicants. AAUW is not able to honor requests for earlier notification.
July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023
Fellowship year
When a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the date will be observed on the following business day.
How to Apply
Start the application process by Applying Online to access the application and create an account through AAUW’s vendor site.
Next, interested parties must complete all required components in the following areas:
- Start
- Background
- Proposal
- Recommendations, Documents & Review
- Recommendations:
- Provide three recommendations from professors or professional colleagues well acquainted with you, your work, and your academic background, in striving towards scholarly pursuits. When possible, recommenders should be professors or professional colleagues in the applicant’s home country who can speak about the applicant’s qualifications and about the country’s need for the specialized skill or knowledge she plans to acquire with her proposed study or research. AAUW does not accept references from dossier services, such as Parment or Interfolio.
- Documents:
- Proof of highest degree: Upload transcripts** from the college or university where the highest degree (not a certificate) was obtained. Highest degree must be at least a bachelor’s degree (must be earned on or before November 15, 2021).
- Transcripts** must include a list of courses taken and grades received.
- If the institution does not provide a transcript or a list of courses taken and grades received or the degree did not require coursework, an official letter from the institution where the degree was received that includes the degree completion date must be uploaded.
- Do not upload copies of additional certificates or other documents the applicant may have received during her education.
- Proof of current enrollment (currently enrolled applicants only): Upload transcripts**/lists of courses/institution letters from the college or university in which the applicant is currently enrolled, if she is enrolled.
- Transcripts must include a list of courses taken and grades received.
- Many transcripts do not include current coursework. If fall 2021 semester grades are not available and are not on your transcript, a list of courses taken that semester must be provided by the institution’s Office of the Registrar.
- If the institution does not provide a transcript or a list of courses taken and grades received or the degree did not require coursework, an official letter* from the institution where the degree was received that includes the degree completion date must be uploaded.
- Proof of a doctorate or M.F.A. degree (postdoctoral applicants only): Upload any one of the following:
- Transcript showing degree and date received (must be on or before November 15, 2021).
- Official letter from institution where degree was received that includes the degree completion date.
- Copy of diploma showing date degree was received (must be on or before November 15, 2021).
- Proof of English proficiency: Upload one of the following:
- Official report of an acceptable and valid TOEFL or IELTS score. Scores are valid for two years. Institutional TOEFL scores and other English proficiency test scores will not be accepted.
- Minimum acceptable scores are as follows:
- TOEFL iBT (Internet-Based Test): 79
- TOEFL Essentials: 8.5
- Revised TOEFL Paper-Delivered Test: 60
- IELTS: 6.5
- Minimum acceptable scores are as follows:
- Written statement verifying the applicant’s native language is English.
- Academic transcript or diploma confirming one of the following:
- Secondary diploma or undergraduate degree is from an English-speaking institution.
- One semester of full-time study in the applicant’s discipline at an English-speaking institution between November 2019 and November 2021.
- Official report of an acceptable and valid TOEFL or IELTS score. Scores are valid for two years. Institutional TOEFL scores and other English proficiency test scores will not be accepted.
- Proof of highest degree: Upload transcripts** from the college or university where the highest degree (not a certificate) was obtained. Highest degree must be at least a bachelor’s degree (must be earned on or before November 15, 2021).
- Recommendations:
*A certified English translation is required for all components provided in a foreign language. Translations must bear a mark of certification or official signature that the translation is true and complete.
**All transcripts provided must include the applicant’s full name, the school’s name, all courses, and all grades, as well as any other information requested in the application instructions.
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