Awards by Academic Year and Advice for Everyone

Awards by Academic Year

The links below will take you to descriptions of awards that you might be eligible for.  In general, the rules for the award and the typical applicant pool remains the same each year. Students who win awards quite often look one or even two years ahead. If you do the same, it will allow you to highlight your strengths and correct your weaknesses.

For example, the Goldwater is available to both sophomores and juniors but a summer internship between those years might narrow or broaden your application in a helpful way. The Truman scholarship is made to juniors, yet you can take steps toward it as early as your first year of university study. If you are planning to participate in a semester abroad program, that is an excellent time to lay the foundation for a Fulbright award. Similarly, a senior thesis or an independent study can often jumpstart other research questions that can be tackled after graduation. 

So, take some time to see what is available now and later. The deadlines for most awards are typically in the same month each year.

First-Year Students	Sophomores	Juniors
Seniors	Graduate Students	Alumni

Advice for Everyone

The two terms, "scholarships" and "fellowships," are often used synonymously. Generally speaking, a scholarship is money given to you to help pay for your expenses in graduate or undergraduate studies: tuition, books, fees, materials, etc. However, a fellowship is typically given to underwrite the cost of a particular project or term of service. This may include either graduate or undergraduate studies, but it may also support the cost of independent research, travel, materials, and certain other privileges as defined by the funding organization. 

The terms national, prestigious, and competitive can be confusing as well. While almost all awards are national and competitive, some awards may stand out as more prestigious by reason of age, notoriety, selectivity, and locale. You should not let any of this scare you off. You should look for the award that furthers your goals.

By the way, while it was true several years ago that certain colleges and universities tended to dominate certain awards, that is no longer the case. In fact, most foundations are quite intentional in casting the widest net possible. They want an applicant pool that has big schools and little schools, private and public, liberal arts and technical, and so forth. 

You should assume that you are applying for an award that is looking for the very best students wherever they can be found, and you should assume that all things being equal, studying at Loyola makes you the right student at the right time. These awards are given to the prepared, the confidant, and the promising.

.