Scholarships, Grants and Work-Study
Scholarships, grants and fellowships are called gift aid because they do not have to be paid back. They may come from governments, colleges and private organizations.
Scholarships may be awarded for academic or athletic ability, interest in a certain subject, or volunteer work. Some scholarships may be given based on membership in an ethnic or religious group. Companies may also award scholarships to you or your child.
Most grants are need-based, which means they are usually given based on you or your family’s financial circumstances.
The Federal Work-Study program is a form of financial assistance provided to students through part-time employment. This aid can vary in amounts and availability by school and be awarded based on need.
About Interschool Fellowships
"Institutional aid" refers to aid managed and awarded by Columbia University as a central entity or independently at each of the University schools. Although most institutional aid is managed and awarded independently at each school, there is also institutional aid that is managed centrally. That centrally managed aid comes in the form of interschool fellowships.
These fellowships are need-based awards that are not restricted to students in one Columbia school or college. The annual amounts of these awards are generally in the range of $1,000 to $5,000. These annual awards are released in two even disbursements, at the start of the fall term and at the start of the spring term.
Applying
Students interested in applying for any of the below fellowships must contact your School Financial Aid Office. Please submit all the necessary documents as required by each fellowship.
Visit the Interschool Fellowships page for each school's application form.
Process
The Financial Aid Offices will submit the names of potential recipients to the Office of University Financial Aid for review and possible awards. The Financial Aid Offices are notified of the recipients within two months of their submission and are responsible for the release of funds. Please contact the financial aid office with any questions you may have.
Fellowships
Clifford and Siegfried Upton Scholarship
This scholarship is intended to benefit the children, adopted children, and step-children of the employees of Boston-based Houghton-Mifflin Company, its subsidiaries, or successor companies. The minimum amount of a scholarship is $1,000 for a school year, and increased according to the needs of the candidate. This fellowship is available to graduate or undergraduate students.
Required Documentation:
- Letter from employer verifying eligibility
George W. Ellis Fellowship
The George W. Ellis Fellowship is available to graduate students who are residents of Vermont or who have graduated from an accredited Vermont college or university.
Required documentation:
- Residents of Vermont should provide a copy of taxes, driver’s license, or voter registration documentation.
- Graduates from a Vermont college should provide a copy of their academic transcript.
Leta Stetter Hollingsworth Fellowship
This fellowship is available to female graduate students at Columbia who are graduating from or graduated from the University of Nebraska.
Required Documentation:
- A copy of the student’s transcript from the University of Nebraska
- A letter of reference from a faculty member of the University of Nebraska
Lydia C. Chamberlain Fellowship
The Lydia C. Chamberlain Fellowship is available for students who resided at any time in the State of Iowa and graduated from a college or university located in the State of Iowa. The award is based on scholastic standing, seriousness of purpose, moral character and real need of financial help and would be used to pursue advanced and graduate studies in Columbia University.
Any person(s) awarded a Lydia C. Chamberlain Graduate Fellowship shall give to Columbia University due notice in writing of acceptance of the fellowship AND shall also state acceptance of the intention to return to the State of IOWA for a period of at least two years upon completion of studies at Columbia University or upon the expiration of the fellowship. If any person so appointed shall fail to register at Columbia University in accordance with its generally applicable rules for timely registration, his fellowship shall be deemed vacant and a new fellow shall be appointed in his / her place. The stipends provided by this award are intended for the payment of the tuition and fees at Columbia University.
Please note: this award is open to all students EXCEPT those students studying law, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or theology.
Required Documentation:
- A copy of the student’s transcript from the Iowa institution
- Upon acceptance of the award, applicant must submit in writing the intention to return to the State of Iowa for period of 2 years.
Paul Nichoplas Scholarship Fund
This scholarship is to benefit a male or female student in area of the University who has attended college or university in Greece. It is available to graduate or undergraduate students for two years.
Required Documentation:
- An affidavit or transcript
Richard T. Wamser Fellowship
The Richard T. Wamser Fellowship is available to male and female undergraduate students of Native American descent. Students must work at least 10-20 hours per week during the term they receive assistance from the fund.
Required Documentation:
- To verify that the student meets the criterion, please provide one of the below:
- Certification of Report of Birth issued by Dept. of State (DS-1350)
- U.S. Citizen ID Card (I-197 or I-179)
- Native American tribal documents
- Students involved in athletic activities should include a written statement outlining their participation.
Vladimir and Olga Poder Fund
This fellowship is to benefit Estonian-speaking students attending Columbia. The fellowship cannot be greater than $2,000 annually.
It is available to graduate or undergraduate students.
Required documentation: To verify that the student speaks Estonian, please submit a letter from the NY Estonian House located at 243 East 34th Street, New York NY 10016.
Shardashish Fellowship
The Shardashish Interschool Fellowship is made possible by the generous support of the UNM (Uttambhai Nathalal Mehta) Foundation. The UNM Foundation is committed to expanding educational opportunities at all levels. Believing that education and health are cornerstones of societal development, particularly in a developing country like India, the UNM Foundation expends significant resources in both these areas. The intention of the Shardashish fellowship at Columbia University is to make available the best of global educational opportunities to bright and committed students who are economically challenged. Beneficiaries of “Shardashish” (blessings of Mother of Knowledge) must push their existing boundaries to achieve and excel. The expectation of Shardashish fellows is that they will maximize their learning opportunities and once successful will pay it forward, through enabling others.
For more information on this fellowship, click here.
Tags:
SCHOLARSHIP
