The Beinecke Scholarships provide funding for graduate study in the arts, humanities and social sciences, either in the U.S. or overseas. 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. Each scholar receives $5,000 immediately prior to entering graduate school and an additional $35,000 while attending graduate school.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a Beinecke Scholarship, you must:
- be a U.S. citizen or a U.S. national from American Samoa or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands;
- be a college junior pursuing a bachelor’s degree;
- demonstrate superior standards of intellectual ability, scholastic achievement and personal promise during your undergraduate career;
- plan to enter a research- or creative focused master’s or doctoral program in the arts, humanities or social sciences; and
- have a documented history of receiving need-based financial aid during your undergraduate years.
- Please note, students in the social sciences who plan to pursue graduate study in neuroscience should not apply for a Beinecke Scholarship; nor should students applying for professional degrees that emphasize skills and practical analysis such as business, law, public health, public policy, and social work.
University nomination
Columbia University may nominate one undergraduate for consideration each year. Students in Columbia College, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the School of General Studies who will be current juniors at the time of application are eligible. The internal campus competition places students into consideration for nomination. Students may not apply directly to this program.
Columbia students apply for nomination by clicking "Start Your Application" and completing all application materials before the internal deadline. Letters of recommendation should be submitted directly to ugrad-urf@columbia.edu by the internal deadline.