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Beinecke Scholarship

Overview

The Beinecke Scholarship Program awards approximately twenty scholarships annually to undergraduate students in their junior year who intend to pursue a terminal degree (PhD or MFA) in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Providing $35,000 toward graduate funding, the program seeks to encourage and enable highly motivated students to pursue opportunities available to them and to be courageous in the selection of their graduate course of study. Candidates must have a documented history of receiving need-based financial aid. OSU may nominate one student for this award competition.

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Eligibility

  • 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 receiving need-based financial aid during undergraduate years;
  • Plan to enter a research- or creative-focused master’s or doctoral program in the arts, humanities, or social sciences (Students who plan to pursue graduate study in neuroscience should not apply for a Beinecke Scholarship.);
  • Be a college junior; and
  • Demonstrate superior standards of intellectual ability, scholastic achievement, and personal promise during their undergraduate career

Selection Criteria

Beinecke Scholarship selection criteria include:

  • Clarity of research / creative focus
  • Knowledge of proposed graduate courses
  • Evidence of academic background that is strong and relevant to proposed graduate course
  • Quality and breadth of recommendations

Application Materials

  • Completed Certification of Eligibility and Application forms, which you can request by emailing fellowships@osu.edu.
  • A current resume or C.V.
  • A statement of 1,000 words or less from the nominee devoted to describing their research or creative interests for graduate study and career aspirations beyond these studies. It should also include a discussion of the most relevant academic, professional, extracurricular, and personal experiences that have influenced or shaped the nominee’s interests and plans.
  • Three letters of recommendation from faculty that assess the nominee’s intellectual curiosity, character, and potential for advanced graduate study, which can be emailed directly to fellowships@osu.edu.
  • An unofficial copy of the nominee’s transcript. (Successful applicants will later be asked to submit an official transcript.)
  • Candidates who wish to pursue an MFA degree must submit an artist’s supplement of up to five pages / samples of original work.
  • The nominated student will also complete, sign, and submit by email a Financial Aid Data Sheet to the Program Director of the Beinecke Scholarship.

Application Procedure

Campus Application Deadline – February 24, 2024

Campus Application Process

Because the university is required to nominate candidates for this opportunity, there is an internal application process. For support on your application, reach out to fellowships@osu.edu at any time while the applications are open.

Please submit all of the materials listed above, including letters of recommendation, to fellowships@osu.edu by 5 pm on the campus deadline. After a review of applications, we will contact all applicants to announce the campus nominee. From that point, Undergraduate Fellowship Office staff will work with nominee to revise materials in advance of the national deadline.

National Application Deadline – March 28, 2025

All application materials must be submitted to fellowships@osu.edu in advance of the national deadline. Undergraduate Fellowship Office staff will communicate about deadlines with nominee.

Past Beinecke Scholars
  • 2022-2023 - Emily Johnson 
  • 2016-2017 - Oyindamola O. Bola
  • 2015-2016 - Christina Szuch
  • 2014-2015 - Nima Dahir 
  • 2013-2014 - Abby Carlozzo
  • 2008-2009 - Hudson McFann
  • 2006-2007 - Michael Ondrick
  • 2005-2006 - Benjamin Jones