Fellowship Policies

The Office of Fellowships administers many Yale-specific Fellowships as well as the campus application and university endorsement process for a number of external awards. The following policies apply to all applicants and recipients of these fellowships.

A full list of fellowships administered by the Office of Fellowships can be accessed through the Yale Student Grants Database by searching for “Office of Fellowships” as the Sponsoring Organization.

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Eligibility

Yale College students must be enrolled both at the time of submitting the fellowship application and at the time of receiving an award. Yale College students who are on a leave of absence are eligible to apply. Students who are withdrawn are not eligible to apply.

Deferrals

It is not possible to defer summer, term-time, or post-graduate fellowships administered by the Office of Fellowships. If a student is eligible to apply in the next cycle, they may do so. It is typically not possible to defer nationally competitive awards - students should refer to the guidelines issued by the specific fellowship commission.

Application Deadlines

Both the time and day of campus deadlines for submission of fellowship applications must be strictly observed. In fairness to the many applicants who work hard to turn in applications on time, it is our policy not to accept late applications without prior written permission, to be granted only in exceptional circumstances by the Director of the Office of Fellowships.

Honesty in Fellowship Applications and Essays

In keeping with the Yale College policy on academic honesty, the Office of Fellowships expects that all essays, budgets, résumés, transcripts, and other supporting materials submitted as part of a fellowship application are accurate and are the student's own work. It is a breach of academic honesty to misrepresent one's needs or accomplishments, to borrow from other writers without proper acknowledgment, or to submit as one's own material that which has been written or re-written by other hands.

Please note that certain national fellowships, such as Rhodes and Mitchell, do not permit any editorial review of personal statements or essays. Any student with a question about the extent of permissible editorial help should consult a Fellowship Adviser. Students are urged to use caution in consulting commercial editing services or others who offer to "correct" or "make changes" to their essays. Violations of this policy may be referred to the Yale College Executive Committee.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools

For Yale classes, the use of AI tools is governed by individual course policy, set by each instructor. Unless specifically permitted by instructor policy, students cannot incorporate language generated by AI tools directly into their papers. Inserting AI-generated text into a Yale College assignment without proper attribution is a violation of academic integrity.

Since fellowship and graduate school applications are both academic in nature, students should align with the course policy above and should not apply AI to those materials. Students should also check to see what specific guidelines the school or fellowship provides—some may prohibit the use of AI tools at all in researching and preparing the application.

Guidelines about these practices may change over time, so check directly with the school or fellowship for the most up to date policy.

Failure to Fulfill Fellowship Requirements

If a student who receives a fellowship fails to comply with the terms of that fellowship award (including, but not limited to, completing reporting requirements, honoring duration of the proposal, informing the Office of Fellowships of proposal or program changes, and completing an academic program in good standing), the Office of Fellowships will determine, on a case by case basis, the amount of funding to be returned to Yale University.  This could result in total forfeiture of the award. Further, the student's dean and head of college will be informed of the violation, and a letter of censure may be placed in the student's residential college file.  The Office of Fellowships also reserves the right to bar the student from consideration for other fellowships, including national fellowships that require University endorsement.

Multiple Awards

A summer experience may be funded by multiple internal Yale fellowships, but the total amount awarded may not exceed the proposed fellowship budget. If a student is offered multiple awards for the same experience in the summer, the student must notify the Office of Fellowships and any other appropriate offices so that an equitable arrangement regarding funding can be made. 

Students awarded an external fellowship and a Yale Postgraduate fellowship (for example, the Fulbright and a Yale College Postgraduate Fellowship or a Fox fellowship), must decide which to accept - they may not accept both - and notify the Office of Fellowships accordingly.

Overlapping experiences

If a student is awarded a fellowship, it is expected that the activity funded by the fellowship is the student's sole and full-time (at least 30 hours per week) occupation for the duration of the experience. Students may not be funded for simultaneous experiences through other Yale or external funding sources. For example, if a student receives an International Study Award (ISA) for a study abroad program, or a Summer Experience Award (SEA) for an internship, they may not conduct research funded by a fellowship at the same time.

Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation submitted for a particular fellowship competition are not considered transferable to other competitions or to other offices or agencies.
Letter writers may request copies of letters they submitted in support of fellowship applicants during the current or two preceding academic years by contacting the Office of Fellowships. All recommendation letters are considered confidential.

Research requiring review by the Human Subjects Committee (HSC) of Yale's Institutional Review Board (IRB)

If your research will require IRB approval or exemption, as determined by the Human Subjects Committee guidelines, you will need to submit an IRB application to the Human Subjects Committee for review. Your fellowship funding will not be released to you until you are granted IRB approval or exemption. You may not start the Human Subjects component of your research until approval or exemption has been granted. Guidelines on how to determine whether you need to apply for IRB review, and how and when to apply for IRB review are provided throughout the fellowship application process.

International Travel Policy for Yale College Students

Projects in some regions or countries may not be eligible for Yale-specific fellowship funding based on the Yale University International Travel Policy. It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of this policy and to stay informed of any changes in the status of their planned destination.

Pre-departure Requirements

Yale College students receiving a fellowship to support an international activity are required to complete an online travel registration. On this website, students can fill out required pre-departure forms and access online pre-departure orientation materials. Additional fellowship pre-departure resources are available on the website.

Fellowships and the IRS

Under the Tax Reform Act of 1986, most fellowship monies are considered taxable income. Certain fellowships are "qualified," in which case specific portions of the funds awarded may be deductible. Fellowship recipients are advised to consult an accountant regarding the declaration of fellowship funds and to review carefully Chapter I of the IRS Publication 970 - Tax Benefits for Education. While the Office of Fellowships cannot offer tax advice, the IRS Tax Office on Court Street offers free tax advice. International students may reach out to the International Tax Office for additional resources.

Leave of Absence and Class Year-Specific Awards

Students may apply only once for any given fellowship for which eligibility is restricted to members of a single class year. Students considering a leave of absence are strongly encouraged to consult with a Fellowships Adviser about when would be the best time to apply for any of the class-specific competitions.

December Graduates applying for the Yale College Postgraduate Fellowships

Students who graduate in December may apply for the Yale College Postgraduate Fellowships in the spring competition cycle following their graduation. The deadline to apply to this common application is in Early February and outcomes are announced in April. If awarded, the funded project must begin BEFORE September 1 of the award year. These fellowships may not be combined with any other fellowship awards - internal (Yale) or external (non-Yale).

Academic Standing

Student recipients of Yale-specific fellowships must remain in good academic standing at the end of the semester in which the fellowship is awarded. If a student withdraws from Yale College for any reason, any Yale-specific fellowship awarded is subject to cancellation.

Limitations

Yale fellowship funding is not available for reimbursement of lost wages or funding toward the Student Share of a student’s financial aid award.

Students should be aware that funding through the Office of Fellowships is not available for the following:

Spring break travel, whether for individual or group activities
Winter break travel
Travel for activities of less than one month
Travel to attend meetings and conferences
Short term (less than one month) individual or student-led group activities
Unanticipated/emergency expenses
Internship programs with a participation fee or a program fee.

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