National Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Grants

Prestigious fellowships and scholarships are monetary awards offered by institutions, foundations, or other organizations to support academic work, research, or specialized training in areas of particular interest to the granting organization. The Office of Student Academic Affairs (OSAA) supports these fellowships and scholarships from external funders that require an institutional endorsement. Eligibility guidelines and qualifications for fellowships are as varied as the organizations that sponsor them, so you should spend some time looking at the descriptions on our List of Fellowships, Scholarship, and Grants page. 

Prestigious fellowships and scholarships  are offered by external funders—not Skidmore. If you are an incoming student or a current student with questions about financial aid, please contact the Office of Financial Aid. 

Most fellowships and scholarships require students to have a strong GPA. However, this is only one part of the application. Candidates for prestigious fellowships and scholarships are commited to their studies and engaged with campus and/or their community. These traits are reflected in internships, independent studies, collaborative research, leadership roles in clubs and/or organizations, etc. 

At a minimum, students should be exploring these fellowships and scholarships and talking to Ms. Melito the semester before an application is due. However, we strongly encourage students to come in during their first or second year to discuss the process and get started researching the opportunities that are available to them given their major, GPA, future goals, etc.    

Generally, these fellowships and scholarships are granted to those with a high level of achievement in a given area, such as academic or artistic talent. Awards are also available for students who are interested in particular fields of study, who are members of under-represented groups, who live in certain areas of the country, etc. The best way to see if you qualify for one of these fellowships and scholarships is to spend some time reading about the different scholarships and fellowships the OSAA supports. We list basic information about each fellowship and scholarship and provide a link to the homepage for each. Please know that most have a minimum GPA requirement, so it is important that you review the online information to see if you qualify. 

For most prestigious fellowships and scholarships, there is a limit to the number of students Skidmore can nominate. Therefore, there is a nomination process. Please contact us the semester before a scholarship's deadline. 

While most of the prestigious fellowships and scholarships the OSAA supports are for juniors, seniors, and recent graduates, there is no reason to delay exploring opportunities in your academic interests. At this point in your college career you might consider:

1. Making an appointment to come in and talk to our office about your plans to apply for a Truman Scholarship, Goldwater Scholarship, etc.;
2. Meeting with your advisor or other faculty members to investigate possibilities for collaborative research and independent studies;
3. Talking to the Career Development Center about internships;
4. Volunteering at local organizations and non profits; and
5. Joining clubs that would allow you to further your interests outside the classroom.

As a junior or a senior interested in a prestigious fellowship or scholarship, you should make an appointment to come in and talk to Marla Melito about the application process. You will need to have a strong sense of your academic interests for the next year and/or beyond, so please spend some time prior to the meeting determining which fellowships and scholarships fit with your achievements, goals, and values. It is in your best interest to start planning early, so please come in the semester before the application deadline. 

Please know that spending a semester (or year) abroad does not disqualify you from this process.  Please contact our office to discuss the application process for students who are abroad. 

The OSAA offers its support to Skidmore alumni for three years after graduation. Please contact our office to discuss this process.  Also, many of the scholarships have age/graduation date cut-offs. Please be sure to review the criteria for each scholarship to be sure you are still eligible.

We often receive phone calls from parents asking about opportunities for their student. We encourage parents to explore our webpage, discuss these opportunities, and encourage their student to make an appointment to come in and talk to us about the application process.