Mission
The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUF) is “the centerpiece of the Mellon Foundation’s initiatives to increase diversity in the faculty ranks at institutions of higher learning.” The program aims to support students interested in pursuing PhDs in a number of humanistic and social science fields of study. A list of candidate’s typical areas of study is below. But this list is not exhaustive, and as far as disciplinary focus is concerned the program’s larger aim is to support emerging scholars whose work holds promise for informing "more complete and accurate narratives of the human experience” and work that helps to lay "the foundation for more just and equitable futures." Students from racial and ethnic groups who are underrepresented in the fields in which they hope to work, and students with a demonstrated commitment to reducing the consequences of racial and ethnic disparities in the educational system and across the larger society are especially encouraged to apply (a list of selection criteria can be found here). For a fuller sense of the scope and consequence of the program, please take a look at 1) the Mellon Foundation website, and 2) this excellent profile of one of the university’s recent MMUF cohorts.
MMUF at Rice University
Core fields include:
- Anthropology
- Area/Cultural/Ethnic/Gender Studies
- Art History
- Classics
- Geography and Population Studies
- English
- Film Cinema and Media Studies
- Musicology and Ethnomusicology
- Foreign Languages and Literatures
- History
- Linguistics
- Performance Studies (theoretical focus)
- Philosophy and Political Theory
- Religion and Theology
- Sociology
- Theater (theoretical focus)
- Interdisciplinary studies: Interdisciplinary areas of study may be eligible if they have one or more eligible fields at their core, but must be approved by the MMUF staff at the Mellon Foundation on a case-by-case basis. Please note that interdisciplinary education graduate programs, even those that incorporate one or more eligible fields, are not eligible for MMUF graduate benefits.
The program chooses students most likely to benefit from a close mentoring relationship with a faculty member. Selection is based on a number of attributes, including, but not limited to, academic standing and potential, life experiences and interests, commitment to building bridges in multicultural settings, and interest in pursuing graduate education. Students who are undocumented or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients may apply.
Students—who enter the program at the end of their sophomore year—can generally expect two years of mentoring and a close working relationship with selected faculty members, preferably in their areas of interest. The hope is that such interaction with faculty and other fellows will provide students with additional incentives to enroll in a Ph.D. program in a Mellon Mays-designated field. Typically, fellows assist their mentors with research, editorial projects, or other initiatives related to their scholarly interests. Opportunities also exist for fellows to attend professional meetings, special seminars, and workshops.
Each year, fellows receive a stipend of $4,000.00 which should render it unnecessary to seek employment while obtaining financial support from the MMUFP. In addition, if they choose to intern or engage in research activities at the end of their sophomore or junior years, they will be eligible for a stipend of $4,500.00 per summer.
Fellows who enroll in a Ph.D. program in a Mellon Mays-eligible field within three years of graduation from Rice can expect repayment of up to $1,250 per year, for up to four years, of their undergraduate student loans. In short, up to $5,000 of their undergraduate loans will be repaid over a four-year period while they are working toward the Ph.D. Those who complete the Ph.D. within six years after enrollment in a graduate program will be eligible for an additional payment of up to $5,000.
Students will receive further information regarding the loan repayment process toward the end of their senior year.
MMUF Application
APPLY HERE, the application deadline is Monday, February 10, 2025
Eligibility requirements for MMUF can be found here. Students who are undocumented or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients may apply.
If you have questions about the Mellon Program or the application process, please get in touch with Ceola "CJ" Curley III at ceola@rice.edu.
Also, please sign up HERE for one of the upcoming MMUF Information Sessions (scheduled for February 4 and February 7).