The Edward A. Bouchet Fellowship Program is named in honor of Yale’s first African-American graduate and the first African-American in the United States to earn a Ph.D.
The Edward A. Bouchet Fellowship Program is named in honor of Yale’s first African-American graduate and the first African-American in the United States to earn a Ph.D. The Bouchet Fellowship is designed to increase the number of students who exemplify attributes associated with Dr. Bouchet, namely, students who intend to pursue PhDs and subsequent careers in academia and who serve as examples of scholarship, leadership, character, service, and advocacy.
Successful candidates will exemplify the program’s overarching goals of advancing a broad range of scholarly perspectives and welcomes applications from students who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, are first-generation college students, or have otherwise faced significant obstacles in their pursuit of higher education.
The Edward A. Bouchet Undergraduate Fellowship Program which is supported by the generosity of Heaton Robertson ’65 is an effort to increase the pool of young people qualified to meet the needs of educational institutions into the next century. This Fellowship allows students to work on paid research projects during the academic year, and to pursue full-time research during the summers between sophomore and junior years, and between junior and senior years.
Application Dates and Deadlines
Mellon Mays & Edward A. Bouchet Application Deadline: Monday, February 16, 2025, 4:00 P.M.
Application Information
Eligible Fields of Study
The Edward A. Bouchet Undergraduate Fellowship Program welcomes all fields of academic study. Candidates may apply without regard to nationality or citizenship status.
Application Requirements
The following documents must be received by the application deadline:
- A short application
- Two letters of recommendation, one of which should be from a classroom instructor at Yale College
- Writing Sample (limit 10pp. Sample not restricted to your current or intended major/area of interest. This should be a piece of writing that you are proud of.)
- An unofficial copy of applicant’s Yale College transcript
Special Eligibility Requirements
This Fellowship is for rising Juniors.
The Edward A. Bouchet Undergraduate Fellowship Program welcomes all fields of study. Candidates may apply without regard to nationality or citizenship status.
Contact Information
For questions about this application, please contact Sharleen Sanchez Barriera at mellon.bouchet@yale.edu
Apply Online
Apply to the Edward A. Bouchet Fellowship Program online in the Student Grants Database.
Interested applicants are encouraged to consult resources available via The Academic Strategies Program at the Poorvu Center as needed prior to submitting their application.
- Residential College Writing Tutors are also available help you develop and give you feedback on your application.
- Email us at academicstrategies@yale.edu talk over any aspect of the application, from developing a topic, to talking with faculty members, to navigating the interview process.
Students applying to Mellon Mays and Edward A. Bouchet are also strongly encouraged to apply for the following national summer programs:
- American Political Science Ralph Bunche Summer Institute
- Cooper-DuBois Mentoring Program at Penn State
- Institute for Recruitment of Teachers
- Moore Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program
- Northwestern Summer Research Opportunity Program
- Rutgers English Diversity Institute
- The Leadership Alliance