National deadline: November 1, 2011

Eligibility requirements:

• A New American (a green card holder or naturalized citizen if born abroad; a child of naturalized citizens if born in this country).
• Not yet 31 years old, as of the application deadline.
• A college senior or holder of a bachelor’s degree.
• Not beyond your second year – if already enrolled -- in the graduate degree program for which you request support.

Award summary and conditions:

• Thirty Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans will be awarded in 2012 on the basis of a single national competition.
• Each fellowship supports up to two years of graduate study – in any field and in any advanced degree-granting program – in the United States.
• Each award is for up to $25,000 in maintenance grants and up to $20,000 in tuition support for each year of graduate study supported, a total of as much as $90,000.

Application process: Electronic submission preferred but hard copy applications accepted.

Application materials:  See Website for specific instructions for applying electronically or by hard copy.

• online application form
• two essays on specified topics limited to a 1,000 words each
• resume (1-2 pages): you may emphasize aspects of your academic and non-academic activities that are most relevant to the selection criteria.  In any case, make sure that you include some documentation of all periods subsequent to the completion of your bachelors degree.
• The request for exhibits provides you with an opportunity to help us better understand the significance of your creativity, originality, initiative, accomplishments and/or commitment to constitutional and bill of rights values.  In addition you may attach no more than five additional pages that document or illustrate your strengths in one or more of the selection criteria.  Appropriate exhibits might include: copies of newspaper or magazine articles about you and/or your accomplishments, excerpts from a portfolio, letters of commendation, programs for events you have organized or in which you have participated, title and author pages of publications you have authored and additional letter of recommendation. 
  If you are applying for support in the fine or performing arts, or if you feel that your performances or contributions to films, documentaries, etc. are important aspects of your accomplishments, you can submit one CD or DVD, or no more than 12 slides.
• three recommendation letters, of which one is from a faculty member familiar with the applicant's current or most recent academic work and one is from someone who is familiar with her/his performance in a work-setting, whether paid or volunteer
• institutional status form from the institution attended indicating when and whether the present degree program will be completed (this may be completed by a registrar, a dean or director of the program, or other authority); candidates who have a bachelor's degree and have not yet enrolled in a graduate program need not provide this form
• transcript from the applicant's undergraduate institution, and if her/his graduate training is already in progress, from the graduate institution as well; candidates may submit a photocopy of the transcript
• documentary evidence that the applicant meets the definition of New American
• submit to the Fellowship Program by the second week of December, 2011, scores from any graduate aptitude test (e.g., GMAT, MCAT, GRE, LSAT) required by programs to which the applicant has applied; candidates may submit a photocopy of the score report; this requirement does not pertain to students in programs where portfolios or auditions determine admissions.

Faculty Representative: Keith Raether

National committee interview: Yes

Selection process:

• Selection criteria emphasize creativity, originality, initiative, and sustained accomplishment.   
• The program values a commitment to the constitution and the bill of rights.
• The program promotes a strong sense of community among fellows and alumni through fall conferences for fellows and numerous events for fellows and alumni held throughout the country.
• The top 84 applicants will be designated “finalists” and will be asked to appear for interviews in New York City or Los Angeles in late-January of 2012.  Reasonable expenses will be covered by the Fellowship Program.

Announcement date: 30 recipients will be announced in February 2012

Contact information: http://www.pdsoros.org/overview