The UNT Office for Nationally Competitive Scholarships (formerly the Office of Postgraduate Fellowships) assists undergraduate and graduate students in identifying and pursuing externally funded research and study opportunities. Dr. James Duban, director of the office, invites students to inquire about the preparation and credentials necessary to compete successfully for such postgraduate awards as Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, James Madison, Harry S. Truman, Andrew W. Mellon, and National Science Foundation scholarships and fellowships.

This site describes the scholarships that are generally considered the most prestigious. Many other scholarships are available, and information about those will be provided upon request from this office.

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Even freshmen and sophomores should begin thinking about postgraduate prospects. Undergraduate scholarships such as the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the Morris K. Udall Scholarship, and the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships, significantly enhance postgraduate opportunities. The awards are intrinsically worth pursuing and have the added benefit of enhancing a student's prospects for receiving a postgraduate fellowship. Note, as well, that the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, awarded to college juniors, funds a senior year of study and two-to-three years of graduate study.

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Most postgraduate fellowship deadlines occur from September through November. Serious contenders should begin researching, writing, and organizing their applications in the spring and summer preceding fall deadlines. In some cases, such as with Marshall, Rhodes, and Truman scholarships, UNT faculty screening committees read applications and invite the most promising candidates to on-campus interviews. The screening committees then decide whom to nominate to represent UNT at state and regional levels of competition.

Finalists interact intensively and regularly with these committees to prepare for off-campus interviews.

Applying for a national scholarship is a "no lose" situation, since undergraduates are able to channel their essays into conventional graduate school applications. They thereby enhance their prospects for being accepted into a graduate program and for receiving internal fellowship support. Graduate students, in turn, often end up formulating a dissertation proposal from the writing which they undertake as part of the process of applying for a national scholarship.

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