AAUW Fellowship: Eligibility and How to Apply

The AAUW fellowship offering is a set of competitive awards run by AAUW (the American Association of University Women) for women pursuing graduate study, research and community projects. The two programs that fund graduate study directly are split by citizenship: Selected Professions Fellowships go to U.S. citizens, nationals and permanent residents, while International Fellowships go to women who are not. That split, and the fact that cycle dates change every year, are the two things most applicants need to check first. Details below are as described on the official AAUW pages on 2026-10-29.

What it is and who runs it

AAUW runs its fellowships and grants through its own application portal. As described on the official fellowships and grants page on 2026-10-29, the individual awards are American Doctoral Fellowships, American Short-Term Research Publication Grants, American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowships, Career Development Grants, International Fellowships, International Project Grants and Selected Professions Fellowships. Two organization-level programs exist as well: AAUW Branch and Affiliate Grants and Community Action Grants. AAUW reports that it awarded fellowships and grants to 1,538 women and community projects, totaling $29.6 million, across FY20 to FY25.

This guide covers the two graduate-study programs whose rules are detailed on the official pages: Selected Professions Fellowships and International Fellowships. For the other programs, use the official list for current terms rather than relying on older third-party summaries, which often carry outdated amounts and deadlines.

Eligibility

The quickest test is citizenship and degree stage. Both programs require applicants to identify as women and to be enrolled full time at an accredited institution.

Item	Selected Professions Fellowship	International Fellowship
Applicant status	U.S. citizens, nationals or permanent residents	Not a U.S. citizen, no U.S. permanent residency or pending green card
Degree stage	First full-time master’s or professional degree; must not already hold one	First master’s or a doctoral program
Fields	STEM and Medicine (MD, DO, DDS, PharmD, DVM)	STEM
Award	$20,000 stipend, two equal payments	$20,000 (master’s) or $25,000 (doctorate), two equal installments
Other rules	Apply in one discipline; online and part-time study ineligible	Bachelor’s-equivalent with a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale; U.S. Department of Education-accredited institution; one-time, not renewable

For International Fellowships, AAUW disqualifies board members, employees, review panelists, their immediate families and past AAUW fellowship recipients. Check both pages in full before applying: the official AAUW fellowships and grants page links to each program.

What it funds or requires

Selected Professions Fellowships

The program supports women pursuing a first full-time master’s or professional degree, with a $20,000 stipend paid in two equal payments at the start and midpoint of the term. Enrolment must run from September 2027 to April 30, 2028 for the cycle described on the page.

International Fellowships

The award is $20,000 for a master’s or $25,000 for a doctorate, in two equal installments. The program must begin by September 15, 2027 and finish no earlier than April 30, 2028 for the cycle described. Applicants studying outside the United States who are not from a travel-ban country must also show Graduate Women International membership.

Application steps

Confirm which program fits: citizenship decides it. A U.S. citizen, national or permanent resident looks at Selected Professions; everyone else in a STEM master’s or doctoral program looks at International Fellowships.
Check that the program, institution and enrolment dates meet the full-time and accreditation rules before starting the portal application.
Complete the narrative application in the AAUW portal.
Arrange two recommendation letters. International Fellowships takes letters through the portal, asks for professional email addresses for recommenders and does not accept dossier services; Selected Professions asks for letters from advisors, professors, colleagues or others who know the applicant.
Gather documents: copies of all degrees, official transcripts and proof of admission or enrolment. International applicants add GPA proof and English proficiency proof (TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge, Duolingo, or an exemption).
Provide certified translations of any documents not in English where the program asks for them (stated on the International Fellowships page).
Submit before the deadline, which AAUW states in Eastern Time.

Typical timeline phases

Cycle dates are published per year and change, so check the current page rather than a calendar quoted here. The phases follow the same order each cycle, as described on the official pages on 2026-10-29:

Applications open. Each program has its own opening and closing time, in Eastern Time. The International Fellowships page showed applications already closed for 2027-28 on the date checked, so check the current page before planning around a window.
Completeness check. For International Fellowships, AAUW first screens for completeness. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Panel review. Independent panels of STEM scholars score applications. Panels meet once a year, and AAUW gives final approval.
Notification. Notification dates are listed per cycle on each program page; the International Fellowships page gave March 2027 for the 2027-28 cycle.
Payment. Stipends are paid in two parts, for Selected Professions around the start and midpoint of the term. Awards depend on available funds.

How Selected Professions applications are assessed

The Selected Professions page lists these criteria: academic and scholarly excellence; feasibility of the plan; long-term career objectives and commitment to impact; the strength and feasibility of the financial plan; and commitment to women and girls. The page also lists a commitment to STEM, and says preferential criteria such as resilience, first-generation status, a single-parent household, caregiving responsibilities and institutional context may be considered when applicants are comparably meritorious. For doctoral International Fellowship applications, panels also assess originality.

Common mistakes

Submitting an incomplete file. The International Fellowships page states that incomplete applications will not be considered.
Applying to the wrong program. Selected Professions is for U.S. citizens, nationals and permanent residents; International Fellowships excludes them.
Applying in more than one discipline. Selected Professions applicants apply in one discipline.
Assuming online or part-time study counts. Both are ineligible for Selected Professions (it requires full-time, in-person enrolment), and International Fellowships requires full-time enrolment.
Using a dossier service for recommendations. International Fellowships does not accept dossier services.
Missing translations. The International Fellowships page asks for certified translations where documents are not in English.
Reading the deadline in the wrong time zone. AAUW states that all application deadlines follow Eastern Time.
Already holding the degree. Applicants who already hold a master’s or professional degree are not eligible for Selected Professions.

Related programs

AAUW lists these programs alongside the two covered above. This table reflects only the names on the official fellowships and grants page on 2026-10-29; consult each program page for terms.

Program	Who it is listed for
American Doctoral Fellowships	Individuals
American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowships	Individuals
American Short-Term Research Publication Grants	Individuals
Career Development Grants	Individuals
International Project Grants	Individuals
AAUW Branch and Affiliate Grants	Organizations
Community Action Grants	Organizations

For comparison with other early-career funding, see how the major early-career foundation fellowships compare, the NSF GRFP eligibility and application requirements, the NDSEG fellowship guide, and the dictionary entries for research fellowship and postdoctoral fellowship.

FAQ

Who can apply for an AAUW fellowship?

Applicants must identify as women. Beyond that, eligibility depends on the program: Selected Professions is for U.S. citizens, nationals and permanent residents starting a first master’s or professional degree, and International Fellowships is for non-U.S. citizens in STEM master’s or doctoral programs.

How much does an AAUW fellowship pay?

As described on the official pages on 2026-10-29, Selected Professions pays a $20,000 stipend, and International Fellowships pays $20,000 for a master’s or $25,000 for a doctorate. Both are paid in two equal installments.

Can I apply for a part-time or online degree?

Not for Selected Professions, which lists online and part-time study as ineligible. International Fellowships requires full-time enrolment at an accredited institution.

Are AAUW deadlines the same every year?

No. Opening and closing dates are set per cycle and are stated in Eastern Time on each program page, so use the current page for the cycle you are applying to.