Eligibility

To be eligible to receive a Beinecke Scholarship, a student must be a college Junior, a citizen of the United States and have a documented history of receiving need-based financial aid as an undergraduate student. See the eligibility section of the Beinecke website for further information.

Deadlines

  • 5:00 p.m. Central Time on November 4, 2022: Pre-Application Form due
  • 5:00 p.m. Central Time on January 4, 2023: Draft of application essay due to fellowships@carleton.edu
  • 5:00 p.m. Central Time on January 16, 2023: Application materials due for on-campus deadline
  • 5:00 p.m. Central Time on February 6, 2023: Final application materials and faculty recommendations due for Carleton nominee

Purpose

The program seeks to encourage and enable highly motivated students to pursue opportunities available to them and to be courageous in the selection of a graduate course of study in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Please note that it is increasingly the case that only students with very high GPAs, significant financial need, and extraordinary records of accomplishment (including presentations or publication) in their field of interest are selected for the Beinecke Scholarship.

Awards

Each scholar receives $5,000 immediately prior to entering graduate school and an additional $30,000 in non-replacement funds (meaning that these funds supplement but do not replace funding provided by a graduate program) while attending graduate school.

Application process

If you wish to apply for a Beinecke Scholarship, please read How to Apply at the Beinecke website and submit a Pre-Application Form by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on November 4, 2022.

It is strongly recommended that you submit a draft of your application essay for review and feedback by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. 

Applicants should submit the following materials as a single PDF to fellowships@carleton.edu by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on January 16, 2023. Please include “Beinecke” in the subject line.

  • Application Form
  • Current resume
  • Personal statement of 1,000 words or less from the nominee describing your background, interests, plans for graduate study and career aspirations. The statement should include a discussion of some experiences and ideas that have shaped those interest, plans and aspirations.
  • The names and contact information for three faculty members (at Carleton or elsewhere) who have agreed to write a letter of recommendation in case you are nominated. We may contact one or more of these recommenders during the selection process. If you are nominated, recommenders will be asked to submit a drafted recommendation letter to Director of Student Fellowships Marynel Ryan Van Zee, followed by a finalized version due by February 6, 2023 at 5:00pm Central Time .
  • A transcript. An unofficial transcript ordered via the Hub is fine at this point. If nominated, we will ask for an official transcript which will be submitted with the application materials.

Interview and Nomination process

Selected applicants will be interviewed as soon as possible following the January 6, 2023, deadline. Once a nominee is chosen and all applicants are notified of the outcome, Director of Student Fellowships Marynel Ryan Van Zee will work with the nominee to revise the application. All documents, including the official transcript and letters of recommendation, must be submitted to Marynel no later than 5:00 p.m. Central Time on February 6, 2023. She will submit the official application with all supporting documents by the Beinecke Foundation deadline.

Campus Liaison

Marynel Ryan Van Zee, Director of Student Fellowships, Laird 131, x4300 / mryanvanzee

Official Website

Beinecke Scholarship

Past Recipients

2013 Recipient: David B. Williams ’14

2012 Recipient: Muira McCammon ’13

2008 Recipient: Mya Dosch ’09

1994 Recipient: Peter Nichol ’95

1990 Recipient: Kevin Baird ’91

1985 Recipient: Barbara Falkowski ’86