AAUW International Fellowship Program 2022-2023: application, eligibility, winners

American Association of University Women — AAUW Fellowship Program 2022 is a fellowship opportunity for women who would love to study in the United States of America.

The AAUW is committed to promoting gender equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research.

For this reason, they are providing close to $5Million in funding to more than 260 fellows and grantees in the 2021-22 award year.

AAUW International Fellowship Program
AAUW International Fellowship Program

The AAUW International Fellowship Program has been in existence since 1917, and it is meant to provide support to women pursuing full-time graduate or postdoctoral study in the United States of America to women who are not citizens of the US or permanent residents, and who intend to return to their home countries to pursue a professional career.

This fellowship is for award-winning authors, scientists, scholars, changemakers and community leaders.

The money awarded to recipients of the AAUW International Fellowship ranges from $18,000 – $30,000 per year.

This program is for women from all over the world.

Please take your time and read the details below as we delve deeper into things you should know about the AAUW International Fellowship Program:

AAUW International Fellowship Summary

Level of StudyMasters, Doctoral, Postdoctoral
Institution(s)The American Association of University Women
Country of Study:United States of America
AAUW International Fellowship DeadlineNovember 15th
Program PeriodFellowship year: July 1,2022 – June 30, 2023
Eligible CountriesAll world countries except America

Courses Offered

Below are the courses offered under the AAUW International Fellowship:

  • Business and Finance Studies
  • Computer Science& IT
  • Creative Arts and Design
  • Social Studies and Media
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Medicine
  • General Sciences
  • Health Studies
  • Agriculture and Veterinary
  • Applied and Pure Sciences
  • Architecture& Construction
  • Education and Training
  • Engineering
  • Mining and Oil & Gas Operations
  • Law
  • Travel and Hospitality
  • Humanities
  • Archeology
  • Anthropology
  • Economics
  • Dentistry
  • Nursery
  • Cultural and Critical Studies
  • History
  • Languages
  • Literature
  • Regional Studies
  • Religious Studies
  • Film & Television
  • Gender and women’s studies
  • Global studies
  • Journalism
  • Politics

AAUW International Fellowship Amount and Coverage

Every fellowship opportunity comes with benefits. The following you are about to read are the benefits that comes with the AAUW International Fellowship:

  • AAUW International Fellowship amounts:
    • Master’s/First Professional Degree: $18,000 per year.
    • Doctorate Fellowship: $20,000 per year.
    • Postdoctoral Fellowship $30,000 per year.

The funds provided to recipients above are for:

  • Educational expenses
  • Living expenses
  • Dependent Child care
  • Travel to professional meetings, conferences or seminars that does not exceed 10% of the fellowship total.

Please note that the amounts listed above are paid to the fellows and not the institutions.

Eligibility Criteria for AAUW International Fellowship

  • To be eligible for an AAUW International Fellowship, applicants must meet the following criteria:
    • Have citizenship in a country other than the U.S. or possession of a nonimmigrant visa if residing in the U.S. Women who are currently, or expect to be during the fellowship year, a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, or dual citizen with the U.S. and another country are not eligible.
    • Hold an academic degree (earned in the U.S. or abroad) equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree completed by November 15, 2021.
    • Intend to devote themselves full-time to the proposed academic plan during the fellowship year.
    • Intend to return to their home country to pursue a professional career and upon completion of their studies.
    • Be proficient in English and confirm proficiency by submitting one of the Required Components (see below), which include certain English proficiency exams, transcripts from English-speaking institutions, or a written statement verifying English is the applicant’s native language. Applicants planning to take one of the accepted English proficiency exams should plan for and take the test as early as possible. Please direct questions about the tests to the test provider.
    • Master’s/first professional degree and doctoral applicants must have applied by November 15, 2021, to an accredited institution of study for the period of the fellowship year and must indicate the name of the institution in the International Fellowship application. While acceptance is not required at the time of application, fellows must provide official confirmation from the institution with their award acceptance materials.
    • Master’s/first professional degree fellowships are intended for master’s or professional degree-level programs such as J.D., M.F.A., L.L.M., M.Arch., or medical degrees such as M.D., D.D.S., etc. Certificates, associate degrees, and undergraduate degrees are ineligible.
    • Doctoral fellowships are intended for doctorate degrees classified as research degrees, such as Ph.D. or Ed.D.
    • Postdoctoral applicants must provide proof of their doctorate degree; hold a doctorate classified as a research degree (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D., D.B.A., D.M.) or an M.F.A. by November 15, 2021; and indicate where they will conduct their research.
    • Master’s/first professional degree and doctoral applicants must be enrolled in a U.S. accredited institution located in the U.S. during the fellowship year.
    • A limited number of awards are available to Graduate Women International members for study or research in any country other than their own. Note that foreign branches of U.S. institutions are considered outside of the U.S.
    • Applicants can apply for the fellowship for any year of their program, but must be conducting a full year of study or research. International Fellowships do not provide funding for a partial year of study or research. Programs ending prior to April of the fellowship year are not eligible.
    • Distance learning/online programs: Master’s/first professional degree and doctoral fellowships support traditional classroom-based courses of study at colleges or universities. This fellowship program does not provide funding for distance-learning or online programs or for degrees heavily dependent on distance-learning components. Final decisions about what constitutes distance learning under these fellowships will be made by AAUW.

How to Apply for AAUW International Fellowship

Start the application process by clicking the Apply Now button to access the application and create an account through our vendor site.

Complete all required components in the following areas.

  • Start
  • Background
  • Proposal
  • Recommendations, Documents & Review
    • Recommendations:
      • Provide three recommendations from professors or professional colleagues well acquainted with you, your work, and your academic background, in striving towards scholarly pursuits. When possible, recommenders should be professors or professional colleagues in the applicant’s home country who can speak about the applicant’s qualifications and about the country’s need for the specialized skill or knowledge she plans to acquire with her proposed study or research. AAUW does not accept references from dossier services, such as Parment or Interfolio.
    • Documents:
      • Proof of highest degree: Upload transcripts** from the college or university where the highest degree (not a certificate) was obtained. Highest degree must be at least a bachelor’s degree (must be earned on or before November 15, 2021).
        • Transcripts** must include a list of courses taken and grades received.
        • If the institution does not provide a transcript or a list of courses taken and grades received or the degree did not require coursework, an official letter from the institution where the degree was received that includes the degree completion date must be uploaded.
        • Do not upload copies of additional certificates or other documents the applicant may have received during her education.
      • Proof of current enrollment (currently enrolled applicants only): Upload transcripts**/lists of courses/institution letters from the college or university in which the applicant is currently enrolled, if she is enrolled.
        • Transcripts must include a list of courses taken and grades received.
        • Many transcripts do not include current coursework. If fall 2021 semester grades are not available and are not on your transcript, a list of courses taken that semester must be provided by the institution’s Office of the Registrar.
        • If the institution does not provide a transcript or a list of courses taken and grades received or the degree did not require coursework, an official letter* from the institution where the degree was received that includes the degree completion date must be uploaded.
      • Proof of a doctorate or M.F.A. degree (postdoctoral applicants only): Upload any one of the following:
        • Transcript showing degree and date received (must be on or before November 15, 2021).
        • Official letter from institution where degree was received that includes the degree completion date.
        • Copy of diploma showing date degree was received (must be on or before November 15, 2021).
      • Proof of English proficiency: Upload one of the following:
        • Official report of an acceptable and valid TOEFL or IELTS score. Scores are valid for two years. Institutional TOEFL scores and other English proficiency test scores will not be accepted.
          • Minimum acceptable scores are as follows:
            • TOEFL iBT (Internet-Based Test): 79
            • TOEFL Essentials: 8.5
            • Revised TOEFL Paper-Delivered Test: 60
            • IELTS: 6.5
        • Written statement verifying the applicant’s native language is English.
        • Academic transcript or diploma confirming one of the following:
          • Secondary diploma or undergraduate degree is from an English-speaking institution.
          • One semester of full-time study in the applicant’s discipline at an English-speaking institution between November 2019 and November 2021.

*A certified English translation is required for all components provided in a foreign language. Translations must bear a mark of certification or official signature that the translation is true and complete.

**All transcripts provided must include the applicant’s full name, the school’s name, all courses, and all grades, as well as any other information requested in the application instructions.

AAWU International Fellowship official website

We know you might want more information on this fellowship. Please visit the official website for more info:

AAUW International Fellowship Winners

Below are names of some winners of AAUW International Fellowship:

  1. Tererai Trent: 2001–02 International Fellow and scholar, motivational speaker and humanitarian. She founded Tererai Trent International, whose mission is to provide quality education in rural Africa. Oprah Winfrey named Trent as her all-time favorite guest. In 2017, Trent received the AAUW Alumnae Recognition Award.
  2. Mahnaz Rezaie: 2014–16 International Fellow and photojournalist, filmmaker and writer who advocates for the rights of Afghan women. She was honored at the 2014 Women in the World Summit for her short film exploring how wearing a hijab in the U.S. affected her relationships.
  3. Sofia Espinoza Sanchez: 2013–14 International Fellow and Peruvian molecular biochemist researching cancer and neurological disorders. She also co-directs the Research Experience for Peruvian Undergraduates program.
  4. Alexandra Semma Tamayo: has worked as a forensic anthropologist at the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences in Villavicencio, Colombia. Her multidisciplinary approach to the identification of missing persons from enforced disappearance has helped bring justice to the families in armed conflict contexts. As an international fellow, her research in fracture patterns observed in gunshot wounds will be extremely helpful in improving the accuracy in trauma interpretation when working with human-rights violations.
  5. Mikiko Sawanishi, deputy executive head, United Nations Democracy Fund and 1992-3 International Fellow: Thanks to AAUW’s International Fellowship (1992-93), I graduated Harvard Kennedy School … then joined the UN working for democracy and gender equality. I really want to thank you.”

The following table is a list of those women attending Pennsylvania colleges and universities who were selected for an AAUW national fellowship or grant. Also included are recipients of the Community Action Grant.

 NameProgramInstitutionField of Study or Project
Hajer Al-FahamAmerican Fellowship,
Ph.D.
University of PennsylvaniaPolitical Science: Contingent Citizenship: Muslims in America
Naila SmithAmerican Fellowship, PostdoctoralPennsylvania State UniversityPsychology: An Opportunity Gap: Examining Discrepancies in Teacher-Parent Perspectives on Black Girls’ Socioemotional Learning
Ivonne MirandaCommunity Action GrantCedar Crest CollegeHOLA GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Mathematics, and Science)
Kate GeigerCommunity Action GrantIndiana Free LibraryCode Brave: A Coding Club for Girls
Mariam DembeleInternational Fellowship, M.B.A. FinanceUniversity of PennsylvaniaFinance and Development in Mali

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