All you need to know about Soros Fellowship

About Soros Fellowship

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans provide funding for up to two years of graduate study in any discipline at any program that awards advanced degrees in the country. Each Fellow is eligible for up to $25,000 in stipend support and up to $20,000 in tuition support each year, for a total of up to $90,000 over the course of two years. In order to get to know one another and discuss their New American experiences, Fellows participate in two fall conferences held in New York City.

Let’s further discuss Soros Fellowship.

Soros Fellowship | History

 by Paul and Daisy Soros, Hungarian immigrants who also happen to be American philanthropists, founded the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans

in December 1997. The Fellowship program is for New Americans, immigrants, and children of immigrants.  Paul and Daisy Soros took this initiative as a means to give back to the nation that provided their family with so many wonderful possibilities.

The reason Mr. and Mrs. Soros chose a fellowship program was that they could fill a need they saw by helping young New Americans at pivotal stages in their schooling. They also wanted to draw attention to the New Americans’ substantial and varied contributions to the standard of living in the country.

Mr. and Mrs. Soros donated a further $25 million to the nonprofit trust supporting their Fellowships for New Americans in 2010. The foundation of the Fellowship program is his inspirational life narrative, his dedication to American constitutional democracy, and his forward-thinking philanthropy. An online obituary from the New York Times describes his life narrative and several accomplishments.

Soros Fellowship | Selection process

The careful screening procedure aims to find the most promising New Americans who are ready to work hard and contribute significantly to the country. The selection committee also looks for a dedication to the core values and principles of the United States. The Fellows are eligible to enroll in any degree-granting program available at any American university in any subject. The precise selection criteria emphasize innovation, originality, initiative, and sustained accomplishment. Selection is based on merit. Financial needs or distributive factors are not taken into account when making a decision. Each Fellow is required to attend two-weekend conferences.

The Fellowship committee seeks candidates who-

• Show initiative, uniqueness, or creativity.
• Can maintain a successful career.
• Give assurance of making big contributions in the future.
• Dedication to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Soros Fellowships | A network of excellence

740 immigrants and children of immigrants have become a part of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans’ community during the course of its 25-year existence. Here are a few facts about Soros Fellowships-

Nationalities- The Fellowship assisted recent immigrants from 90 different nations. Mexico, China, and India have the most representation.

Various immigrant groups-The Fellowship also provides assistance to people who entered the country as refugees or asylum seekers and who have a Green Card or are naturalized US citizens. Along with children of immigrants, Green Card holders and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are also eligible for the fellowship. The Fellowship assists immigrants born overseas but went to high school and college in the US as well. 

Age- All the Soros Fellows were 30 years old or younger in the year they applied. The very first class of Paul & Daisy Soros Fellows, from 1998, is currently in the middle of their careers.

Careers- Paul & Daisy Soros Fellows have successful careers in academia, industry, government, non-profit organizations, the arts, medicine, science, law, and other fields. In many cases, they have built their careers across numerous industries.

Notable Soros Fellows

A Soros Fellowship supports a variety of study fields. Search all current and former Paul & Daisy Soros Fellows here by specialty, subject, organization, and heritage.

• Vivek Murthy, US surgeon general, was born in England to Indian immigrants. He was a 1998 Fellow.
• Nadine Burke-Harris, a former surgeon general of California, was born in Canada and raised in Jamaica and the United States to varying degrees (1999 Fellow).
• Olympic gold medalist Amy Chow (2003 Fellow) was the first Asian American to win a gymnastics gold medal and a member of the Magnificent Seven. Her parents migrated to the US from Hong Kong and China.
• Tony Pan, a scientist and CEO (2010 Fellow) is a patent-pending inventor with more than 150 patents in several industries, including energy, nanotechnology, electronics, and biomedical devices. Tony grew up in Korea, Scotland, and Taiwan. He is the co-founder and CEO of Modern Electron, located in Bellevue, Washington, where he is directing the creation of new technology to make power more affordable and widely accessible. 
• Kao Kalia Yang, a 2003 Fellow, is the author. The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir, published in 2008, and The Song Poet, published in 2016, are both written by Kalia. Kalia was born in the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp in Thailand, where her family had fled in order to avoid the Hmong’s ethnic cleansing. The Hmong were an illiterate highland tribe who fought with American troops in the Vietnam War. The family left the refugee camp after six years and relocated to St. Paul, Minnesota, where they have resided ever since.

Key takeaways

• The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans offer financial aid for up to two years of graduate study in any study area at any program that awards advanced degrees in the US.
• Each Soros Fellow can get up to $25,000 in stipend support and up to $20,000 in tuition support each year, for a total of up to $90,000 over the course of two years. To get acquainted with one another and discuss their experiences, Fellows participate in two fall conferences held in New York City.
• 740 immigrants and children of immigrants are a part of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for the New Americans’ community during its 25-year existence.

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FAQs

Q1. How competitive is the Soros Fellowship selection process?

Ans- The selection process for the Soros Fellowship program is quite competitive. In 2021, the Fellowship received 2,445 applications, and only 30 candidates received fellowships, with a selection rate of 1.2%.

Q2. How can I get Soros Fellowship?

Ans- Applying for Soros Fellowship is cost-free. You can apply whether you’re in your first two years of the academic program you want funding for, when you’re applying to graduate or professional school, or both. You must be under 30 years of age as of the application deadline.

Q3. What is a Soros Justice fellowship?

Ans- The Soros Justice Fellowships from Open Society-U.S. provide funding for exceptional people to work on initiatives that advance reform, spark discussion, and ignite change on a variety of problems facing the U.S. criminal justice system.