The 2014 Fellowship Competition
Frequently Asked Questions
- I was born outside the United States but I certainly feel like a New American. Could the program make an exception and accept my application even though I am still on a student visa?
- I was born in Central Europe and came to the US for graduate study. Neither of my parents is an American citizen, but I have a green card. Am I eligible?
- Does the program have “quotas” or other kinds of limits on candidates whose families come from different areas of the world?
- I’m a college senior now and am applying for a graduate degree program that will require at least four years of study. Would I be well advised to wait a couple of years to apply so that I’d have more experience and a more extensive set of accomplishments to present in my application?
- If I were awarded a fellowship in the Soros Class of 2014, when would the fellowship begin?
- If I were awarded a fellowship in the Soros Class of 2014, might the amount of support I could obtain from the Soros program be influenced by the provisions of other awards, or employment I held or might win?
I was born outside the United States but don’t yet have a Green Card, Can I apply even though I might not have actually obtained my Green Card by November 9, 2014?
Your application will be deemed ineligible for consideration if you cannot present evidence of having received a Green Card on or before November 9, 2014. Back to top
I was born outside the United States but I certainly feel like a New American. Could the program make an exception and accept my application even though I am still on a student visa?
No. Back to top
My father was born in Puerto Rico and my mother in the Canal Zone, where she was granted US citizenship by birth. They immigrated to the US, where I was born. Am I eligible for this program?
No. Both parents have to have been born abroad as non-US citizens. In your case, both parents were US citizens by birth, so as their American-born child, you are not eligible. Back to top
I was born in the United States when my parents were here as graduate students. We returned to their home country when I was a baby and have lived there ever since. Neither parent is an American citizen. Am I eligible for this program?
No. Though your parents were born abroad, neither has become a naturalized citizen, so as their American-born child, you are not eligible. Back to top
I was born in Central Europe and came to the US for graduate study. Neither of my parents is an American citizen, but I have a green card. Am I eligible?
Since you were born abroad as a non-citizen of the US, your parents’ status is not relevant to your eligibility. Your green card qualifies you as a New American under our eligibility criteria. Back to top
There seem to be lots of fellows at medical and law schools. Does the program favor candidates in these fields of study?
No. Disproportionate numbers of students in – or applying to – medical and law schools apply to this fellowship program. We don’t discriminate against them, but neither do we favor them. Indeed, we encourage and value highly qualified and competitive candidates in very diverse fields of study. The fact that there are relatively few fellows who are in the arts or engineering or some fields of the sciences reflects the relatively small numbers of applications we receive in those fields. Back to top
Does the program have “quotas” or other kinds of limits on candidates whose families come from different areas of the world?
No. The differences in numbers of fellows whose families come from different areas of the world typically reflect the diversity of family backgrounds of applicants. We encourage applications from individuals whose family backgrounds are very diverse, but we don’t in any way try to “balance” the representation of different heritages among those selected to receive fellowships. Back to top
I have been accepted to a graduate school that has close ties to the United States but is physically located in a foreign country. Could the program make an exception and support my study at that institution?
No Back to top
I have been in an accelerated program at my college. I am only 18 years old, but I’m a senior and will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in June 2014. Am I eligible to apply for support to a US graduate program?
Yes. There is no minimum age limit for eligibility. Back to top
I’m applying to graduate programs in the US for academic year 2014-2015. but might want to accept an offer to study abroad during that year and defer my American program until 2015-2016. If I were offered a Soros Fellowship in the class of 2014, would I be able to defer my award for a year while I studied abroad?
No. The program does not permit deferrals. If you decided to study abroad during 2014-2015, you would, however, be eligible to apply for the following years’ Soros application process without prejudice. Back to top
I’m a college senior now and am applying for a graduate degree program that will require at least four years of study. Would I be well advised to wait a couple of years to apply so that I’d have more experience and a more extensive set of accomplishments to present in my application?
The program will assess the evidence you present relative to your age, experience, and level of academic training. Thus it will expect considerably less in the way of accomplishments from a 22-year old college senior than it will from a 28-year-old second year graduate student who worked for four years before beginning work on a graduate degree. So, unless you really feel like a “late bloomer,” you should do as well in the competition as a senior as you would as a second-year graduate student. Back to top
If I apply for the 2014 competition, but don’t get selected as a fellow, can I apply again in a subsequent year if I am still eligible?
Yes, and you can be assured that your application will be given full and equitable consideration. It is not unusual for fellows selected in one year to have been unsuccessful candidates in previous years. On the other hand, a candidate who was chosen as a finalist in one year will not necessarily be chosen as a finalist in a subsequent competition. On balance, the level of competition becomes more rigorous as the program becomes more widely known. Back to top
If I were awarded a fellowship in the Soros Class of 2014, when would the fellowship begin?
If you were already in a graduate program in February of 2014, you would be able to begin receiving support for the term in which you were then enrolled. Alternately, you would be able to take up the fellowship at the beginning of the following academic year (i.e. in the fall Sept. 2014). If you were not in a graduate program in February of 2014, you would take up the fellowship in the fall of 2014. Back to top
If I were awarded a fellowship in the Soros Class of 2014, might the amount of support I could obtain from the Soros program be influenced by the provisions of other awards, or employment I held or might win?
Yes. You would be asked to inform the Program of other awards that you had received and/or were still competing for. You would typically be asked to accept a total combined award package that would not exceed full tuition, required fees, plus $35,000 for maintenance. If you wished to work during he period of the Fellowship, the Soros Program Director would want to determine that such employment was primarily designed to strengthen and promote your professional or academic or artistic development. Back to top