Soros Fellowship for New Americans
Application period: Tuesday, April 25, 2023 to Thursday, October 26, 2023 (11:00 a.m. PT)
Eligibility requirements:
- New American (U.S. citizens who are the children of two immigrants; naturalized or adopted U.S. citizens; green card holders; those with refugee or asylum status; immigrants who have graduated from both high school and college in the U.S.)
- Parent(s) must have been born outside of the U.S. as non-U.S. citizens
- Not yet 31 years old, as of the application deadline
- Senior or Bachelor's degree recipient
- Entering graduate school or in the first two years of graduate school
Award summary and conditions: The purpose of the Soros Fellowship is to provide opportunities for continuing generations of able and accomplished New Americans to achieve leadership in their chosen fields and to partake of the American dream. The program was established in recognition of the contributions new Americans have made to American life and in gratitude for the opportunities the United States afforded the founders of the Fellowship, Paul and Daisy Soros.
The program uses three primary criteria for selection of fellows:
- The candidate has demonstrated creativity, originality, and initiative, in one or two aspects of her/his life
- The candidate has demonstrated a commitment to and capacity for accomplishment that has required drive and sustained effort
- The candidate has demonstrated a commitment to the values expressed in the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution. This would include, but not be limited to, support of human rights and the rule of law, opposition to unwarranted encroachment on personal liberty, and advancing the responsibilities of citizenship in a free society.
Application process: online
Application requirements:
- Biographical information
- Eligibility confirmation
- Graduate program(s) for which the applicant seeks support
- Essays (2)
- Letters of recommendation (3-5)
- Resume
- Transcript(s)
- Standardized test scores
Optional additional materials:
- 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
- Additional letter of recommendation.
- Information on how you learned about this program.
Faculty Representative: Dr. Jess Hernandez
National committee interview: Yes
Selection process: The top 77 applicants will be designated "finalists" and will be asked to appear for interviews in New York City or Los Angeles in late January or early February. Reasonable travel expenses will be paid for by the Soros Fellowship.
Announcement date: 30 recipients will be announced in April.