Welcome to Academic Honors & Fellowships!
We are committed to educating the USC community about university awards and honors, and nationally competitive fellowships, as well as mentoring students and recent alumni in their pursuit of these opportunities.
2022-23 Annual Report
Upcoming Deadlines & Events
Mon
21
Scholar Distinction Applications Open
October 21
Nov
03
Truman Scholarship Campus Deadline
November 3 @ 11:59 pm
Nov
04
Schaeffer Fellowship Application Open
November 4
Dec
01
Renaissance Scholar Certification Deadline
December 1 @ 11:59 pm
Jan
21
Schaeffer Fellowship Application Deadline
January 21, 2025 @ 11:59 pm
Feb
02
Renaissance Scholar Prize Competition Deadline
February 2, 2025 @ 11:59 pm
Feb
09
Global Scholar Distinction and Prize Competition Deadline
February 9, 2025 @ 11:59 pm
Mar
26
Discovery Scholar Distinction and Prize Competition Deadline
March 26, 2025 @ 11:59 pm
USC Awards
USC recognizes the outstanding abilities of its undergraduate students and has created various opportunities to financially support students in their pursuit of interdisciplinary study, global exchange, and civic engagement.
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Fellowships
AHF supports applicants for select competitive national and international scholarships and fellowships. Outstanding undergraduates, recent alumni, and graduate students may qualify for fellowships funding research, study, and internship in the U.S. and abroad.
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Signature Events
Signature Academic Events allow undergraduates to explore diverse academic disciplines; showcase research, scholarly, and creative endeavors; and connect academic and professional goals to national, international, and post-graduate educational opportunities.
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Commencement Honors
USC graduating seniors may be honored by applying for Scholar Distinctions, being selected for GPA awards, and invited to apply for Valedictorian or Salutatorian.
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0
Recipients
of external academic honors and fellowships in 2023
0
Fulbright Recipients
for the 2022-2023 grant year
0
USC Scholar Distinction
recipients in 2023
0+
Faculty and Staff
partners
First Year
First years are encouraged to begin building a strong foundation in academics, extracurricular activities, and learning about undergraduate research. Certain fellowships may support students as early as the summer following their first year.
Second Year
Sophomores should spend time completing short-term opportunities for internship, study abroad, language study, and more to prepare you for future applications to other fellowships, graduate school, and jobs. Second-years may be eligible for certain short-term fellowships.
Third Year
Third year is the perfect time to hone in and select post-graduate fellowships to pursue based on ongoing research, extracurricular activities, leadership roles, community engagement, relationship-building with faculty, and an excellent academic record.
Fourth Year
Graduating seniors are encouraged to think critically about how skills developed applying for fellowships will translate to graduate school and professional job applications as well as intentional self-reflection on long-term goals.
Alumni & Graduate Students
Explore fellowship opportunities applicable to current graduate students and/or recent alumni (in most cases, up to three years postgraduate).
Gave me valuable experience and perspective on my passions and interests
Fellowships have been an amazing opportunity to apply my education and passion for service. The AHF office has guided and motivated me throughout the fellowship application process. They have helped me since I was a freshman to understand the opportunities and process of applying. Because of their support, I have had the privilege of being a Shaeffer Fellow, Center for the Study of the President and Congress Fellow, and a Fulbright ETA fellow in Vietnam. Each of these fellowships gave me valuable experience and perspective on my passions and interests. I was able to learn important skills and focus on my vision for service. These experiences and opportunities paved the path for me to become a Fulbrighter.
...helped me learn new things about myself and my path toward public service through their thoughtful guidance.
At the start of my Truman Scholarship application process, I was completely unfamiliar with and intimidated by this world of prestigious graduate fellowships. Frankly, I didn’t think I had a chance of winning. The incredible staff at AHF offered vital support at every turn, from mock interviews with faculty to constructive criticism of my essays. They not only made the process far less stressful, but they also helped me learn new things about myself and my path toward public service through their thoughtful guidance.
Helped me learn more about who I am and who I want to be
The AHF [staff] and review committees helped me learn more about who I was and who I wanted to be. They gave me the honest feedback I needed. They poked holes in my ideas, my goals, and my beliefs, testing me and prompting me to think more about the things I value. Those moments of self-discovery, I believe, are priceless.
Challenged me to dig deep to better understand my own values, motives & goals
AHF introduced me to opportunities that I didn't know existed. They made my world bigger. They challenged me to dig deep to better understand my own values, motives, and goals. My fellowships abroad have fundamentally shaped by life path and trajectory moving forward.
News & Announcements
Schedule an Appointment
The goal of an advising appointment with AHF staff is to help students identify fellowship opportunities that best align with their academic, leadership, professional interests and past experiences. Appointments are typically one-on-one sessions between 30 – 60 minutes.