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The University of Tennessee

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Application Process

The Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships exists to help students throughout the application process for nationally competitive awards. At any stage during this process, students are encouraged to make an appointment with us to discuss their application-in-progress and receive feedback.

1. Pre-application

  • The ONSF requires students to submit certain applications early in order to determine a student’s eligibility for a particular fellowship.  Applicants for the Rhodes, Marshall, and Mitchell scholarships must submit an Intent to Apply form the summer before the competition. See details about a specific scholarship if you have questions.

2. Nomination

  • For all scholarships that require university nomination, the ONSF staff and a committee of faculty members will screen applicants. After a review of applications and recommendation letters, the ONSF and faculty committees will nominate the University of Tennessee candidates, allowing applicants time to work further with the ONSF staff and faculty advisors to make final changes to applications. For more information about the individual scholarship deadlines, see the ONSF Calendar.

3. Completing the applications

  • The ONSF staff is happy to work with students at any stage in completing their application materials. Note that final applications will always be due a few days in advance of the national deadline to allow the ONSF staff time to prepare applications for mailing.

4. Interviews 

  • The ONSF will conduct interviews for pre-applicants (if necessary) and mock interviews for finalists. (The campus interview process for the Fulbright competition will take place about a month prior to the national deadline.)