Graduate Scholarships and Fellowships
International opportunities don’t need to end when you graduate. Apply for one of these programs to continue a path of life-long international learning!
Highlighted Opportunity: The Taylor Fellowship (Berea College)
Thanks to very generous donors, each year one graduating senior is selected to receive the Taylor Fellowship, which funds a full year of exploration abroad into a topic of the graduate's choice.
Currently, each Taylor Fellow receives $40,000 for their year of discovery outside the United States.
Students are encouraged to start developing their project proposal during their third year of study. The focus of the project should be something for which the student has demonstrated a sustained passion. The application process follows the internal Berea College Watson nomination process; the Taylor Fellow is chosen from among the College's Watson nominees.
The application deadline is September 15th of the student's final year.
For more details on how to apply, read about the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship below and/or speak with Kathryn King at kingk2@berea.edu or Dr. Richard Cahill, cahillr@berea.edu.
Read on for more opportunities ...
All the opportunities listed are slightly different; several begin with an internal review process here on campus followed by a nationwide selection process.
Given the competitive nature of these awards and the thoughtful preparation required for proposals, prospective applicants should begin working on these applications in the summer (or even during the spring) preceding their senior year and finish applying by September 15 before you graduate.
- Thomas J. Watson Fellowship
- Applications must be complete in the Watson portal by September 15th in order to be considered for nomination. Berea can nominate 4 students each year. Contact Kathryn King, kingk2@berea.edu, to request access to the portal (opens in mid-May each year). A Taylor Fellow will also be selected from amongst the 4 Watson nominees.
- Fulbright US Student Program
- Applications must be complete in the Fulbright portal by September 15th.
- Berea interviews all student applicants in late September and submits endorsement forms on their behalf.
- Critical Language Scholarship
- A fully-funded summer opportunity for current students and graduating seniors!
- Boren Fellowship
- Humanity in Action Summer Fellowship Program
- Princeton in Africa
- Princeton in Latin America
Graduate Work, Internships and Volunteering Abroad
After graduation, consider working abroad for several months or even several years! Jobs can be menial or service-oriented: pub work in Ireland, picking grapes in Greece, or working on a cruise ship. Career-training jobs are more difficult to come by and involve a much greater effort on your part.
Teaching abroad is one of the most accessible and popular options for paid or inexpensive long-term stays overseas. However, this means that the higher-paying jobs, arranged in advance, are also more competitive. Typical destinations include Spain, China, Japan, South Korea, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Proficiency in the local language is rarely a requirement, although it may be helpful.
Additional Resources
- Peace Corps
- A local Peace Corps liaison often visits Berea; they attend the annual Education Abroad Fair (held in mid-November each year) as well as events with Careers!
- CIEE Teach Abroad
- TEFL.com
- All ESL