Mellon Minority Undergraduate Fellowship

Mellon Fellowship Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Mellon Minority Undergraduate Fellowship encourages minority undergraduate students to become scholars in the humanities, anthropology, and selected physical sciences, including mathematics, physics, geology, and the earth sciences.

Mellon Fellows receive financial assistance, which covers most of the cost of tuition for their last two years of college. Fellows may also receive two summer research stipends of up to $3,000 each. The Mellon Foundation assists graduates of the program by repaying part of their undergraduate loans while they pursue Ph.D. degrees in approved fields.

Through a range of experiences, Mellon Fellows gain the confidence to pursue advanced degrees and to begin building careers as college or university professors. Faculty mentors play an important role in nurturing the young scholars in the program, providing advice on topics that range from conducting research and preparing publications to developing a college-level course and gaining admission to graduate programs.

Mellon Fellows learn to teach by serving as peer tutors in the Brooklyn College Learning Center and by helping faculty mentors develop courses.

Fellows meet regularly for discussion and to hear reports on each other's summer research and independent research projects. Fellows have used their summer research stipends to participate in archaeological digs, study foreign languages, and conduct cultural research on other continents, among other learning experiences. During their senior year, Mellon Fellows enroll in the senior research colloquium with Scholars Program students.

Each year, the program invites an eminent scholar to deliver the Mellon Lecture. The purpose of the lecture is to focus on new scholarship in the humanities.

Entrance requirements

Typically, students apply for the Mellon Minority Undergraduate Fellowship in the spring semester of their sophomore year. Some students, however, apply earlier and begin their studies in their sophomore year.

Candidates for Mellon fellowships must be African-American, Hispanic, or Native American. They must be interested in working toward a Ph.D. degree in the humanities or in selected physical sciences, and they must be interested in pursuing a career as a scholar in the field. To be considered for the program, applicants must demonstrate solid academic achievement and submit a personal essay and faculty recommendations. Because being a Mellon Fellow requires a significant time commitment during the academic year and summers, students should not hold outside jobs.

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