The Beinecke Scholarship is for graduate study in the arts, humanities and social sciences. This program encourages highly motivated students to pursue opportunities available to them and to be courageous in the selection of a graduate course of study. Each scholar receives $5,000 immediately prior to entering graduate school and an additional $30,000 while attending graduate school. There are no geographic restrictions on the use of the scholarship, and recipients are allowed to supplement the award with other scholarships, assistantships and research grants. Scholars are encouraged to begin graduate study immediately following the undergraduate studies. However, the award must be utilized within 5 years of completion of undergraduate studies. For additional information and scholarship conditions see the scholarship website.
To be eligible for a Beinecke Scholarship, a student must:
- Have demonstrated superior standards of intellectual ability, scholastic achievement and personal promise during his or her undergraduate career.
- Be a college junior pursuing a bachelor’s degree during the 2024-25 academic year. “Junior” means a student who plans to continue full-time undergraduate study and who expects to receive a baccalaureate degree between December 2025 and August 2026.
Plan to enter a research- or creative-focused master’s or doctoral program in the arts, humanities or social sciences. Students in the social sciences who plan to pursue graduate study in neuroscience should not apply for a Beinecke Scholarship. Nor should students applying for professional degrees that emphasize skills and practical analysis such as business, law, public health, public policy, and social work.
Be a United States citizen or a United States national from American Samoa or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
- Have a documented history of receiving need-based financial aid during his or her undergraduate years. Primary evidence of meeting this criterion is a student’s history of receiving need-based institutional, state or federal grants-in-aid. Each nominated student will be required to complete a Financial Aid Data Sheet certifying that the student meets this criterion. During the selection process, the amount of financial need will be one of the factors considered with preference being given to candidates for whom the awarding of a scholarship would significantly increase the likelihood of the student’s being able to attend graduate school.
Each college or university may nominate only one candidate for the national competition. To be considered for selection as Indiana University's candidate, eligible students must complete and submit a nomination package. For the campus deadline, the candidate should complete the four requirements listed below and have at least one letter of recommendation sent via email to Paul Fogleman (two more letters will be required of the nominee). According to Beinecke's guidelines, letters should "assess the nominee's intellectual curiosity, character and potential for advanced graduate study."
The following four items should be attached to your email as one document and in this order:
- A completed pdf Application Form from the Beinecke website. Before completing the form, students should carefully review Beinecke's webpage listing Student Eligibility Criteria and note bullet point 5 regarding financial eligibility.
- A Personal Statement of 1300 words or less. If nominated, the statement limit is 1000 words.)
- An unofficial copy of your transcript. An official copy will be needed if you are nominated.
- A current résumé.