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Second-Year Funding

Agora Fellowships

The Agora Fellows program provides undergraduate students a space to experiment with public discourse in a collaborative environment of their peers. Fellows learn rhetorical concepts as they engage challenging topical issues throughout the year. They also develop facilitative techniques to host monthly deliberative forums for the student body.

Fellows convene the first three weeks of each month throughout the academic calendar. Typically, up to ten students are accepted into the incoming cohort.

  • Applications for 2024 fellowships due by February 28, 2024

Asia Foundation LeadNext Fellowships

With the profound structural changes that will transform geopolitics, global governance, the global economic order, and social landscape over the next decade, a new generation of globally minded leaders is imperative. The LeadNext program equips emerging leaders across cultures and disciplines with strong international networks, exposure to wide-ranging experiences, and leadership tools to thoughtfully steer the future.

  • Fully funded
  • Leadership training, monthly virtual masterclasses, Global Leaders Summit, and fellow mentorship
  • Applications typically due by October
  • Eligibility

ASMEA Grants

To stimulate new and diverse lines of discourse about the Middle East and Africa, ASMEA’s Research Grants Program seeks to support research on topics that deserve greater attention. An applicant may submit a proposal on any topic as long as it is directly relevant to the five broad areas outlined below, and constitutes new and original research. Grants of $2500 will be awarded.

Boren Scholarships

Boren Scholarships, an initiative of the National Security Education Program, provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests, and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded. Scholarships and deadlines vary.

  • Applications for the 2024-25 Boren Awards due January 31, 2024

The Bridge Year Fellowship

The Bridge Year Fellowship will be awarded this spring to one second-semester sophomore who will take a year away from UNC to engage in international service before returning in Fall 2024. Fellows return to college with life lessons that leave them better prepared to take full advantage of their undergraduate careers. Experiential learning through traveling, working, and engaging in service allows students to develop skills that a classroom cannot provide.

  • Applications accepted April-May

BSOS Summer Research Initiative

The program provides rising juniors and seniors with an 8-week intensive experience to develop research skills, learn about doctoral training, and increase graduate training readiness. Departments involved in the SRI include African American Studies, Anthropology, Criminology & Criminal Justice, Economics, Geographical Sciences, Government & Politics, Hearing & Speech Sciences, Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, Psychology, and Sociology.

  • $3,000 stipend, room/board/program costs provided
  • Summer
  • Applications for 2024-25 scholarships due by February 10, 2024
  • Eligibility

Burch Fellowship

Passion. Commitment. Imagination. Leadership. Burch Fellows are exceptional students who bring these qualities to an academic endeavor that falls within the University’s mission. Applicants must have the imagination and resourcefulness to plan a fellowship experience that allows you to pursue of an intense interest well beyond the scope of an academic course or summer internship.

The range and nature of fellowship experiences is bounded only by feasibility, and the imagination and resourcefulness of successful applicants. The duration and location of the fellowship experience will vary, but the fellowship experience should be completed within a calendar year from the time the fellowship is awarded or before graduation, whichever comes first.

  • Applications for 2024-25 fellowships due by January 15, 2024

Carolina Blue Honors Fellowship

Designed for ambitious students who possess a strong work ethic and sense of adventure, the Carolina Blue Honors Fellowship provides up to $6,500 to support self-designed, international learning experiences. Past fellows have enjoyed volunteering with underserved youth with Project Beisbol in Colombia, interning in sport marketing in Australia, planning, executing and closing an esports tournament in Denmark, monitoring and optimizing athlete performances in New Zealand, and more!

  • Internship Route and Faculty-Mentored Research Route
  • Applications for the 2024-25 Carolina Blue Honors Fellowship due by February 1, 2024

Carolina Center for Jewish Studies Undergraduate Grant

Thanks to generous private support, the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies is able to offer several grants supporting undergraduate student research and travel.

There are three types of grants available:

  1. UNC study abroad grants
  2. Jewish language instruction grants
  3. research and travel grants for independent/non-Study Abroad projects
  • Applications for 2024-25 grants due by February 26, 2024

CHCI Congressional Internship Program

On programming days, interns will have a full day centered on CHCI’s four Pillars of Leadership—Civic Engagement, Social Responsibility, Self Empowerment, and Promoting Community and Hispanic Culture. During these weekly sessions, participation in discussions surrounding issues that affect the Latino community will help interns explore a variety topics while building strong relationships that can help throughout their career. CHCI’s curriculum is centered around a graduate-level non-credit public policy course taught by The George Washington University Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute and Trachtenberg School of Public Policy.

  • Summer program applications due by December 1, 2023
  • Fall program applications due by March 1, 2024
  • $3,125-$3,750
  • Congressional Office Internship Placement
  • Housing and transportation costs paid

The Class of 1938 Fellowship Program

The UNC-Chapel Hill Alumni Class of 1938 annually awards summer study abroad fellowships to U.S. students interested in pursuing independent career or personal projects outside the United States.

Critical Language Scholarship (CLS)

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. The program includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains.

  • Funded
  • Room, board, language instruction, visa fees, and travel within host country paid for
  • 8-10 weeks
  • Non-competitive eligibility for U.S. government employment upon completion
  • Applications typically due by November

Curriculum in Global Studies Undergraduate Summer Awards

The Curriculum in Global Studies gratefully accepts proposals for monetary awards to support Undergraduate students who have secured/are securing globally oriented experiences, including internships, study abroad, research, and other similar endeavors for Summer 2024. The aim is to provide financial support so that students can pursue opportunities that will enrich their academic and professional careers. These experiences can be based in the US or abroad.

Daughters of the Revolution Scholarship

Each year the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) awards multiple scholarships to students showing dedication to the pursuit of higher education in diverse areas of study including history, economics, law, political science, medicine, nursing, occupational and physical therapy, elementary and secondary education, chemistry, math, science and English.

  • Applications for 2024-25 scholarships due by January 31, 2024

Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship

The Hollings Scholarship Program provides successful undergraduate applicants with awards that include academic assistance (up to $9,500 per year) for two years of full-time study and a 10-week, full-time paid ($700/week) internship at a NOAA facility during the summer.

The internship between the first and second years of the award provides the scholars with hands-on, practical experience in NOAA-related science, research, technology, policy, management, and education activities. Awards also include travel funds to attend a mandatory NOAA Scholarship Program orientation and the annual Science & Education Symposium, scientific conferences where students present their research, and a housing subsidy for scholars who do not reside at home during the summer internship.

  • Applications for 2024-25 scholarships due by January 31, 2024
  • Eligibility

Freeman-ASIA Program

The Freeman-ASIA program is designed to support U.S.-based undergraduates with demonstrated financial need who are planning to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia. The program’s goal is to increase the number of U.S. citizens and permanent residents with first-hand exposure to and understanding of Asia and its peoples and cultures. Must be an undergraduate student with a minimum GPA of 2.8.

  • $3,000-$7,000
  • Airfare, transportation, basic living costs paid
  • Applications typically due by March

Foreign Language & Areas Studies Fellowship

FLAS fellowships fund the study of Less Commonly Taught Languages and area studies coursework. This program provides academic year and summer fellowships to assist graduate students and advanced undergraduates in foreign language and area studies.

  • Stipend and possibly additional funding
  • Summer or year-long programs offered
  • Applications for grants in Summer 2024 or Academic Year 2024-25 are due by February 2, 2024

Gilman International Scholarship

The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is a grant program that enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, thereby gaining skills critical to our national security and economic prosperity.

  • up to $5,000
  • Applications for 2024-25 scholarships due by March 7, 2024

Note: To be eligible for the Gilman Program, applicants must be receiving a Federal Pell Grant during the time of application or provide proof that they will be receiving a Pell Grant during the term of their study abroad program or internship.

Food Science Summer Scholars Program

NC State University’s Summer Scholars program recruits top students from across the country to develop their skills in food science research, education, and outreach. The scholar experience balances collaborative project work with a faculty mentor, lab group, and a variety of career development opportunities, like workshops, field trips, and guest speakers.

  • Stipend, on-campus housing, travel costs to Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) meeting provided

Goldwater Scholarship

By providing scholarships to college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering, the Goldwater Foundation is helping ensure that the U.S. is producing the number of highly-qualified professionals the Nation needs in these critical fields.

  • Costs of tuition, fees, materials, room & board provided (up to $7,500 per academic year)
  • Applications for 2024-25 scholarships due by January 26, 2024
  • UNC Endorsement Deadlines

The Herbert Lehman Education Fund Scholarship

The Herbert Lehman Scholarship is a national, highly competitive scholarship that makes annual awards to qualified, outstanding undergraduate students. Herbert Lehman Scholarship awards are $3,000 per year for four years totaling $8,000 (as long as scholars remain in good academic standing and continue to meet the scholarship criteria).

  • Up to $12,000 over 4 years
  • Applications for 2024-25 scholarships due by April 1, 2024

Into the Fields Internship

Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF) develops the leadership of college students from diverse backgrounds, giving them the opportunity to work directly with farmworkers in the Carolinas. Each year, SAF trains approximately 25 students on issues that farmworkers face, and places them to work full-time with migrant education programs, legal aid offices, rural health clinics, community-based organizations, and farmworker unions. SAF interns increase the capacity of the organizations they work with by outreaching to over 5,000 farmworkers & their families each summer.

  • $4250 stipend
  • Housing and mentorship provided
  • Out-of-state students from farmworker families receive support securing paid travel to North Carolina
  • Applications for 2024-25 scholarships due by February 7, 2024

Mahatma Gandhi Fellowship

The Mahatma Gandhi Fellowship was established in 1998 by Sangam, UNC’s South Asian awareness student group. The Fellowship awards two students each year up to $3,000 to execute a project of their own design that benefits South Asians in some way, whether it is through direct service or increasing awareness of South Asian culture and issues. Minimum GPA of 3.0.

The National Italian American Foundation

Thanks to the generosity of the Italian American community, the National Italian American Foundation has awarded over $10,000,000 in scholarships since its founding. NIAF administers nearly 200 scholarships annually, ranging in value from $2,500 to $12,000 to Italian American students studying a wide variety of subjects.

The North Carolina Summer Policy Institute (NCSPI)

The North Carolina Summer Policy Institute (NCSPI) brings together students from across the state to participate in a multi-day exploration of North Carolina’s top policy issues through a combination of seminars, panel discussions, and workshops. During this engaging experience, the students will gain a broader understanding of the tools needed to contribute to the policy process.

  • Applications for the summer 2024 program due by April 17, 2024

Phillips Ambassadors

The Phillips Ambassadors scholarship offers undergraduates at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University a unique opportunity to study abroad in Asia. The Phillips Ambassadors Program is open to UNC Chapel Hill and select Duke University undergraduate students across all majors who are applying for a university-approved study abroad academic program in Asia (excluding Central Asia).

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

SURF recipients are expected to engage in undergraduate research, scholarship, or performance for at least 9 weeks, with a minimum of 20 hours/week during the summer, although depending on scope, some projects may require more than the minimum of 20 hours/week. About 60 individual awards are issued each summer.

SURF projects must be carried out under the supervision of a UNC-Chapel Hill faculty research advisor. Additional collaboration with a postdoctoral fellow or graduate student mentor is encouraged when relevant to the research project. The typical SURF award is $4,000. Students in certain program areas are eligible to receive additional funding. Please note that the $4,000 is a stipend to help students with living expenses and/or for any needed travel or supplies if applicable. You are not required to submit a budget for your SURF.

  • Applications for the 2024-25 SURF program due by February 1, 2024

Udall Scholarship

The Udall Scholarship is a merit award for second- and third-year students who have demonstrated a commitment to issues related to American Indian nations or to the environment. It provides leadership, public service, internship, and networking opportunities, in addition to up to $7,000 for eligible academic expenses.

Scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit to two groups of students: those engaged in environmental issues through perspectives of (but not limited to) policy, engineering, science, education, urban planning and renewal, business, health, justice, and economics; those with American Indian or Alaska Natives backgrounds who are engaged in tribal policy or Native health care

Weir Honors Fellowship in Asian Studies

William D. Weir Honors Fellowships in Asian Studies offer Carolina undergraduates a unique opportunity to develop their language skills and gain practical, independent work experience in Chinese. The program is designed for students who have started their Chinese language journey and would like to develop advanced working language skills. Up to three fellowships are awarded annually (two will be awarded in 2024). Recipients spend the Spring semester in Beijing for intensive language study at the CET Chinese Language Center. They then devote eight weeks during the Summer to an unpaid internship in Shanghai, based at the CET Shanghai Program center. Internships are available to match a broad range of student interests, from law and business to the arts, journalism, and health and human services.

  • Open to all UNC undergraduates with at least second year standing and three semesters of Chinese language courses
  • UNC applications due by September, CET Beijing applications due by November