Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship

This scholarship is listed by UTSA’s Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, which supports current UTSA students on the undergraduate and graduate levels to apply to opportunities outside of UTSA. Students are encouraged to work with the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards and Fellowships as early as possible to discuss the application process. While some applications are short, drafting application materials for major awards may take months of preparation, and application materials should reflect this high level of preparation. Please note that we do not advise students on other scholarship opportunities listed on the scholarship hub outside of the “External” section.

Through its Fellowship Programs, the Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.

This competition year the program will award approximately 70 predoctoral fellowships. These fellowships provide three years of support for individuals engaged in graduate study leading to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or Doctor of Science (Sc.D.) degree. Predoctoral fellowships will be awarded in a national competition administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) on behalf of the Ford Foundation. The awards will be made to individuals who, in the judgment of the review panels, have demonstrated superior academic achievement, are committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level in the U.S., show promise of future achievement as scholars and teachers, and are well prepared to use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.

Awards will be made for study in research-based Ph.D. or Sc.D. programs. Examples include: American studies, anthropology, archaeology, art and theater history, astronomy, chemistry, communications, computer science, cultural studies, earth sciences, economics, engineering, ethnic studies, ethnomusicology, geography, history, international relations, language, life sciences, linguistics, literature, mathematics, performance study, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, religious studies, sociology, urban planning, and women’s studies. Also eligible are interdisciplinary ethnic studies programs, such as African American studies and Native American studies, and other interdisciplinary programs, such as area studies, peace studies, and social justice. Research-based fields of education are eligible if the major field of study is listed above and is used to describe the Ph.D. or Sc.D. program of the applicant (e.g., sociology of education, anthropology and education).

Eligibility to apply for a predoctoral fellowship is limited to:

• All U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and U.S. permanent residents (holders of a Permanent Resident Card), as well as individuals granted deferred action status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, Indigenous individuals exercising rights associated with the Jay Treaty of 1794, political asylees, and refugees, regardless of race, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation,
• Individuals with evidence of superior academic achievement (such as grade point average, class rank, honors, or other designations),
• Individuals committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level in the U.S.,
• Individuals enrolled in or planning to enroll in an eligible research-based (dissertation-required) program leading to a Ph.D. or Sc.D. degree at a non-proprietary (not for profit) U.S. institution of higher education. This includes graduating seniors who are currently applying to PhD programs.
• Individuals who as of the 2021 fall semester require a minimum of three years of study2 to complete their Ph.D. or Sc.D. degree, and
• Individuals who have not earned a doctoral degree at any time, in any field.

Interested applicants should visit the website below for the scholarship to learn more about the award. If you plan to apply to this specific program and would like application support, please contact Andrew Chapman of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards by filling out the following intake form. Please do not submit this intake form to inquire about other awards listed in the Scholarship Hub.