P.D. Soros Fellowship for New Americans

CALLING IMMIGRANTS & CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans is proud to honor the contributions of continuing generations of immigrants and refugees to the United States. 

The following are eligibility requirements for the 2019 Fellowship. The application for the 2019 Fellowships was available April 17 through November 1, 2018 at 2:00 pm Eastern Time (ET). Keep in mind that all applications will be reviewed after November 1, 2018. All eligibility requirements apply to the status of the applicant as of November 1, 2018.

In order to be eligible for the Class of 2019, you must be a New American who is 30 or younger as of the application deadline, and who is planning on starting or continuing an eligible graduate degree program full time in the United States in the 2019-2020 academic year. Applicants may apply to the Fellowship at the same time that they are applying to graduate school, or after they are already enrolled in graduate school. However, applicants must not have started or passed the third year of the graduate program that they are seeking funding for in the 2019-20 academic year as of November 1, 2018. 

To be eligible for the 2019 Fellowship, you must meet the following requirements as of the November 1, 2018 application deadline:

1. NEW AMERICAN STATUS​​

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans is a fellowship program intended for United States immigrants and children of immigrants. To be eligible, an applicant’s birth parents must have both been born outside of the US as non-US citizens, and both parents must not have been eligible for US citizenship at the time of their births. In addition, one of the following must be true of the applicant as of the November 1, 2018 application deadline:

• Born in the US: You are a US citizen by birth and both of your parents were born abroad as non-US citizens.
• Naturalized Citizen: You have been naturalized as a US citizen either on your own or as a minor child under the application of one of your parents.
• Green Card: You are in possession of a valid green card.
• Adopted: You were born outside of the US or one of its territories and were subsequently adopted by American parents, and were awarded US citizenship as a result of your adoption.
• DACA:  One of the following must be true:
  • You have been granted deferred action under the government’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and your status is currently active.
  • You are awaiting renewal of your DACA status.
  • You had DACA status, but because the program was rescinded by the US Government, you no longer have DACA status.

Note: You are not eligible if your DACA status was revoked because of illegal activity

2. ACADEMIC STANDING

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans is a fellowship program intended for immigrants and children of immigrants who are pursuing full time graduate degrees at United States institutions. Eligible applicants will have a bachelor’s degree as of the fall of 2019, and may be applying to graduate school as they are applying to the fellowship, or they may already be enrolled in the graduate program that they are seeking funding for as of the application deadline. The fellowship program is open to all fields of study and fully accredited full time graduate degree programs. In order to be eligible for the 2019 fellowship, an applicant should be planning to be enrolled full time in an eligible graduate degree program at a US university for the full 2019-20 academic year. Eligible applicants must not have begun the third year of the program that they are seeking funding for as of the November 1, 2018 deadline. Applicants who have a previous graduate degree or who are in a joint-degree program are eligible.

Ineligible programs: Online programs, executive graduate programs, joint bachelors/master's programs in which both degrees are awarded simultaneously, certificate programs, post-baccalaureate programs, graduate programs that are not in the United States, and graduate programs that are not fully accredited.

3. AGE

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans is a fellowship program intended for students who are early in their careers. All students must be 30 or younger as of the application deadline. In order to be eligible for the 2019 fellowship an applicant must not have reached or passed their 31st birthday as of the application deadline. There is no minimum age requirement.