About the Scholarship
The Beinecke Scholarship seeks highly motivated students to be courageous in the selection of a graduate course of study in the arts, humanities and social sciences (Ph.D. or terminal degree such as MFA) at any accredited university. Each scholar receives $5,000 immediately prior to entering graduate school and an additional $30,000 while attending graduate school.
There are no geographic restrictions on the use of the scholarship, and recipients are allowed to supplement the award with other scholarships, assistantships and research grants. Scholars are encouraged to begin graduated study as soon as possible following graduation from college, and must utilize all of the funding within five years of completion of undergraduate studies.
Requirements
Current USC juniors interested in pursuing the Beinecke Scholarship must apply for campus endorsement.
Basic Eligibility
To be eligible for a Beinecke Scholarship, a student must:
- Demonstrate superior standards of intellectual ability, scholastic achievement, and personal promise during their undergraduate career.
- Be a college junior pursuing a bachelor’s degree during the 2023-2024 academic year. “Junior” means a student who plans to continue full-time undergraduate study and who expects to receive a baccalaureate degree between December 2024 and August 2025.
- Plan to enter a research- or creative-focused master’s or doctoral program in the arts, humanities, or social sciences. NOTE: Students in the social sciences who plan to pursue graduate study in neuroscience or clinical psychology should not apply for a Beinecke Scholarship.
- Be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national from American Samoa or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
- Have a documented history of being eligible to receive need-based financial aid during their undergraduate years, with a slight preference for Pell Grant recipients. Other evidence of meeting this criterion is a student’s history of receiving need-based institutional, state, or federal grants-in-aid. The nominated student will be required to complete and submit a Financial Aid Data Sheet outlining how the student meets this criterion. During the selection process, the amount of financial need will be one of the factors considered, with preference given to candidates for whom the awarding of a Beinecke Scholarship would significantly increase the likelihood of the student’s being able to attend graduate school.
Selection Criteria
There are four primary criteria by which applicants will be
evaluated:
- Evidence of academic success and relevant academic background: Does the transcript show evidence of high academic achievement? Does the coursework prepare the candidate for the planned field of study? Is there other evidence of high-level performance (e.g., merit scholarships, academic prizes, artistic creations, research publications)?
- Clarity of research/creative focus: Are the research questions/creative impact and career path well-defined, coherent, and well thought through? Does the candidate’s writing give evidence of higher-order thinking skills and the ability to express thoughts clearly and without jargon?
- Knowledge and fit of proposed graduate programs: Has the candidate proposed graduate programs that are appropriately ambitious and a good fit for their scholarly and career plans?
- Quality and breadth of recommendations: Are the recommendations excellent and from people who know the candidate and can make informed comparisons with other students? Can any of the recommendations speak to the relevance of the proposed research/creative work, the suitability of the proposed courses, and the ability of the candidate to undertake and excel at scholarly research/creative work?
Advising
AHF answers general questions about the eligibility and selection process prior to the campus nomination deadline.
Contact: Katie Capra kcalvert@usc.edu