You can find the link on our website’s “Apply” page if you are a candidate and need to log into the online application: Apply Page
Please be aware that we are currently updating our backend system for managing Fellow data if you are a fellow trying to log in. In the interim, send updates to Nikka Landau at nlandau@pdsoros in order to update your information for the Fellowship. org. Email (or username) Password.
Technical Questions
Email support@smapply if you can’t find the answer to your query on this page. io.
I’m having trouble logging into the application. My password is no longer valid, and there is an error when I try to reset it.
Be sure you are not trying to log into pdsoros. org, which is our Fellowship website, not our application website. You can find the appropriate link here.
How do I request a new password?
On the application site, select the green Sign In button and then click the “Forgot your password?” link. Click here to access the main application page.
Recommendation Questions
Is the deadline for recommenders the same as applicants?
Yes. The deadline for submitting all recommendations is October 27, 2022, at 2:00 PM ET.
I applied last year. Is it possible to transfer one of my recommendations from the previous application to this one?
We are unable to transfer a letter of recommendation from one application to another. All recommendations must be submitted to the current application.
Does a letter of recommendation with multiple signatures constitute one recommendation?
Yes, a single letter of recommendation can be signed by multiple people. The application system requires three to five separately registered recommenders. To enable us to confirm the identities of each recommender, they must each register separately. Although a letter of recommendation signed by multiple people can be uploaded, the applicant still needs at least two more recommendations to be registered and submitted in the application system.
Can recommendations or application materials be submitted by mail?
We do not accept any materials by mail or e-mail. All materials must be submitted through the online application system.
Is there a page or word limit for recommendations?
If a recommender does not have the registration email, what should they do?
The applicant and recommender must confirm the email address to which the registration email was sent. Additionally, after registering each of their recommenders, applicants should make sure they clicked “save.” Check your junk mail folders because the email is from a smapply, advises the recommender. io address that sometimes gets filtered out. You can resend the request if your recommender still hasn’t received an email by clicking the ” by selecting “Resend Invitation” after clicking “Accept” next to their request on your application portal. To avoid spamming your recommender, only click “Resend Invitation” once since there won’t be a confirmation after you do.
If a recommender can log in but cannot update their letters, what should they do?
Please email support@smapply with any queries you may have regarding uploading problems with the application system. io. PD Soros employees are only available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time; SurveyMonkey is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
Can I submit my application prior to submitting my recommendations?
You may submit your application prior to the submission of your recommendations. After submitting, you can still log in to the system to see how your recommenders are doing. By the deadline of October 27, 2022, at least three recommendations must have been submitted for your application to be deemed complete.
How can a recommender confirm that their recommendation was submitted?
They should receive a confirmation e-mail.
Would it be possible to upload recommendation letters using Interfolio?
Interfolio should provide instructions on their website. We recommend submitting recommendations directly via our system.
Visit Guidance for Recommenders for more details about recommenders and recommendations.
Application Questions
Is an unofficial transcript acceptable for the application or do I need to submit an official transcript?
Please send a copy of your transcript with your name and the name of the school on it. It does not need to be official. Your official transcript will be requested if you are chosen as a finalist.
Only four graduate programs are listed on the application. When applying to more than four schools, what should I do?
In the spaces provided, you should list the four schools or programs you anticipate attending. A complete list of your programs and institutions can then be uploaded as an exhibit.
The list of schools on the online application does not include my school. How should I note it on the application?.
Please choose “other” from the drop-down list’s final group of choices. You’ll see a box asking you to enter your school’s name. Several schools are missing from our list of schools, making it insufficient.
Will the application maintain the formatting if I use unique formatting in my resume or essays?
Since the application will convert uploaded files and completed fields into PDF format, formatting will be preserved.
Is there a word limit for the essays?
Yes, the word limit is 1,000 words per essay. This is a hard limit. Your essays must be copied and pasted into a text box.
I won’t have taken my graduate school entrance exam prior to the PD Soros deadline of October 27, 2022. What should I do?.
You can choose to take your test after the deadline and upload your official results once you have them, or you can choose to take a screenshot of your online account when the results are published.
I’m a graduate student in my first year, and I currently have no grades to add to my transcript. Do you request that my transcript be submitted anyway?.
Yes. Most of the time, your transcript will list the classes you are registered for and will attest to your attendance.
What standardized test scores are required?
Please be aware that we only need the test results you needed for the program the Fellowship is intended to support. Therefore, if your medical school only required the MCAT and you are applying for financial aid for medical school, you only need to upload the MCAT scores to your application. You only need to include your GRE scores if you’re applying to fund another program and that program only accepts the GREs. If both exams are required by your program, you can upload your current scores along with a second page stating that you will take the GREs on a specific date and will send your results in once they are available.
How should I upload my test scores?
The examinee score report is what you should upload. A screenshot of your account would do if you don’t have a PDF of that. In the event that you are chosen as a finalist, you will have to submit an official score report. Do not self-report your test results by typing them up in a word document.
A secure PDF cannot be uploaded into the online application. There is a password on your GRE PDF. Please attempt to get in touch with the person who gave you the PDF file to see if they can lift the security constraints. Alternatively, if that is not possible, print the pages you want to upload. Next, convert the printed pages into a usable file format by scanning them, and upload the new document to the relevant section of the online application. Please make sure to set your document’s output page size to standard US Letter size, which is 8 inches by 11 inches, before scanning it.
Will you take COVID-19 into consideration when reviewing applications?
We never had a preferred GPA or test score range and always consider applicants as a whole. That’s because, pandemic or not, we are aware that our applicants might be experiencing—or may have experienced—serious difficulties or structural injustices that prevent them from achieving the grades and scores they desire. We’re looking for candidates who push themselves, make the most of what they have, and strive to overcome challenges.
We will be especially sensitive and comprehensive in our approach this year as we evaluate applicants’ academic work, test results, and GPAs in light of the global COVID-19 crisis. We are cognizant of the significant disruptions to many graduate and college students’ personal and academic lives, the pass/fail nature of some university courses, and the shift in the dates of several important tests. We want applicants to know that we support them and that we will be very accommodating when reviewing their work.
The standard Grade Point Average (GPA) system is not used at my university. How should I report my GPA?.
We are aware that many universities, especially those overseas, do not employ a common GPA system. Please enter “0” if your graduate or undergraduate program doesn’t follow the norm. 00” in the space provided.
I’m having issues with the application’s naturalization documentation section. What should I do?.
We no longer require applicants to submit this information. Instead, candidates are required to state the day they received their supporting documents. If you advance to the finalist stage, you will be asked for supporting documentation.
Do you grant extensions?
No, we do not offer extensions in order to be fair to all applicants.
Is it possible for me to reapply for the scholarship if I am not chosen as a Fellow this year? If so, when can I do so?
If you still meet the eligibility requirements, you may reapply.
Can I submit an exhibit that I co-created with someone else?
Yes, but you should explain why you are including the exhibit and what your contribution to the project was in more detail.
Should I only submit the front page of technical works, such as research papers or comment letters?
You have the option of submitting a research paper’s full text, an excerpt, an abstract, a summary, or a link.
Can I use one of the exhibit slots to write up a brief document outlining the significance of the other exhibits, or do I need to explain why the exhibit is important?
Sometimes it is beneficial to briefly explain why you are including an exhibit and what it reveals about you. This might not be required if it is clear why you included it. The succinct summaries may be uploaded separately or on each exhibit.
Are applications reviewed on a rolling basis?
No. Applications are not reviewed until after the application deadline.
Eligibility Questions
Do you make exceptions to the age requirement?
No. We don’t make any exceptions in order to be fair to all applicants. Candidates must be under 30 as of the application deadline.
Would I still be eligible for the Fellowship if my parents or I were born in one of the US territories?
Your parents must both have been born outside of the country and be ineligible for citizenship when they were each born.
If you were only ever raised by one of your birth parents, that parent had to have been born outside of the United States and not be a citizen. Additionally, your second birth parent had to have had no influence on your life growing up and no contact with you.
Given that I didn’t attend a high school in the US but rather an American school abroad, would I still be eligible for the fellowship under the final New American eligibility option if I graduated from college in the US but attended an American school abroad?
No, you would not be eligible. You would not be eligible if you were born abroad and were not a naturalized US citizen, green card holder, refugee or asylee, or someone who completed both high school and college in the US.
I’m applying to graduate school this year, but I probably won’t know whether I’ve been accepted by the PD Soros application deadline of October 27, 2022. If I intend to attend graduate school full-time in the US during the academic year 2023–2024 but haven’t decided which institution I’ll be attending yet, am I still eligible to apply?
Yes, a large number of our applicants submit their PD Soros Fellowship applications along with their graduate school applications.
As of October 27, 2022, I will be in my third, fourth, fifth, or sixth year of graduate school. Am I eligible?.
No, as of October 27, 2022, applicants must be submitting an application for graduate school or must not have begun or completed the third year of the graduate program for which they are seeking funding.
I’m going to the Caribbean to study at a US graduate institution. Am I eligible?.
Only graduate programs offered by US universities and based here in the US are eligible.
I’m in a PhD program that includes a master’s degree. Am I eligible if I have already earned my master’s degree and am enrolled in my first two years of the PhD program?
That would depend on your program. Many applicants are in PhD programs where they spend the first two years finishing a master’s degree before continuing on to a PhD program following a qualifying exam. In that case, the master’s and PhD are regarded as a single program, so assuming the master’s degree took two years to complete, year one of the PhD would be the graduate student’s third year. Your PhD and master’s programs might be regarded as separate and eligible if they are unrelated and you had to complete the entire application process for each separately. You would not be qualified if the programs are distinct but you used credits from your master’s to complete the second degree.
By the application deadline of October 27, 2022, you must be enrolled in your second master’s year to be eligible for the PD Soros Fellowship in this round.
I might get a fellowship or prize that conflicts with the Paul How would that work?.
The number of awards a student may receive concurrently through PD Soros is unrestricted. Many of our Fellows receive NSF, NDSEG, and NIH awards in addition to their PD Soros fellowship. We will work within the parameters of other awards in order to try to get Fellows the most benefit possible from all of their funding sources. The following are the only restrictions on the PD Soros award:
- The first year of the Fellowship cannot be deferred. You must intend to enroll full-time in a graduate program for the entire academic year 2022-234 if you’re applying in 2022. The funding for year two may be postponed for as long as one calendar year.
- PD Soros pays 50% of tuition and fees, not including health and housing fees, up to $10,000 per semester, or $6,667 per quarter If a Fellow is receiving other funding for tuition, or if 50% of tuition is less than the maximum amount, the Fellow will not receive the maximum amount of tuition funding for the semester Tuition funds cannot be used to pay stipends, and PD Soros cannot exceed the cost of tuition and fees.
- All stipend awards are capped at $50,000 annually, with the PD Soros stipend having a maximum of $25,000 annually. This indicates that a Fellow may receive an annual stipend of up to $25,000 from sources aside from the Fellowship. PD Soros will lower the Fellow’s stipend payment if they receive more than $25,000 in stipend from other sources in order to stay within the $50,000 maximum.
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Introduction to the PD Soros Fellowship for New Americans
FAQ
How hard is it to get a Soros Fellowship?
Being this far is already a success because only 77 finalists are chosen each year to interview for the Soros Fellowship. You will travel to either New York City or Los Angeles if you are chosen as a finalist, where you will go to a dinner and two interviews.
How do I get Soros Fellowship?
- It’s free to apply.
- You can submit an application when you’re seeking funding for the first two years of an academic program, when you’re applying to graduate or professional school, or both.
- You can apply more than one.
- To apply, you must be under 30 as of the application deadline.
How many people apply for PD Soros?
Over 1,800 applications were submitted last year, and the competition is merit-based and fiercely competitive. Every year, we choose 77 finalists for interviews, and from that group, 30 Fellows are chosen.
Are Paul and Daisy Soros related to George Soros?
She is the Paul Center’s chairwoman. Paul Soros, the late owner of Soros Associates and the elder brother of financier George Soros, was married to her.