Scholarships and funding
Queens College has its own scholarship money, and one application each semester puts you in the running for most of it. Start there, then work with the Office of Honors and Scholarships on national awards. Every scholarship below is also in the opportunities lists with its deadline.
At Queens College
- Fill out the General Application every semesterOne application on QC's AcademicWorks portal covers most QC Foundation scholarships, and the office says most are open to students without documentation. This fall's closes October 25, 2026; the spring cycle runs from mid-January to mid-March.
- Answer the supplemental questionsSome awards ask one more short question at the end, like the Ottensoser Award, which helps juniors and seniors pay graduate school application fees and test costs.
- Let the department know youThe Political Science department's awards have no application. Professors choose.
- Graduating with a 3.75 or higher?Seniors with a 3.75+ GPA and 45 QC credits get an email in the spring to be considered for the Baccalaureate Award Ceremony's named awards, including several for students headed to law school or public-interest careers. Fill out the survey in that email.
- Get paid for an unpaid internshipThe QC Internship Stipend Fund gives $2,700 once. With a work-study award, the NYC Public Service Corps pays you to intern in government.
National awards, by year
The Office of Honors and Scholarships advises on national awards. For some, Queens College has to nominate you, and its own deadline comes before the national one, so start early.
- Freshmen and sophomores. JK Watson Fellowship (QC nominates), Fulbright UK Summer Institutes, Critical Language Scholarship (Nov 17) and, for study abroad, Gilman.
- Juniors. Truman, Beinecke (QC nominates), Boren and the Rangel summer program. Plan now for Rhodes, Marshall and Schwarzman: their applications are due early in senior year.
- Seniors. Fulbright (apply through QC), Carnegie Junior Fellows (QC nominates), the Huntington Public Service Award and, for future teachers, the James Madison Fellowship.
- Check every year. Belle Zeller (30 CUNY credits and a 3.75+ GPA), Pilsbury (first-generation), APIA Scholars and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.
A summer away from home costs much less when the program houses you. With free housing and a stipend: the Hudson Institute and Hertog political studies programs ($3,000 each), Hertog's security, war and constitutional studies programs, the Publius Fellowship, and research programs like RBSI and PPIA. AEI and Hoover cover housing for their summer courses. Washington internships with housing: CHCI, CBCF, APAICS, Victory, CHLI, the Islamic Scholarship Fund, the Muslim Public Service Network, AAPD (for students with disabilities) and the Institute for Responsible Citizenship. Pre-law: USC's ASCEND and Florida State's summer program. After college, AmeriCorps NCCC, the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and the Peace Corps house you while you serve. Search every program for housing.
For a fully funded master's abroad, look at Rhodes and Marshall (QC must endorse you; due around October 1 of senior year), Gates Cambridge, Oxford's Clarendon, the Yenching Academy and Schwarzman in Beijing, Erasmus Mundus in Europe and DAAD in Germany. Paid teaching jobs include Fulbright English teaching assistantships, JET in Japan, TAPIF in France, language assistants in Spain and EPIK in Korea. For a service year, try Princeton in Asia, Africa or Latin America, the Luce Scholars or the Peace Corps. Every one is in All opportunities.
Queens College has a large Muslim community, and several national programs are built for it. The Islamic Scholarship Fund gives $3,000–10,000 scholarships to Muslim juniors, seniors and graduate students in political science, policy, journalism and law, and runs paid congressional and newsroom internships (due Nov 1). For a summer in Washington, look at MPAC's Hill program and the Muslim Public Service Network. Closer to home, CAIR-NY in Manhattan and Emgage in Queens take students. Arab American students can apply to the Arab American Leadership Program (Dec 13) and the Arab American Institute.
Many national awards require citizenship, but not all. Most of QC's own scholarships are open to students without documentation. TheDream.US is for undocumented students, and Queens College is a partner school. The Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the Fund for Education Abroad and RBSI accept DACA recipients. Ask the Office of Honors and Scholarships about the rest.