Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship

Fellowship Overview

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation supports the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program (MMUF) at Stanford University and more than 34 other colleges and universities. The MMUF program helps students of great promise become scholars of the highest distinction. They will diversify the faculty in the future ranks of the professoriate and serve as role models for all youth.

The MMUF program provides support for students who, as future professors, are committed to address educational consequences of racial and ethnic disparities in higher education. A fundamental goal of MMUF is increasing the number of PhDs earned by students in core arts and sciences fields in which certain minority groups are underrepresented.

MMUF aims to achieve its mission by structuring campus environments conducive to improved racial and ethnic relations while encouraging students to achieve academic excellence necessary for doctoral study.

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Eligibility

Students interested in applying for a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship must have the following:

  • Junior standing (90+ units) by September 2009, with no more than six quarters at Stanford by that date
  • An interest in a career in college or university teaching
  • A demonstrated commitment to diversity, broadly defined
  • Exceptional scholarly promise in one of the following Mellon-designated fields of study:
    • Anthropology
    • Area Studies
    • Art History
    • Classics
    • Computer Science
    • Demography
    • Drama
    • English
    • Ethnomusicology
    • Foreign Languages
    • History
    • Linguistics
    • Literature
    • Musicology
    • Philosophy
    • Political Theory
    • Religion
    • Sociology
  • An intention to enroll in a PhD program
  • US citizenship or permanent resident status 

Although the program offers financial assistance and undergraduate loan repayment, financial need is not a criterion for selection.

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Selection Criteria

The following are primary criteria weighed in the MMUF selection process:

  • Academic promise and strength of academic record
  • Interest in pursuing an academic career in Mellon-designated fields of study
  • Contribution to diversity broadly-defined, including underrepresented race and ethnicity in designated fields of study
  • Potential for serving as a mentor and teacher for a wide variety of students
  • Faculty recommendations
  • Personal vision and goals
  • Intention to enroll in a PhD program
  • Demonstrated commitment to the following:
    • Increasing opportunities for underrepresented minorities
    • Breaking down stereotypes
    • Increasing cross-racial and interethnic understanding
    • Enabling others to better understand persons of different races and ethnicities
  • Commitment to participating fully and enthusiastically in all aspects of the MMUF program, including attending conferences and meetings at Stanford and other MMUF campuses

Preference is given to students planning to work on honors projects. However, a fully-developed research plan is not required for application to the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program.

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Financial Benefits

The MMUF Earnings Replacement and Expense Fund may be applied in ways which facilitate the student's development as a scholar. Quarterly reports from fellows (plus mentor and coordinator approval of spending plans) are required before funds are disbursed. Examples include the following:

  • Replacement of term-time earnings
  • Replacement of summer earnings
  • Special study of foreign language
  • Workshop or conference fees
  • Purchase of books or scholarly materials
  • Travel to archives, research sites or professional conferences

Fellows who work toward a doctorate in Mellon-designated fields will receive assistance in repaying their undergraduate student loans up to $10,000.

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How a Mellon Mays Fellowship Works


Earnings Replacement and Expense Fund

  During the year Following summer
Junior Year $1,600 $3,500
Senior Year $1,600 $3,500

Undergraduate Loan Repayment While Enrolled in a PhD Program

Year 1

1/8 of loans up to $1,250

Year 2

1/8 of loans up to $1,250

Year 3

1/8 of loans up to $1,250

Year 4

1/8 of loans up to $1,250

Undergraduate Loan Repayment on Receipt of PhD Degree
1/2 of undergraduate loans up to $5,000

Maximum Value of the Fellowship
$20,200

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Deadlines

Preliminary Deadline: Friday, March 13, 2009

Students who apply by this date will receive a preliminary evaluation of their applications and advice on how to strengthen them.

Final Deadline: Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Finalist Interviews: End of September 2009

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How to Apply

To apply, please submit the following materials to Laura Selznick in Office 128, First Floor, Sweet Hall:

  • A cover sheet with the following:
  • Name, address(es) (campus, summer, and / or permanent), phone number
  • Declared or prospective major
  • Names of reference writers
  • A waiver granting permission to share your official transcript with the campus selection committee and the Mellon Foundation
  • Three letters of recommendation (Since the MMUF is a pre-PhD program, it is important that at least two of the letters be written by faculty familiar with your work.)
  • A one-page personal essay relating your academic and career goals to the legacy of Dr. Benjamin E. Mays. This essay should describe other activities that demonstrate your ability to take responsibility, work, independently, and show initiative or perseverance. Dr. Mays' biography and bibliographic references may be found at http://www.mmuf.org.
  • A two- to three-page essay on one of the following topics:
    • Your academic interests, the area you plan to study in depth and why
    • An academic experience that has motivated you toward advanced study
    • A situation in which you felt like a scholar: What intellectual experience or scholarly discovery inspired you?
  • A personal interview will be required.

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