Checked October 13, 2026. Match degree stage, funding purpose, and timing before investing in an application.
| Your situation | Verified example | Published support | First screening question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continuing an associate degree | Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise | Up to $1,000 | Are you a PTK member within the program’s completed-credit range? |
| Undergraduate study or internship abroad | Gilman | Up to $5,000 | Do you receive Pell funding in the required period and have a credit-bearing abroad program? |
| Bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree | Point Flagship | Up to $15,000 | Do Point’s community, GPA, institution, and full-time study rules fit? |
| Entering or beginning research graduate study | NSF GRFP | $37,000 stipend plus $16,000 institutional education support per funded year | Do your degree, prior graduate enrollment, and status satisfy the current rules? |
Associate-degree study: credits and continuing enrollment matter
Source: Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise
Leaders of Promise requires PTK membership, a 3.50 GPA, 12–36 completed credits by January 31 of the application year, and continuing two-year associate-degree enrollment next fall. A student transferring to a four-year institution needs a different shortlist. Read the program criteria.
PTK’s application page lists May 17, 2027 for the review that includes Leaders of Promise. Do not copy the separate December review date from transfer programs. Check PTK’s current review groups.
Next move: Confirm completed credits and next fall’s plans with your chapter adviser; also investigate your actual college foundation’s awards.
Undergraduate abroad study: funding can be activity-specific
Gilman funds credit-bearing study and internships abroad for eligible US-citizen undergraduates receiving Pell aid at application or during the abroad term. It is not a general tuition scholarship for every enrolled student. Review the program purpose.
The official site currently says the fall 2026 application is closed. Check current status.
Next move: Use a future-cycle monitoring list and discuss credit and adviser certification with your study-abroad office. Do not count a closed-cycle award as secured funding.
Point: one program can cross degree stages, with exclusions
Point’s Flagship program covers qualifying LGBTQ+ and ally students in undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs at accredited US nonprofit institutions. Its current criteria include a 3.3 GPA and full-time study; fully online degrees are excluded. Funding starts in fall 2027, with a posted September 9–November 19 application window and up to four years of support. Read the current scholarship page.
Next move: Check the portal’s precise deadline/time and institution rules. An award ceiling and maximum support period are not guaranteed cash or automatic renewal.
Research graduate study: NSF eligibility changed, so check the live rules
The current NSF GRFP criteria include qualifying undergraduate seniors and early graduate applicants, but generally require less than one academic year completed in a graduate degree program. Prior applications and prior degrees can also affect eligibility. Eligible status is US citizen, national, or permanent resident; professional-practice degrees are excluded. Use the current eligibility page, not an older two-year-rule summary.
For the current competition, references are due October 16, 2026, at 8 p.m. Eastern. Field-specific applications are due October 19, 20, 22, or 23. Support is three funded years within a five-year award; the education component goes to the institution, not directly to the student. Confirm your field’s deadline and award structure.
Next move: Check eligible field and degree format, then coordinate references immediately. A fellowship for graduate study does not automatically pay current undergraduate tuition.
Your next move
Write your current degree, next year’s degree stage, expected graduation date, funding activity, and enrollment format. Use those facts to reject ineligible programs first. Keep confirmed awards separate from competitive applications and future-cycle monitoring leads.
