By the Scholarship editorial desk · Last updated 25 June 2026 · Verified against official program sources · 4 min read
The Davidson Fellows scholarship is one of the most prestigious awards an American student under 18 can win. It does not reward grades or test scores; it rewards a single significant piece of work judged at or near the college-graduate level, in fields from science to music to philosophy.
Core eligibility and award details
The three award tiers are $25,000, $50,000, and $100,000, decided by an independent panel of judges based on the depth and impact of your project. The scholarship is not renewable, but you have up to ten years to use it for qualified education expenses. Projects in arts other than music, plus sports and community service, are not eligible.
| Key detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Award | $25,000, $50,000, or $100,000 |
| Fellows | About 20 per year |
| Age | 18 or younger at the deadline |
| Citizenship | U.S. citizen or permanent resident |
| Categories | STEM, literature, music, philosophy, outside the box |
| Renewable | No; up to 10 years to use the funds |
The Davidson Fellows scholarship has been described as one of the most prestigious undergraduate awards in the country, and only about 20 fellows are named each year from an estimated several hundred to a thousand applicants. Awards may be used for qualified education expenses for up to ten years, and recipients attend a reception in Washington D.C. Teams of two may apply, splitting the award evenly between members.
Deadlines and timeline
The application opens in the fall and closes in mid-February. The 2026 deadline was 18 February 2026, and the 2027 application will open in the fall of 2026. The process has two parts: an initial eligibility submission, then the full application with nominator forms and category materials. Submit the initial portion early so your nominators have time.
| Stage | When |
|---|---|
| Application opens | Fall |
| Initial portion submitted | As early as possible |
| Full application deadline | Mid-February (e.g. 18 Feb) |
| Applicants notified | On or before 15 July |
| Awards reception | September, Washington D.C. |
How to apply, step by step
- Confirm you are 18 or younger and a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
- Choose the category that best fits your significant project and read its requirements.
- Submit the initial portion of the application describing your project for eligibility review.
- Add two nominators and send them their forms, then upload all category materials.
- Sign the commitment to attend the awards reception and submit before the February deadline.
Required documents
- Initial project description for eligibility
- Full project paper or portfolio per category requirements
- Two completed nominator forms
- Any IRB or review documentation for human-subject or eligible biology projects
Selection criteria and renewal conditions
An independent team of judges decides who becomes a Fellow and at which award level, based on whether the work is significant: an accomplishment experts recognise as meaningful with potential to benefit society. The program is aimed at students working near the college-graduate level, not novices, and does not accept community-service projects or descriptions of future plans.
Judges look for work at or near the college-graduate level, so this is for students with a deep, original project rather than a novice effort. Submit the initial eligibility portion as early as possible so your two nominators have time to complete their forms, and choose the category that genuinely fits your work instead of forcing it.
Official source and application link
Always apply through the official source below and confirm current-cycle dates there before you submit.
Visit the Davidson Fellows scholarship page
Supporting trust and usability notes
This is a genuinely elite award, so apply only if you have a deep, original project; the effort itself strengthens college applications either way. Research-minded students might also pursue the PCAOB scholarship in accounting or STEM awards like the GeneTex scholarship program. For broad, lower-effort options to apply alongside it, see the Gen and Kelly Tanabe scholarship.
