How to Apply

First, determine which scholarship may be the best fit given your academic status, your discipline, accomplishments, experience, and goals. Prestige scholarships are extremely competitive and for most scholarships a very strong academic record is essential. Some scholarships are applied for by sophomores or juniors, others by seniors or graduate students. Some are based partly on need; some are limited to certain disciplines. Some involve studying abroad, some involve a commitment upon completion (such as the Truman expectation of three years of public service). For further information consult the scholarships table, contact the Assistant Director or Director of the Prestige Scholarship Committee (see scholarship committee for contact info), or use the search tool accessible through the useful links page.

Second, go to the scholarship's website and gather information about what is required to apply. Consult with faculty who are likely to write recommendations and get their advice. You will typically need to secure at least 3 letters or reference but in many cases more, transcripts, and in some cases data about financial need. It is your responsibility to gather this information in a timely manner.

If you intend to apply for a Prestige Scholarship send an email to either:
David Flanigan (flanigan@fau.edu), or
Mark Tunick (tunick@fau.edu)
Include your name, address, phone, email, which scholarship you are interested in, your GPA, and why you feel that scholarship is appropriate for you.
You will then be contacted.

If an institutional nomination is required, you must have your application materials submitted by FAU's internal deadline for materials, which will be well in advance of the scholarship deadline. FAU's internal deadlines for applications are or will be posted on the scholarships page. For example, for the Rhodes and Marshall, applicants must submit all materials by September 1 so the FAU selection committee may conducts its internal review. The committee carefully reviews the application and letters of reference and interviews the applicant. If a candidate is recommended, then the final application must be submitted to FAU by September 30 so that FAU may endorse and submit the application by the October scholarship deadline.

Please be advised that the University will forward applications only if they meet the high standards of the scholarship program. Direct applications from the student to the scholarship program are not permitted where an institutional nomination is required.

If an institutional nomination is not required, you are still advised to contact the Prestige Scholarship office (through either David Flanigan or Mark Tunick) so that we can provide advice and assistance.

For Faculty

Faculty can play a vital role in the prestige scholarship application process in at least 3 ways:

Identifying potential applicants. Please e-mail Mark Tunick with the name of any outstanding students who may be competitive for a scholarship. There are scholarships available for sophomores, juniors, seniors, graduate students, and even freshmen. You may use the resources of this website to learn more about the scholarships, but please nominate an outstanding student even if you aren't sure which scholarship would be most appropriate. We will then contact the student.

Providing advice and guidance to applicants.

Writing letters of recommendation. Faculty letters of recommendation are among the most important factors for selection committees in deciding among candidates for a scholarship. Based on information conveyed at the Conference of the National Association of Fellowship Advisors, here are some tips:

1. Students are advised to waive their right to see the letter. Not waiving the right may be looked on unfavorably by selection committees.

2. Should you write the letter? Some faculty choose to have written policies for when they will write letters, such as that the student must have taken at least 2 classes from them, or received at least B's in the professor's classes. If a student approaches you for whom you could not write a positive letter, it would be best to decline. Note: The Goldwater targets students in the sciences and engineering with a research focus and prefers letters from faculty familiar with the student's research, though additional strong letters from non-science faculty beyond the 3 letters required may be helpful.

3. Meet with the student for 20 minutes, and/or invite the student to email you information about their accomplishments and goals, to help prepare your letter.

4. Be aware of the specific mission and goals of the scholarship the student is applying for. On this point, consider the Rhodes Scholarship "Procedures for Application" (2005), which says "Nor are the 'prepackaged' letters of recommendation filed by faculty members on behalf of students in many institutions suitable... Referees are asked to measure the applicant against the full range of the Rhodes Scholarship criteria and not to speak solely to those attributes which would, for example, be relevant to the evaluation of a student's acceptability to a post-graduate program." You are urged to contact the Prestige Scholarship Committee and go to the scholarship's website (list is online) to learn more about the specific scholarship.

5. Don't just say the student "is among the top 1% of all students I have known": the reviewers need to see convincing examples of WHY you rank the student so highly. Be specific. One example offered by an official of one of the UK Prestige Scholarships is: 'the student helped me to rethink a point and changed my way of understanding a subject' (followed by detailed explanation).

6. Don't just say, this is an 'A' student, or the student 'turns work in on time'; virtually all the applicants for these scholarships will be such students.

7. Letters of recommendation should show that the faculty really knows the person and is excited about them; pro-forma letters will not be helpful.

8. Certain phrases are viewed as codes with hidden meaning. For example, "Please contact me for further information" will likely be viewed as a code for a negative impression.

9. Do not overinflate and risk losing credibility for FAU. As a representative from Marshall put it, 'no one is superman'. If appropriate, you may wish to offer some criticism, perhaps introduced by acknowledging that the selection committee desires honest criticism, and you may limit this to a sentence or paragraph.

10. It is standard practice for the head of the Prestige Scholarships office who submits the application on behalf of the University to review letters and ask letter writers to make revisions if needed. Please do not hesitate to be in touch with the Director (contact information online) and seek feedback early on.

Prestige Scholarship Committee

The Prestige Scholarship Coordinating Committee was appointed by the Provost to oversee the selection of FAU applicants for Prestige scholarships and facilitate student success in applying. Students wanting further information about Prestige scholarships in general should contact David Flanigan, the Assistant Director of the committee. Students wanting further information about a Prestige scholarship that requires institutional nomination should contact the Prestige Scholarship Committee Faculty Advisor for that scholarship, as listed below.

For information about Prestige scholarships that do not require institutional nomination, contact David Flanigan or Mark Tunick.

Students applying for scholarships requiring institutional nomination (except for the Fulbright) will need their application approved by a selection committee headed by the Prestige Scholarship Commitee Faculty Advisor of the particular scholarship, and an institutional letter of endorsement from the Director of the Prestige Scholarship Committee.

Fulbright applications must be approved by the Fulbright Selection Committee.

Prestige Scholarship Committee Members

Fulbright Scholarship Selection Committee

The U.S. Student Program is designed to give recent B.S./B.A. graduates, master's and doctoral candidates opportunities for personal development and international experience. Most grantees plan their own programs. Students apply through the Fulbright Program Adviser at the University.

How to apply

1. Contact FAU's Fulbright Program Adviser in the International Programs Office:
Catherine Meschievitz (561-297-1039).

Additional information can be found on FAU's International Programs Fulbright site page.

2. Complete the application, available at the Fulbright website, by FAU's internal deadline.
This is typically in mid-September; contact Catherine Meschievitz for details.

Fulbright's deadline for applications is typically in mid-October. Click here to visit their web site and learn more.