Brandeis University Admissions

Brandeis believes that close engagement with the humanities plays a critical role in preparing students for a rapidly evolving world. In that spirit, each year we select a small cohort of our most intellectually promising admitted students to participate in our Humanities Fellowship.

The global, interconnected nature of our society requires scholars who can think both critically and empathetically. We believe there is tremendous value in engaging with the ideas, texts, images, languages and cultures that have shaped human experience.

The Humanities Fellowship Program exposes students to the rigors of academic research, and to the tremendous possibility and potential inherent in the humanities. Participants receive an annual scholarship, work directly with our humanities faculty and delve into leading-edge scholarship through special programming.

Fellows are given a unique opportunity to deepen their understanding of the human condition, sharpen their critical analysis skills and raise their academic profile. The program is particularly relevant for those interested in pursuing a graduate degree, but aims to go beyond the individual — cultivating a community of scholars who engage and collaborate across disciplinary boundaries.

Perks of the Program

• Scholarship starting at $25,000 annually, renewable for up to eight semesters.
• A $500 stipend toward an approved experiential learning opportunity in the humanities. This might include an internship, research or study-abroad experience.
• A rigorous keystone seminar that bridges multiple disciplines within the humanities and examines classical texts from fresh perspectives. In the Fall 2024 semester, two courses will be offered: Timeloops and Co-presence: Indigenous Temporalities and Speculative Fiction, co-taught by Professors John Plotz and Charles Golden, and Evil and Human Destiny: The Western Canon from Genesis to Milton, co-taught by Professors William Flesch and Reuven Kimelman.
• Mentorship and advising from some of our most respected humanities faculty.
• Private, faculty-led tours of some of Boston's finest cultural institutions.
• Access to student mentors serving as Humanities Undergraduate Departmental Representatives or undertaking honor theses in the humanities.
• Priority advising from the Office of Study Abroad. This includes personalized information sessions and advising for students interested in applying to study at Oxford University or on the Brandeis in Siena summer study abroad program in fine arts.
• Salon-style events that bring Fellows together for critical discussions with their faculty mentors, graduate students and visiting scholars.
• Invitations to lectures and events at the Mandel Center for Humanities.
• An optional spring semester humanities seminar course for first-year students.
• An optional Senior Salon Capstone Course for senior Humanities Fellows, culminating with a poster session at our dinner in April.

Program Requirements

In order to maintain funding and membership in the fellowship, Fellows must:

• Participate in the Humanities Keystone Seminar during their first semester on campus.
• Meet the additional renewal criteria for the Humanities Fellowship. 

How to Be Considered

All first-year applicants are considered for the Humanities Fellowship; no additional application is required. The Admissions Committee and departmental representatives automatically consider students during our review period. Recipients are selected based on a holistic review of their academic accomplishments and demonstrated commitment to the humanities. We cannot accept self-nominations.

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