Awards Requiring UNC Endorsement

Please notify the Office of Distinguished Scholarships (ods@unc.edu) if you wish to apply for one or more of these awards. Please note that these are hard deadlines and no individual exceptions will be made regarding endorsement application deadlines. The deadlines are publicly posted on this website multiple months prior to the actual deadline. Incomplete endorsement applications will not be reviewed by their respective awards committees. The only exception to this is the Fulbright US Student Program as that award has a non-competitive endorsement process.

2026-2027 application cycle update. All UNC-Chapel Hill endorsement deadlines have been set for the 2026-2027 application cycle. If you are applying in a future year, you can use the below deadlines as a general approximation of when the deadlines will be in future years., Again, the endorsement application deadlines are hard deadlines with no individual exceptions. If you have any questions, please email ODS at ods@unc.edu or schedule an appointment.

Beinecke Scholarship

Open to third-year students

Endorsement application deadline: Tuesday, February 23, 2027 (9:00 pm eastern)
Final application deadline: Friday, March 26, 2027 (9:00 pm eastern)

Boren Awards

Open to enrolled undergraduate and graduate students

Endorsement application deadline* Monday, January 4, 2027 (9:00 pm eastern)–note endorsement is recommended but not required for Boren Awards
Boren Fellowships (graduate students) final application deadline: Wednesday, January 20, 2027
Boren Scholarships (undergraduate students) final application deadline: Wednesday, January 27, 2027

Churchill Scholarship

Open to fourth-year students and alumni from the previous academic year

Endorsement application deadline: Tuesday, September 22, 2026 (9:00 pm eastern)
Endorsed students must apply to Cambridge by Wednesday, October 14, 2026 (11:59 pm eastern)
- . ODS does not have the ability to cover the Cambridge application fee.
Final application deadline: Monday, November 2, 2026 (5:00 pm eastern)

Fulbright U.S. Student Program

Please note the updated, now slightly later, campus deadlines.

Open to graduating seniors, master’s students, doctoral candidates, and alumni.

Campus application deadline (most applicants): Saturday, September 5, 2026 (11:59 pm eastern)
Campus application deadline for UK or Ireland Fulbright awards: Wednesday, August 26, 2026 (11:59 pm eastern)
Final application deadline: Tuesday, October 6, 2026 (5:00 pm eastern)

James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program

Open to fourth-year students and alumni from the previous academic year

Endorsement application deadline: Tuesday, November 24, 2026 (9:00 pm ET)
Final application deadline: Typically mid-January

Goldwater Scholarship

Open to second- and third-year students

Endorsement application deadline: Tuesday, December 1, 2026 (9:00 pm ET)
Final application deadline: Typically late January

Marshall Scholarships

Open to fourth-year students and recent alumni

Endorsement application deadline: Tuesday, July 28, 2026 (9:00 pm ET)
To be eligible to apply for UNC endorsement, applicants must meet with ODS Executive Director Marc Howlett at least twice before the endorsement deadline.
Final application deadline: Typically mid-September

McCall MacBain Scholarship

Open to fourth-year students and alumni

Endorsement application deadline: Thursday, August 13, 2026 (9:00 pm ET)
Final application deadline: typically late September

Michel David-Weill Scholarship

Open to graduating seniors only

Endorsement application deadline: Sunday, October 25, 2026 (9:00 pm ET)
Final application deadline: Monday, November 16, 2026 (9:00 pm ET)
The endorsee must also apply to a Sciences Po master’s program no later November 16, 2026. ODS does not have the ability to cover the graduate school application fee to Sciences Po.

Rhodes Scholarship

Open to graduating seniors and recent alumni

Endorsement application deadline for US and Canadian applicants: Tuesday, July 28, 2026 (9:00 pm ET)
To be eligible to apply for UNC endorsement, applicants must meet with ODS Executive Director Marc Howlett at least twice before the endorsement deadline.
Final application deadline: for US applicants: Typically or October. Final application deadline for Canadian applicants is typically late September.
Other competitions have final deadlines that may be much earlier than the US competition; check with ODS regarding endorsement for non-US competitions

Truman Scholarship