Under Carleton’s structure, students apply in the winter of the sophomore year and are chosen on the basis of demonstrated intellectual achievement; the quality of their research project proposal; the strength of their letters of recommendation; and their commitment to pursuing doctoral study in a Mellon-designated field. The fellowship begins the summer after sophomore year and continues until graduation.

MMUF fellows receive a range of support designed to foster their intellectual growth and achievement.  Perhaps the most important of these is a dedicated community of scholars on campus and nationwide who share their commitment to intellectual excellence, their passion for research, and their desire to see positive change in the academy. Throughout their time in the program, fellows receive:

  1. Faculty mentoring on a weekly basis in one-on-one and seminar settings;
  2. Peer mentoring in one-on-one and seminar settings;
  3. A for-credit Mellon research seminar each term;
  4. Generous stipend support for summer, winter break, and spring break research activities; fellows are expected to work on their research full time during the breaks;
  5. Support for research-related travel and materials;
  6. Repayment of up to $10,000 in undergraduate loans if you pursue doctoral study in Mellon designated disciplines; if undergraduate loans total less than $10,000, the remainder may be applied to loans for MMUF graduate study.
  7. Access to other funding and intellectual opportunities later in their graduate and professional career, such as the Social Science Research Council’s Pre-doctoral Fellowships and Dissertation fellowship.