Sadie Keller (outdoors on campus)
Center for Engaged Liberal Arts

Fellowships and Awards

Sadie Keller ’19, a politics major, was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Mexico as well as the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship.
Photo credit: Pang Fei Chiang '19

Pursue Excellence. Create Positive Change.

The right fellowship or award can take you closer to your personal and professional goals, providing the funding and structure for a research or artistic project, a year abroad, graduate study, and more.

At Oberlin, our fellowships office works directly with students and alumni in support of applications to a broad range of nationally competitive programs, from astrophysics to music performance. We have a long history of successfully placing Obies in the finest, most prestigious fellowships and partner with other offices, including Career Development, to help our graduates launch into meaningful, successful careers.

Set up an appointment with our staff

Advising appointments will be held in person or through Zoom during regular business hours. To make an appointment with Danielle Abdon, please sign up for any available time or send an email to fellowships@oberlin.edu.

Find your project.

Discover a fellowship or award that will propel your Oberlin education and expand your postgraduate horizons.

A Legacy of Impact

Some 200 Oberlin students and alumni apply for various honors through the fellowships office each year. Over the past decade, Oberlin graduates have garnered a range of prestigious awards, including dozens of Fulbrights and National Science Graduate Research fellowships, as well as Goldwater, Watson, Truman, Udall, Beinecke, Gates Cambridge, Rhodes, Marshall, and Luce honors, among others. These experiences open up new worlds of immersive learning and mark a pivotal step in each fellow’s career development.

Learn more about available fellowships

Two men near a bookcase.

Rhodes Scholar and politics major Machmud Makhmudov ’16 with Professor Mike Parkin. Machmud was also a Truman Scholar, a politics department Cole Scholar, and head of Oberlin’s Student Senate.

Photo credit: Jennifer Manna

Oberlin and the Fulbright Award

With more than 240 Fulbright student awards, Oberlin is among the top three baccalaureate college producers of Fulbright awards nationally. Oberlin’s success relative to our peer institutions is a testament to the leadership development of an Oberlin experience and the global engagement of our students, faculty, staff, and curriculum.

Oberlin Fellowships at a Glance

#3 National ranking for Fulbright fellowships
62 National Science Graduate Research Fellows
$50,000 Annual Nexial Award for Excellence in the Sciences

Oberlin’s Truman Scholars

The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is the premier graduate fellowship in the United States for public service leadership.

Challenging Systemic Injustice

Iesha-LaShay Phillips ’22 applied for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship because of its emphasis on public service and vast network of scholars motivated by a desire to create change. As a Truman recipient, she hopes to pursue a law degree that will allow her to have a deep impact in her community.

Iesha-LaShay Phillips

A Commitment to Public Advocacy

Henry Hicks ’21, a comparative American studies and creative writing double major, served as chair of Oberlin Student Senate and editor in chief of the Plum Creek Review, Oberlin’s oldest literary and arts magazine. He says he appreciates the mentorship he received from faculty across multiple disciplines for helping to encourage his commitment to public advocacy.

Henry Hicks

Politics and the Geosciences

Geosciences and politics double major Monica Dix ’20 plans to put her Truman award toward a master’s degree, followed by a PhD, in geosciences or natural resources. Her goal, particularly in the doctorate program, is to gain a holistic perspective on land and water management before entering politics to make an impact and create change.

Monica Dix

From the Classroom to the World

The Engaged Liberal Arts at Oberlin takes what you’re learning in your courses and puts it into practice through internships, research, study away experiences, winter term, career exploration, and beyond.

Sunlight shines through the trees in front of Memorial Arch.

Next Steps

An Oberlin education puts the liberal arts to work in achieving a life of meaning and purpose.


Campus scene with trees, grass, and a lone student on a bench reading.
Photo credit: Rebecca Devereaux