Established in 1988, the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) is a research training program in the Humanities, Sociology and Anthropology that supports access to graduate education to students interested in elevating accounts, interpretations, and narratives that expand present understandings.

Its name honors Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, the noted African American educator, statesman, minister, and former president of Morehouse College. As of 2024, the program has produced more than 1,100 PhDs, almost 800 of whom are currently college professors. 

The program provides financial support and a developmental structure from the summer preceding a student's junior year until admission to graduate school. In addition, Mellon Mays Fellows receive continuing support from the Mellon Foundation as they advance through graduate school and gain faculty appointments.

For more information, see: www.mmuf.org.

• Faculty Mentoring
  • Fellows choose a faculty mentor from their major department who serves as an advisor, role model, and research supervisor. Together, the Fellow and mentor devise a program to help the Fellow develop his or her academic potential and prepare for graduate school.
  • Activities might include: conducting independent research; preparing research for presentation or publication; participating in the design of a course; teaching a class in the mentor's course; participating in professional activities such as the attendance of an academic conference or the search for a new faculty member.
• Pre-Graduate School Advising
  • In addition to advising from mentors, Mellon Mays Fellows participate in a series of forums and workshops designed to provide information about graduate school and facilitate the application process.
  • Forums feature faculty speakers who address broad issues in research and academic life. Workshops help Fellows to devise a plan for application to Ph.D. programs, learn about funding sources, write a strong statement or purpose, and prepare to take the Graduate Record Examination.
•  Stipends
  • Fellows receive a summer research stipend of $4,500 for each of the two summers of their Fellowship, as well as $2,000 for each semester of their junior and senior years.
• Funds for Travel, Research, Academic Training
  • Supplemental funds are available to cover research expenses, travel to conferences and libraries, and academic training such as intensive language study.
• Loan Repayment
  • Following graduation from City College, Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows who enroll as full-time students in eligible Ph.D. programs may have up to $10,000 of undergraduate or graduate loans repaid by the Mellon Foundation.
• Research Conferences
  • At the end of every spring semester, the Fellowships Program holds a research conference at which Fellows may present their research.They also attend annual conferences with Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows from other colleges in New York City and New England.
• Social and Intellectual Community
  • The workshops, forums, social events, and research conference bring together Mellon Mays Fellows with City College Fellows to form a vibrant community that fosters intellectual growth and mutual support.

• A minimum of 3.0 GPA and exceptional scholarly promise
• Major in: a discipline in the humanities (Area Studies, Art History, English, Foreign Languages and Literatures, History, Musicology, Philosophy, Religion); and selected social sciences (Anthropology, Political Theory, Sociology).
• Desire to matriculate in a Ph.D. program and to pursue a career in research and teaching at the college or university level.
• Current sophomores or students with three to four more semesters before graduation.

A complete application will contain:

• The following application form.
• Two or more letters of recommendation from faculty members or others familiar with the applicant’s academic career and potential.
• College transcripts for all attended colleges and universities.
• Two essays, each no more than 600 words.

All applicants must inform each of their recommenders that they must email their letters to Renee Philippi, City College Fellowships Administrative Director: rmphilippi@ccny.cuny.edu by April 22nd.

Applications are due by April 15th.

The most promising applicants will be invited to attend an interview with the Director along with members of the Advisory Committee and faculty mentors. Interviews will be held one to two weeks after applications are due.

Applicants will be screened, interviewed, and appointed by members of the Steering Committee.

Selection will be based on the strength of the student's academic record, academic focus and goals, and faculty recommendations.

Awards will be announced in May. The Fellowship begins during the summer following selection.

The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship requires letters of recommendation from two (2) faculty members.

• Please use the form below to fill out the contact information for each recommender. 
• All applicants must inform each of their recommenders that they must email their letters to Renee Philippi, City College Fellowships Administrative Director: rmphilippi@ccny.cuny.edu by April 22, 2024.
• After the letter is received, the Fellowships office will add the letter to your application for the committee to review.
• Do not submit paper copies of your letters of recommendation.
   

Note: You are aware of the rights afforded to you by the Federal Educational Right to Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. You hereby waive the right to examine the contents of the recommendation letters. You understand that by waiving your right you do so under the condition that the reference is used solely for the purpose for which it was intended.