Office of Fellowships AC Fellowships Application

Have you read the Amherst College Fellowships Overview page yet?

If not, do that first! It tells you about eligibility, funding amounts, timelines, and what your fellowship may be used for. It will likely answer any question you have about these awards. If you've done that, great! Read on to learn what your AC Fellowships Application entails and where and how to submit it.

Whether you are applying for support for full-time degree-granting graduate study, or for independent training in the performing arts, your application materials will be collected through our new AC Fellowships Survey Monkey Application Portal. Your recommenders' letters will be uploaded there, too. To open an application, you will need to:

- REGISTER for an account; use an email of your choice and create a password, then hit submit;
- VERIFY that this is a working email by clicking on the "confirm email address" button sent to that email address;
- CLICK on "view programs" at the page you are sent to;
- CHOOSE "Amherst College Fellowships" and click APPLY;
- COMPLETE a brief "eligibility application" and hit SUBMIT;
- click GO TO MY APPLICATIONS and begin the application. 

If the eligibility questions indicate non-eligibility, you will receive an email with more information. 

Start Your AC Fellowships Survey Monkey Application !

If you need technical support for this application, click on the "i" at the top right of the application. 

Application Components

In the portal, all applicants will be asked to enter demographic information, an essay about their proposed program of study or performing arts training, and financial information, and recommenders' contact information. Details about application components are below in two sections - one for graduate study and the next for independent training in the performing arts.  Read the pertinent information below carefully so that you can prepare your materials before you need to upload or import them into the application.

Statement of Purpose: (500 words maximum; you will copy and paste into a text box). 

• Essay prompt #1: for those who have not yet begun graduate study or are applying to a different program; if you are continuing in a program but have not yet applied for AC fellowships,  use this prompt as a base but also discuss how your studies are progressing
  Describe the intellectual, professional, and personal interests that have led you to pursue this program. Explain how you are prepared for it through your major(s), research, related internships, and/or work experience and how it will make possible your future goals. (Do not use the essay space to make a plea for funding or to thank the reviewers for reading your application.)
• Essay prompt #2: for those who are continuing with a program for which they previously received funding
  Describe your progress in your graduate program and how you have been stimulated or challenged intellectually. If you are doing research, comment on your topic and findings. Explain whether your academic or professional goals have changed at all while you have been in graduate or professional school. Do not use the essay space to make a plea for funding or to thank the reviewers for reading your application.)

Resume/CV: (upload a document of up to 2 pages, no smaller than 11 pt. font) List paid and unpaid work; publications and presentations; academic awards and prizes; leadership and extracurricular activities; skills and languages.

Transcripts: Upload unprotected pdfs of transcripts listed below; secure electronic versions are not compatible with the platform’s functioning. You can remove security features by saving the electronic version to your desktop as a pdf. It should then show a marker that says it is a copy.  Smartphones have a scan function that works well if you don't have access to a scanner. Do not upload a photo (png. or jpg.). It must be a pdf. 

• Graduate Study Transcripts: if currently enrolled in graduate school or have previously attended graduate school, upload a pdf of your official graduate school transcript, including the rubric explaining the grading system, typically found on the back. 
• Amherst College: upload a pdf of your official transcript; if you can secure an unofficial version through Workday, you may use that instead of an official version. Do not upload student grade reports. 
• Study Abroad: not required.
• Transfer institution: not required.

Financial Information and Forms

• If you are a U.S. citizen and are applying for graduate school, and you need financial aid to attend, we would expect that you will have applied for the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) for graduate study funding. For your AC Fellowships application, therefore, we will ask you to enter the figure called the Student Aid Index (SAI) for graduate study, which is found on the FAFSA Submission Summary from your 2024-2025 FAFSA Application. See this explanation about contents of the FAFSA Submission Summary. We will also ask you to upload the FAFSA Submission Summary itself. 
• If you are not a U.S. citizen, we will ask you to answer brief questions about your income and savings during the 2022 calendar year.

Recommendation Letters:

Letters for graduate study applicants should be from faculty members who can comment on your ability to successfully pursue the type of graduate program you have chosen. The letters may be the very same ones your recommenders are sending to the graduate or professional schools. Writers should discuss how they know the applicant, the nature and quality of the work you did in their class, and why they think you will succeed in the type of graduate study you have chosen. In the portal, you will enter each recommender's title, name, position, institution, and email address. You can then send them a request to upload their letter to the portal. Speak with potential recommenders directly before submitting this request to ask if they are willing to recommend you and whether or not they can do so by the deadline of FEB 15th. Recommenders often require a minimum of 2-3 weeks notice . See below to determine how many letters you need. 

• AC seniors (2024 or 2024E) graduating in December or May of the current academic year - request 2 letters from Amherst College professors.
• Alums applying for the first time - request 2 letters. At least one should be from an Amherst professor; the second may be from another Amherst professor or, if you are in graduate school already, it should be from a professor at the graduate institution. 
• Alums applying for the second or third time for the same program of study - request 1 letter from a graduate or professional school (medicine, law, or business) professor or administrator.
• Alums applying after a second or third year of funding that is for a different program than the one they received funding for previously - request 1 letter from a professor at the most recent institution. 
• Applicants applying to but not yet in medical school, whether a senior or an alum: contact Dean Aronson or Rebecca Tishler to in the AC Health Professions Office to request that they upload the cover letter only from your Health Professions Committee Letter Packet. Only this letter is needed. 
• If you are in the process of applying to medical school without the support of the Health Professions Office, request 2 letters from Amherst College professors, or, if you attended graduate school before applying to medical school, one letter from an Amherst professor and one from a graduate study professor.

Statement of Purpose for independent training in the performing arts: (500 words maximum; you will copy and paste into a text box) Describe in detail the nature of your intended independent training in the arts, including a timeline for your lessons, what these lessons will entail, how often they will occur, and who will supervise your training. Explain how you have prepared for this training through your academic major(s), related internships, and/or work experience. Indicate how you think this training will enable you to achieve your professional immediate and long-term goals. (Do not use the essay to make a plea for funding or to thank the reviewers.)

Budget: You will be asked to enter the following information regarding your budget:

- duration of training period 
- # of lessons per training period and/or credit hours
- fee per lesson X # of lessons
- fee per credit X # of credits
- equipment/supplies costs required specifically for training/course (It is assumed that you possess the basic equipment to perform your craft, such as a trumpet if you are taking trumpet lessons). However, if you need a special program such as composition software to complete your training, you may request funding for it.
- studio space rental cost during duration of training
- additional costs (to be described)

Resume/CV: (up to 2 pages, no smaller than 11 pt. font) List paid and unpaid work; presentations and performances; academic awards and prizes; leadership and extracurricular activities; skills and languages.

Transcripts:  Upload unprotected pdfs of transcripts listed below; secure electronic versions are not compatible with the platform’s functioning. You can remove security features by saving the electronic version to your desktop as a pdf. It should then show a marker that says it is a copy.  Do not upload a photo (png. or jpg.). It must be a pdf. 

• Graduate Study Transcripts: if currently enrolled in graduate school or have previously attended graduate school, upload a pdf of your official graduate school transcript, including the rubric explaining the grading system, typically found on the back. 
• Amherst College: upload a pdf of your official transcript; if you can secure an unofficial version through Workday, you may use that instead of an official version. Do not upload student grade reports. 
• Study Abroad: not required.
• Transfer institution: not required.

Financial information and forms: In the application, we will ask you to enter brief information about your income and savings during the 2022 calendar year. 

Recommendation letters:

Applicants for funding for independent training in the performing arts must request 2 letters. Enter the name, title, position, and email of each recommender in the portal so that they will receive a request to upload their letters. Contact potential recommenders directly before triggering this email to ask whether or not they are willing to recommend you. Recommenders often require a minimum of 2-3 weeks notice. Letters are due by FEB 15th. See below to determine how which writers to ask, depending on your educational status:

• Ac seniors graduating in December or May of the current academic year: request 2 letters from Amherst College professors or from one AC professor and a 5-College professor who can address your past preparation in your chosen field of training, the relevance of the training you are planning to do, and your potential for success in this field.  
• Alumni applicants: request 2 letters - one from an AC professor and one from a graduate or professional school professor or practitioner in your field who has supervised your growth as a performer in this field. The letters should address your past preparation in your chosen field of training, the relevance of the training your are planning to do, and your potential for success in this field. 

Once you have filled all of the fields, uploaded all of the documents, and requested your recommendation letters, hit submit, no later than FEB 15, 2024. About a week prior to that date, remind your recommenders, if they have not already submitted their letters, to please do so by the same deadline. Immediately after that date, we will begin preparing the applications to be read by the faculty Committee on Student Fellowships. When you hit submit, you will receive an email confirmation of your submission. Be assured that if you receive this email, we have received your application. See the AC Fellowships Overview page (at the bottom) for a timeline of what happens next.  

Have questions? Please contact us.

Christine Overstreet, Director of Fellowships
212 Converse Hall
413-542-2536
coverstreet@amherst.edu

Suzanne Spencer, Fellowships Coordinator
sspencer@amherst.edu (working remotely)

Mailing address: Office of Fellowships, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002

On-Campus Mailing Address: AC # 2214