Before applying

Questions to Consider

To determine how your academic and professional goals and the mission of the MMUF program align, consider reflecting on and discussing the following questions with faculty and graduate students in your field of interest:

  1. What are my research interests? What would make a strong MMUF research project?
  2. Which faculty member would I like to work with on a research project?
  3. Would the type of research I want to pursue lead to a Ph.D. in one of the MMUF Eligible Fields of Study? 
  4. What could I do with a Ph.D.? Would I want to be a faculty member?
  5. What is it like to be a graduate student?
Eligibility

Applications are open to:

  1. Sophomores interested in Ph.D. programs in one of the Mellon-designated fields
  2. Candidates whose activities and leadership reflect an interest in social justice issues and the promotion of multivocality in thought, scholarship, and expression
  3. Students with US citizenship and permanent resident status (green card holders) are eligible to apply

The Application Process

Applicants should identify a faculty mentor with whom to work during the fellowship period. Your faculty mentor should be in the discipline in which you plan to major and in which you plan to attend graduate school. Frequently, our Fellows select their mentors from among the professors with whom they have become acquainted in a course. You also may be able to identify a faculty member whose research interests are close to yours, whether or not you have had them in a course.

Applicants should work collaboratively with their chosen mentor to design a specific research topic. This research project will be the focus of the applicant's first summer in the program.

You may apply to the MMUF Program without a faculty mentor or project. Once you have submitted your application, you will work with the MMUF program coordinators to identify an appropriate mentor prior to the award selection date. Please note that if you apply without a faculty mentor you must obtain two letters of reference from faculty. Please contact Anna Bernard-Hoverstad for more details.

To Apply to the mellon mays undergraduate Fellowship

Applications for the 2024-2025 cohort of Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows are closed.

Please contact Anna Bernard-Hoverstad if you have any questions about the fellowship, requirements, or application process.