Application Deadlines
Please notify the Office of Distinguished Scholarships (ods@unc.edu) if you wish to apply for one or more of these awards. Note that some of the dates (endorsement deadlines in particular) may change or be updated. We encourage you to check this page regularly and reach out to our office!
Endorsed Awards Other AwardsUNC Endorsement Required
Endorsement includes a campus application and selection process, and endorsement application deadlines are at least several weeks before the final award deadlines.
Beinecke Scholarship
Open to third-year students
- Endorsement Application Deadline: Friday, January 15, 2021 (5:00 pm ET)
- Final Application Deadline: Wednesday, February 10, 2021 (5:00 pm ET)
Boren Awards | National Security Education Program
Open to undergraduates (scholarship) and those applying to or in graduate school (fellowship)
- Endorsement Application Deadline (optional: guarantees feedback and evaluation): Tuesday, December 15, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
- Final Application Deadline for Graduate Fellowship: The 2021 fellowship deadlines will be decided by mid-August 2020. (Last year, fellowship applications were due on January 29, 2020).
- Final Application Deadline for Undergraduate Scholarship: The 2021 scholarship deadlines will be decided by mid-August 2020. (Last year, scholarship applications were due on Wednesday, February 5, 2020).
Churchill Scholarship
Open to fourth-year students and alumni from the previous academic year
- Endorsement Application Deadline: Tuesday, September 15, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
- Application Deadline: Monday, November 2, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program
Open to fourth-year students and alumni from the previous academic year
- Endorsement Application Deadline: Monday, November 16, 2020 (11:59 pm ET)
- Application Deadline: Friday, January 15, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
Goldwater Scholarship
Open to second- and third-year students
- Faculty nomination deadline: Monday, November 16, 2020 (11:59 pm ET)
- Application Deadline: Friday, January 29, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program
Open to fourth-year students and alumni
- Application Deadline: Wednesday, October 14, 2020 (4:00 pm ET)
Luce Scholars Program
Open to fourth-year students and alumni
- Endorsement Application Deadline: Tuesday, September 15, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
- Application Deadline: Monday, November 2, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
Marshall Scholarships
Open to fourth-year students and recent alumni
- Endorsement Application Deadline: Monday, August 3, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
- Application Deadline: Monday, September 28, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
Michel David-Weill Scholarship
Open to fourth-year students
- Endorsement Application: Thursday, October 15, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
- Application Deadline: Monday, November 30, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
Mitchell Scholarship
Open to fourth-year students and alumni
- Endorsement Application Deadline: Monday, August 3, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
- Application Deadline: Friday, September 25, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
Rhodes Scholarships
Open to fourth-year students and recent alumni
- Endorsement Application Deadline: Monday, August 3, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
- Application Deadline (US competition only): Wednesday, October 7, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
- Other competitions have final deadlines that may be much earlier than the US competition; check with ODS regarding endorsement for non-US competitions
Schwarzman Scholars program
Open to fourth-year students and alumni
- Endorsement Application Deadline: Monday, September 7, 2020
- Application Deadline: Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Open to third-year students
- Endorsement Application Deadline: Monday, November 16, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
- Application Deadline: Tuesday, February 2, 2020 (5:00 pm ET)
Udall Scholarship
Open to second- and third-year students
- Application Deadline: The 2021 deadline has not been decided yet. (Last year, the deadline was March 5, 2020)
Yenching Academy
Open to fourth-year students and alumni
- Application Deadline: The 2021 deadline will be decided by mid-summer 2020. (Last year, the deadline was December 6, 2019)
UNC Endorsement Not Required
You may apply independently for these and other non-endorsed awards listed on our website. ODS can provide assistance and feedback upon request.
Ertegun Scholarships
Open to fourth-year students and alumni
- Application Deadlines: January 2020 (deadline depends on degree program)
Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Open to fourth-year students and alumni
- Application Deadline for U.S. applicants: October 2020 (exact deadline will be set in late summer).
- Application Deadlines for non-U.S. applicants: December 2020 or January 2021 (depending on student’s course)
Gilman International Scholarships
Open to undergraduates
- Application Deadline for Spring 2021 programs and early application for Summer 2021 programs: October 2020
- Application Deadline for Summer 2021, Fall 2021, and Academic Year 2021-22 programs: March 2021
Hollings NOAA Scholarships
Open to second-year students. Application opens September 2020.
- Application Deadline: January 2021 (exact date will be determined in late summer).
Humanity in Action Fellowships
Open to second-, third- & fourth-year students and recent alumni
- Application Deadline: January 2021 (application will open in fall 2020)
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows
Open to second-year students
- Application Deadline: January 31, 2021
Oxford Pershing Square Graduate Scholarships
Open to fourth-year students and alumni
- Application Deadline: Will be made available August 1, 2020. (Students must apply for master’s and MBA programs separately.)
The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans
Open to fourth-year students and alumni
- Application Deadline: October 29, 2020
Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship
Open to fourth-year students and alumni
- Application Deadlines: Mid-September 2020
Rangel International Affairs Program
Open to undergraduates (summer enrichment program) and to fourth-year students and alumni (graduate fellowship program)
- Application Deadline for Graduate Fellowship Program: September 2020 (exact date not yet determined)
- Application Deadline for Undergraduate Summer Enrichment Program: February 2021 (exact date not yet determined)
Scoville Fellowships
Open to fourth-year students and recent alumni
- Application Deadline: October 2, 2020
