The Beinecke Scholarship program seeks to encourage and enable highly motivated students to pursue opportunities available to them and to be courageous in the selection of a graduate course of study in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Each scholar receives $4,000 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.
To be eligible for a Beinecke Scholarship, a student must:
- Have demonstrated superior standards of intellectual ability, scholastic achievement and personal promise during his or her undergraduate career.
- Be a college junior pursuing a bachelor’s degree during the academic year. “Junior” means a student who plans to continue full-time undergraduate study and who expects to receive a baccalaureate degree between December and August.
- Plan to enter a master’s or doctoral program in the arts, humanities or social sciences. Students in the social sciences who plan to pursue graduate study in neuroscience should not apply for a Beinecke Scholarship.
- Be a United States citizen or a United States national from American Samoa or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
- Have a documented history of receiving need-based financial aid during his or her undergraduate years. Primary evidence of meeting this criterion is a student’s history of receiving need-based institutional, state or federal grants-in-aid. An institutional financial aid officer will be required to complete a Financial Data Sheet certifying that the student meets this criterion. During the selection process, the amount of financial need will be one of the factors considered with preference being given to candidates for whom the awarding of a scholarship would significantly increase the likelihood of the student’s being able to attend graduate school.
The Beinecke Scholarship requires an institutional endorsement. If you intend to apply, make sure you know the MSU internal competition deadline.
How to Apply
- Review the Beinecke website to make sure you are eligible
- Complete the DSAO Intent to Apply Form to get on our list of applicants.
- Complete the Internal Beinecke Pre-Application Form, and email to studentawards@msu.edu along with your resume and possible dates/times to meet with an advisor.
- Format resume using the DSAO Resume Template
- Make sure your resume emphasizes your research and creative work. Send it to the NIFS office for feedback.
Application Materials (send all to studentawards@msu.edu):
- Resume using the DSAO Resume Template
- Beinecke Application Form
- 1000 word personal statement (see Beinecke website)
- Three recommendations (have a conversation with DSA Office first)
- Transcripts from all higher education institutions attended after high school
For more information, visit the Beinecke Scholarship website.
