Purpose

Administered by the U.S. Department of Education, the Jacob K. Javits program awards fellowships in selected fields of study of the arts, humanities and social sciences. The program provides financial assistance to students who have demonstrated superior academic ability and achievement, exceptional promise and financial need to undertake graduate study leading to a doctoral degree or a master's degree in which the master's degree is the terminal highest degree in the selected field of study.

Details

Undergraduate students about to enter graduate school and graduate students who have not yet completed their first year of graduate study and who intend to pursue a doctoral or master's degree, if the master's degree is the terminal or highest degree awarded in an approved field, may apply. Twenty percent (20%) of the fellowships shall be awarded in the social sciences, twenty percent (20%) in the arts, and sixty percent (60%) in the humanities. A minimum of sixty percent (60%) of the awards shall be made to students who have no graduate credits.

Eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens or nationals, permanent residents of the U.S., or citizens of any one of the Freely Associated States.

Applicants must be eligible to be accepted to or currently attending a graduate program leading to a doctorate or a terminal master's degree in an eligible field of study at an institution of higher education approved by an accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of the Department of Education. Applicants attending a foreign institution are ineligible.

Eligibility is limited to individuals who, as Javits fellows, will be eligible to receive any grant, loan, or work assistance pursuant to Section 484 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. Students who have already received a Javits fellowship in previous years are not eligible.

Subject to the availability of funds, a fellow receives the Javits fellowship annually for up to the lesser of 48 months or the completion of their degree. The fellowship consists of an institutional payment (accepted by the institution of higher education in lieu of all tuition and fees for the fellow) and a stipend (based on the fellow's financial need as determined by the measurements of the Federal Student Assistance Processing System. In fiscal year 2004, the institutional payment was $11,511 and the maximum stipend was $30,000.

For more information on the fellowships visit the U.S. Department of Education/Jacob K. Javits Fellowship website at:

http://www.ed.gov/programs/jacobjavits/index.html.