Fellow Highlights and News

• Announcement

The Opportunity You Shouldn’t Pass Up: Apply

April 16, 2024

We are looking for the 30 most promising New Americans who will go on to make a significant contribution to US society, culture, or their academic field.

Every year, we support 30 New Americans—immigrants and children of immigrants—who are pursuing graduate school in the United States.

You must be planning to be enrolled full-time in a graduate program in the 2025-2026 academic year to apply in the fall of 2024. You can apply to the Fellowship at the same time that you apply for graduate school or in your first two years of the program you’re seeking funding for in 2025. 

​A Network of Immigrant Excellence

In its 26 year history, The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans has built a community of 805 immigrants and children of immigrants.

• Nationalities: The Fellowship has supported New Americans with heritage in over 100 countries. India, China, and Mexico are the most well-represented.
• Types of Immigrants: In addition to the children of immigrants, Green Card holders, and naturalized citizens, the Fellowship also supports individuals who have received refugee or asylum status, as well as immigrants who have graduated from both high school and college in the US, regardless of status (this includes DACA).
• Age: All of our selected Fellows are 30 or younger as of the application deadline. Paul & Daisy Soros Fellows from the 1998 class, the very first class, are now in their mid-careers.
• Careers: Paul & Daisy Soros Fellows have pursued careers in medicine, science, law, policy, technology, business, journalism, government, non-profits, the arts, academia, and in many cases they have built their career across several sectors. 

Selection and Eligibility

Selection criteria focuses on accomplishments that show creativity, originality, and initiative in light of the challenges and opportunities that have been part of the applicant’s immigration experience. The application is open to college seniors, students in the early stages of their graduate career, and those in the workforce who are seeking graduate training. The Fellowship is open to all types of professional and graduate degrees, including JDs, MBAs, MPPs, MPAs, PhDs, MMs, MArchs, MDs, MSs, and the list goes on. 

Eligible applicants must be 30 or younger and planning on being enrolled in a full-time graduate program in the 2025-2026 academic year. Please find the full eligibility requirements here.

Two important things to keep in mind about the October 31, 2024 deadline:

1. We do not review applications on a rolling basis, so there is no advantage to submitting your application early. That being said, don’t wait until the last minute; give yourself time to review. The application system runs slowly on the final due date because of all of the activity.
2. All eligibility requirements apply to the applicant’s status on October 31, 2024. ∎