Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program

Application for Cohort 26 (2026-28)

Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322

Dear Future Teacher and Scholar:  

We are pleased to announce this year's Emory Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) program. Established in 2000, Emory’s MMUF Program supports undergraduates who feel called to earn a doctorate and to teach at the college or university level. In 2003 the Mellon Foundation reaffirmed its commitment and broadened the mission of the MMUF program. The name of the program was changed from the Mellon Minority Undergraduate Fellowship program to the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program to symbolically connect the mission to the stellar educational achievements of Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, former president of Morehouse College and mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Who is eligible to apply to Emory’s MMUF Program? Rising juniors with a preferred minimum GPA of 3.2. The Mellon Foundation supports doctoral study in the following fields and disciplines: art history, classical studies, English, foreign languages, American and English literature (including area studies), performance studies, history, musicology, film studies, philosophy, religious studies, theater, sociology, anthropology/archeology, and demography as well as political theory and other fields that employ historical and philosophical methods. Emory’s MMUF program aims to achieve its mission by identifying and supporting students of great promise and helping them to become scholars of the highest distinction. 

What are the particular benefits of the award? Emory’s Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows will receive the following benefits: (1) an Academic Year Stipend—during the junior and senior years fellows will engage in supervised research with their faculty mentors. For this activity fellows will receive a stipend of $4,000 per academic year. The purpose of the stipend is to facilitate the fellow’s research activity by relieving the need to undertake other work responsibilities; (2) Summer Stipends—during the summers of the junior and senior years, fellows will receive up to $4,500 for supervised research. The summer of their junior year or at the point of entry into Emory’s MMUF Program, fellows are required to participate in Emory's annual Rudolph P. Byrd Summer Institute; (3) Loan Forgiveness—fellows are eligible for up to $10,000 for the repayment of undergraduate loans, provided they pursue graduate study in a Mellon field or discipline. For each of the first four years of full-time graduate study, the Mellon Foundation, through fellows’ undergraduate institutions, will repay one-eighth (up to $1,250) of the fellows’ undergraduate debts. Thus, if fellows pursue full-time graduate study for four years, they will receive $5,000 in loan repayments. When fellows complete the doctorate, they will qualify for an additional $5,000. Undergraduates interested in law, medicine, business or other professions are not eligible for this program.

The deadline for the submission of applications and supporting materials is February 27, 2026. The application packet contains three parts: (1) the candidate application, (2) a letter of recommendation from a faculty member who has taught you, and (3) a statement of mentor support from the faculty member who has agreed to be your mentor.

For further information, contact Professor Erica Armstrong Dunbar, Department of African American Studies, interim faculty coordinator of Emory’s MMUF program; Professor Kyrah Malika Daniels, Department of African American Studies, faculty co-coordinator of Emory’s MMUF program; or Naomi Diemer, Department of African American Studies, senior program coordinator of Emory's MMUF program. Interested undergraduates are also encouraged to visit the national MMUF program website at www.mmuf.org.

As we realize the ambitious and praiseworthy goals of Emory’s MMUF program, we welcome your participation and look forward to reviewing your application and supporting materials.

Sincerely,

Erica Armstrong Dunbar                                                            Kyrah Malika Daniels

MMUF Faculty Coordinator                                                      MMUF Faculty Coordinator

BIOGRAPHY – Dr. Benjamin E. Mays

Educator and civil rights activist Benjamin Elijah Mays was born in 1895 in South Carolina and graduated from Bates College in Maine in 1920. In 1921, while attending the University of Chicago for his master's and doctorate degrees, Dr. Mays attended Divinity School, where he received his ordination into the Baptist ministry. Dr. Mays interrupted his graduate studies on multiple occasions to accept teaching positions at Morehouse College and South Carolina State College. From 1934 to 1940, he served as Dean of the Howard University School of Religion, eventually moving on to the presidency of Morehouse College, a position he distinguished for the next quarter century. In addition to his decades-long tenure and presidency in the academy, Dr. Mays served his community well, becoming the first black president of the Atlanta School Board.

He spoke early and often against segregation and in favor of education. He received nearly thirty honorary doctorates, other honors, and awards, including election to the Schomburg Honor Roll of Race Relations, being one of only a dozen significant leaders honored. Dr. Mays served as a model for one of his Morehouse students, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., aiding as his unofficial senior adviser and ultimately delivering the eulogy at King's funeral. 

Among his books were the first sociological study of African American religion, The Negro's Church, published in 1933; The Negro's God (1938); Disturbed about Man (1969); and his autobiography, Born to Rebel (1971). These books reveal sharp intellect, religious commitment, and prophetic conviction. Dr. Benjamin E. Mays died in 1984. 

Illustration © Robert Templeton Estate

MMUF Fellowship Application

Directions: Please fill in the application completely. Your application will save automatically. You may re-access your application by following the link in your email. If you did not receive an email, please check your junk folder. Please check all responses thoroughly for completion and accuracy before submitting your application.

A completed application contains the following:

1. Completed application
2. Faculty Mentor Statement – Send this link to your faculty mentor as early as possible. 
3. Letter of Recommendation – Send this link to your recommender as early as possible. 
4. Transcript(s)

Please use the above links to submit all required forms. Doing so will attach all submitted forms to your application. Your selected faculty members will not be required to log in or view your application.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

ACADEMIC MAJOR

EDUCATION

List all other high schools, including summer schools and programs you have attended, beginning with ninth grade.

List all colleges at which you have taken courses during the summer or as a joint enrollment student during the academic year. Upload (see subsequent section of the application) or send a transcript from each institution as soon as possible.

FAMILY

List title of each person named below (i.e. Mr., Mrs., Ms., Mx. Dr., The Rev.) Please indicate if deceased.

If you live with a guardian, please include guardian's full name, phone number, and mailing address with city, state, and zip code below.

ACADEMIC HONORS

EXTRACURRICULAR, PERSONAL, AND VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES (including summer)

Please list your principal extracurricular, community, and family activities and hobbies in the order of their interest to you. Include specific events and/or significant accomplishments for each activity, such as musical instrument(s) played, varsity letters earned, etc. Be sure to check 'YES' for the activities you have continued to pursue while in college.

To allow us to focus on the highlights of your activities, please complete this section even if you plan to attach a resume.

WORK EXPERIENCE

List any job (including summer employment) you have held during the past three years.

OTHER PROGRAMS

We recognize that applicants may apply to multiple programs. Please list any other fellowship or research programs you have applied to (if any).

This information helps us ensure that other commitments do not conflict with the time requirements of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship.

For each program you list, please indicate:

• The name of the program
• Whether the program is summer only or extends into the academic year

Leave blank if not applicable.

TRANSCRIPTS

Please note: If you exit the application before submitting it, your uploads will not be saved. You will need to re-upload your documents when you return to the application.

If you cannot upload your transcript(s), please email them directly to Naomi Diemer, MMUF senior program coordinator, at ndiemer@emory.edu.

YOUR VIEW – SHORT ESSAY

The selection committee members are interested in learning more about you. Grades tell us many things about your academic performance, but sometimes there are limitations to reviewing just academic qualifications. Write an essay in which you explore how you discovered your interest in teaching and research and the relationship of this discovery to your future plans for earning a Ph.D. As you address this topic, discuss the specific research project you hope to pursue as an MMUF fellow; also, explore how your life choices, values, and goals are reflected in the life of Dr. Benjamin E. Mays.

Please upload your essay below. Submissions should not exceed three typed pages, double-spaced.

Please note: If you exit the application before submitting it, your uploads will not be saved. You will need to re-upload your documents when you return to the application.

ADDITIONAL UPLOADS (optional)

If there are any additional documents you would like to upload (i.e., resume, statement of disability), please do so here.

Please note: If you exit the application before submitting it, your uploads will not be saved. You will need to re-upload your documents when you return to the application.

Follow this link to access the Faculty Mentor Letter of Recommendation form.

Follow this link to access the Faculty Mentor Statement form.

I have read and fully understand the restrictions and guidelines of this application. I certify that all the information contained herein is correct to the best of my knowledge and that the essay is my original work alone.

You may preview your application prior to submitting it by clicking the button below. You may also save a copy for your records. Once you are satisfied with all the information provided, please click “SUBMIT”.

Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program at Emory University

Candler Library Suite 214

Atlanta, Georgia, 30322