AAUW International Fellowships

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International Fellowships are awarded for full-time study or research in the United States to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Both graduate and postgraduate studies at accredited U.S. institutions are supported.
Applicants must have earned the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree by November 15, 2018, and must have applied to their proposed institutions of study by the time of the application. Up to five International Master’s/First Professional Degree Fellowships are renewable for a second year; fellows will receive application information for this competitive program.
Recipients are selected for academic achievement and demonstrated commitment to women and girls. Recipients return to their home countries to become leaders in business, government, academia, community activism, the arts, and sciences

Award Amounts

• Master’s/first professional degree: $18,000
• Doctoral: $20,000
• Postdoctoral: $30,000

Eligibility

• 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 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, 2018.
  • Intend to devote herself full-time to the proposed academic plan during the fellowship year
  • Intend 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 2016 and November 2018 (transcript required), she must upload a recent ETS TOEFL* (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score (no older than November 2016). 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, 2018, 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, 2018; 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.

*TOEFL is given at designated test centers throughout the world. Applicants planning to take the TOEFL should check test locations, dates, and formats and take the test as early as possible. The code for AAUW is 9231. This code must be written on the test registration form so that the scores will be reported directly to AAUW and score report request form for tests previously taken. TOEFL is changing to an internet-based test and will be administered through the internet in most countries. Questions? Contact the U.S. Embassy in the applicant’s country. You can also write to: ETS TOEFL at TOEFL Services, Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-6151 USA; visit their website, ets.org/toefl; fax 610.290.8972; call 609.771.7100; or email toefl@ets.org.

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