Beinecke Scholarship for Graduate Studies
To be considered, students must apply the year BEFORE graduation, i.e., apply in January 2018 if you will finish your degree in Dec. 2018 or May 2019.
The Beinecke Scholarship provides $34,000 for graduate study in arts, humanities and social science fields to third-year students (based on graduation date) of exceptional ability, achievement, and who have financial need. Students must be nominated to compete for this scholarship, and Hampshire College is allowed to nominate one student per year to compete for this national award.
If you are considering graduate studies in an arts, humanities, or social science field, have a passion for that field, and financial need, consider applying! The Beinecke Scholarship program seeks to encourage and enable 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 $4,000 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.
Eligibility:
- To be eligible for this 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 2017-2018 academic year. “Junior” means a student who plans to continue full-time undergraduate study and who expects to receive a baccalaureate degree between December 2018 and August 2019.
- Plan to enter a master’s or doctoral program in the arts, humanities, or social sciences.
- Please note some exceptions the Beinecke Foundation makes in terms of fields of study: Students in the social sciences who plan to pursue graduate study in neuroscience should not apply for a Beinecke Scholarship. Also, students who plan to pursue graduate study in professional programs (law school, business school, etc.) should not apply.
- 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. An institutional financial aid officer will be required to complete a Financial 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.
To Apply:
Interested students must send the following materials via email to the campus liaison (Rachel Rubinstein, dean of advising and academic support, at rrHACU@hampshire.edu) by January 5, 2018:
- A Financial Aid Form completed by a financial aid officer certifying that the student qualifies for need-based financial aid.
- A completed Application Form
- A current resume.
- A personal statement of 1,000 words or less from the nominee describing his or her background, interests, plans for graduate study and career aspirations. The statement should include a discussion of some experiences and ideas that have shaped those interests, plans and aspirations.
- Three letters of recommendation from faculty members that assess the nominee’s intellectual curiosity, character, and potential for advanced graduate study.
- An unofficial copy of the transcript.