To be eligible for the Beinecke Scholarship, a student must: have demonstrated superior standards of intellectual ability, scholastic achievement and personal promise during their undergraduate career; be a college junior pursuing a bachelor’s degree; plan to enter a research-focused master’s or doctoral program or MFA in the arts, humanities or social sciences; be a United States citizen or a United States national from American Samoa or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; and have a documented history of receiving need-based financial aid during their undergraduate years.
Each scholar receives $5,000 immediately prior to entering graduate school and an additional $30,000 while attending graduate school. There are no geographic restrictions on the use of the scholarship, and recipients are allowed to supplement the award with other scholarships, assistantships and research grants. Scholars are encouraged to begin graduated study as soon as possible following graduation from college, and must utilize all of the funding within five years of completion of undergraduate studies. Participating institutions may nominate one candidate per year for the scholarship. Nominations from campus liaisons are due on the last Friday in March.