Full Program Details
If your parents left Lagos, Accra, Manila or Mexico City to build a life in the United States, or you made that journey yourself, this fellowship was built with you in mind. Each year the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans picks 30 immigrants and children of immigrants and helps pay for their graduate degrees. Applications for the 2027 class close on 29 October 2026 at 2pm Eastern Time.
Up to $90,000 over two years toward a graduate degree in any field at a US school, for immigrants and children of immigrants aged 30 or younger.
Details at a glance:
- Host: The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans
- Award: up to $90,000 over two years
- Fellows chosen: 30 a year, from 77 finalists
- Level: any full-time graduate or professional degree at an accredited US institution
- Age limit: 30 or younger on the deadline
- Deadline: 29 October 2026, 2pm ET, with recommendations due at the same time
- Network: 865 fellows as of 2026
Eligibility note: this is a US program. You must be a New American under the fellowship's rules and plan to study in the United States. International students who do not fit one of the categories below cannot apply.
What the Fellowship Covers
- 50% of your tuition and required fees, excluding health and housing fees, up to $10,000 per semester or $6,667 per quarter
- A stipend of up to $25,000 a year. Your combined stipend from all sources is capped at $50,000 a year.
- Two years of support. The first year cannot be deferred, but the second can be pushed back by up to one calendar year.
- A paid trip to the fellows' Fall Conference in October 2027
Who Can Apply
You must be an immigrant or the child of immigrants. As an immigrant, you must be one of these:
- A naturalized US citizen
- A green card holder
- An asylee or refugee
- Someone who graduated from both high school and college in the United States. Current and past DACA recipients fall here.
US-born citizens qualify only if both parents were born abroad as non-US citizens and were not eligible for citizenship at birth, or if they meet other specific conditions in the fellowship's rules. You must also:
- Be 30 or younger on 29 October 2026, with no exceptions
- Hold a bachelor's degree by fall 2027
- Plan to study full time in an accredited US graduate or professional program in 2027-2028. Online programs count.
- Not have started the third year of your current graduate program by the deadline
Executive programs, certificates, post-baccalaureate programs, joint bachelor's and master's tracks and degrees outside the US are not eligible.
How to Apply
- Confirm your New American status and age against the full eligibility rules on the fellowship website.
- Line up three to five recommenders. Each registers separately, and their letters are due at the same deadline as your application.
- Write two essays of up to 1,000 words each. Essay one is about your experience as a New American. Essay two covers your career goals and why you chose your graduate programs.
- Upload your resume or CV and college and graduate transcripts. Unofficial copies showing your name and school are fine at this stage.
- Add standardized test scores only if your program required them, plus any optional exhibits.
- Submit everything before 2pm ET on 29 October 2026. The fellowship grants no extensions.
Selection Timeline
- Finalists told in mid-January 2027
- Virtual interviews in late January and early February 2027
- 30 fellows notified in March 2027
- Public announcement in April 2027
- Funding starts in fall 2027
GizPulse Verdict
Who this is for: Children of Nigerian, Ghanaian, Kenyan and other immigrant families in the US, and immigrants with a green card or citizenship, who are heading into a master's, PhD, MD, JD or MBA and have a story worth telling.
Who should pause: International students on a visa who did not finish both high school and college in the US, and anyone who will turn 31 before 29 October 2026.
One tip to stand out: The first essay is about being a New American, not about hardship for its own sake. Show one moment where your background changed a decision you made, then connect it to the work you plan to do with your degree.
Read the full rules and start your application on the official Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships website.
