Carleton-funded fellowship application deadlines fall every term.
Fall Term stipulations and deadlines
IMPORTANT NOTE: Beginning with Fall Term 2025, only the Senior Year Comps Fellowship (for Comps work by seniors over Winter Break) will have a Fall Term deadline.
***PLAN AHEAD!! You may apply to pursue Winter Break projects at the Winter (highly recommended) or Spring Term deadline.***
Winter Term stipulations and deadlines
The Winter Term deadline is for proposed fellowship activities over summer or over the next academic year’s Winter Break.
WINTER TERM APPLICATION DEADLINE (see notes below): February 11, 2025, 11:59pm Central Time
WINTER TERM RECOMMENDATIONS DEADLINE: February 18, 2025, 11:59pm Central Time
Please note that the Winter Term deadline is the main fellowships deadline of the academic year. First-year, Sophomore, and Junior students may apply for any fellowships with Winter Term deadlines for projects taking place over summer or Winter Break. Seniors are not eligible to apply at the Winter Term deadline.
While First-year, Sophomore, and Junior students MAY also submit non-Comps proposals for Winter Break at the Spring Term deadline, such proposals are unlikely to receive funding — applying at the Winter Term deadline is strongly encouraged.
Finally, please note that select fellowships can be applied for ONLY during Winter Term: Donelson, Hanson Ethics, and the Nancy Wilkie Fellowship for Archaeological Field Experience.
Spring Term stipulations and deadlines
The Spring Term deadline is for proposed fellowship activities over summer (Comps-related only) or over the next academic year’s Winter Break.
SPRING TERM APPLICATION DEADLINE (see notes below): April 15, 2025, 11:59pm Central Time
SPRING TERM RECOMMENDATIONS DEADLINE: April 22, 2025, 11:59pm Central Time
The Spring Term deadline is intended primarily for juniors seeking funding for summer or Winter Break projects related to Comps. Non-Comps proposals for summer fellowships will not be considered at the Spring Term deadline.
While First-year, Sophomore, and Junior students MAY submit non-Comps proposals for Winter Break at the Spring Term deadline, such proposals will only receive support if sufficient funding remains — applying at the Winter Term deadline is strongly encouraged.
Information for Recommenders
Please visit our Information for Recommenders page.
Common application form to be used for all fellowships EXCEPT the David C. Donelson, Hanson Ethics, Nancy Wilkie, and and Technos International Week Fellowships.
Introduction
Some fellowship funds offer financial support for experiences. This is a broad category that can include activities related to your academic or professional goals, service learning, and experiences without an explicit purpose beyond intellectual and personal development or enhancing your intercultural awareness.
Applications and Deadlines
The Chang-Lan, Professor Roy F. Grow, and Larson International Fellowships use a common application form and recommendations. You can apply for these at the Fall Term, Winter Term, or Spring Term deadline. The important thing when applying for one of these fellowships using the common application is to describe well what you want to do – if your proposal is selected for funding, the review committee will determine the source.
The David C. Donelson Fellowship, Nancy Wilkie Fellowship for Archaeological Field Experience, and Technos International Week use individual application forms that you will find on their individual pages and may be applied for only during Winter Term.
Quick overview of the application and recommendation deadline and submission process
Recommendations: All these fellowship applications require recommendations. You will enter the names of your recommenders in the application; please be sure they have agreed to provide a recommendation (you can direct them to the information for recommenders, if they need to know more about what is expected before agreeing to support your application). Following the due date, we will send a copy of your finalized application for their review, along with a link to the appropriate recommendation form.
Support for Travel
All of these fellowships may be used to support travel and some of them have stipulations:
The Chang-Lan Fellowship award must be used for research or experiences in China (or in other Asian countries with specific reference to China)
The Larson International Fellowship (open only to US or Canadian citizens or permanent residents) must be used to support international travel outside of the US and Canada.
The Professor Roy F. Grow Fellowship award must be used for research or experiences in Asia.
Guidance
- Consult the FAQs for answers to common questions about fellowships and applications
- Consult our general guidelines for writing a successful proposal
- View successful applications
- The Writing Center can be a useful resource!
- Read Creating a Budget for Carleton-Funded Fellowships for helpful tips on budget preparation
- Most fellowships require a “Bring-Back” in order to share experiences and cultivate interest in Carleton fellowships. You will describe your planned bring-back as part of your application; get some ideas on the After Your Fellowship page
Expectations
All fellowship applicants must be in good academic standing. In addition, fellowships may not be awarded to students who are on probation or suspension for conduct violations.
When deciding among equally strong proposals for the same category/categories or fellowship funds, juniors/rising seniors (especially those proposing Comps work) are prioritized for fellowship funding; followed by sophomores/rising juniors; and the lowest priority group for funding will be first-year students/rising sophomores.
With the exception of support for Comps work, applications from students who have not already received fellowship funding will have priority over applications from students who have received such funding.
All fellowship recipients pursuing Summer Break projects are expected to spend at least 20 hours per week on fellowship activities during the proposed fellowship period. All fellowship recipients pursuing Winter Break projects are expected to spend 30-40 hours per week on fellowship activities during the proposed fellowship period.
You may accept other Carleton funding to support your project (for example, from the Career Center; the Center for Global and Regional Studies; the Jonathan Paradise Israel Experience Fund; Kolenkow-Reitz Fellowship Program; or an individual discipline or program) only up to the amount of your proposed budget.