FEDERAL AGENCY:

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

AUTHORIZATION:

Higher Education Act of 1965, Title VII, Part A, Subpart 1, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 1134-1134d.

To provide fellowships for graduate study in the arts, humanities, and social sciences to individuals of superior ability selected on the basis of demonstrated achievement, financial need, and exceptional promise. Fellowships are awarded to students intending to pursue a doctoral degree and may be awarded to students pursuing a master's degree in those fields in which the master's degree is commonly accepted as the terminal degree.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:

Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition

USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:

A recipient is entitled to use the fellowship in a graduate program at any accredited institution of higher education in which the recipient may decide to enroll. For each fellowship awarded, the institution receives an institutional allowance determined in accordance with the statutory formula in Section 703 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. The student receives a stipend set at the level of support based on that provided by the National Science Foundation graduate fellowships. No stipend may exceed the Fellow's demonstrated level of need according to measurements of need set forth in Part F of Title IV of the Higher Education Act. An individual receives payments only during the periods that he or she maintains satisfactory progress in his or her program of study and devotes essentially full time to study or research in the field in which the fellowship was awarded.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:   Eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens or nationals, permanent residents of the United States, and citizens of any one of the Freely Associated States. An individual who is enrolled or plans to enroll in a terminal degree program is eligible only if he or she is a citizen of the United States. Applicants must be enrolled or eligible to be enrolled in a graduate program in an approved field of study at an accredited institution of higher education. In fiscal year 1999 sixty percent of new awards shall be available for fellowships to otherwise eligible applicants who have earned no graduate credit hours. The remaining forty percent of new awards shall be available for fellowships to all otherwise eligible applicants who are within the first year of graduate study. In each of these two categories, a minimum of sixty percent of these new fellowships shall be awarded to applicants in the humanities, twenty percent to applicants in the social sciences, and twenty percent to applicants in the arts.

Beneficiary Eligibility:   Citizens and nationals of the United States, permanent residents of the United States, and citizens of any one of the Freely Associated States.

Credentials/Documentation:   Regulations were published in the Federal Register on January 19, 1998. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.

Pre-application Coordination:   This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:   Applications must be submitted in accordance with the notice of closing date published in the Federal Register. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110.

Award Procedure:   The Education Department will make awards in accordance with the criteria established by the Javits Fellowship Board. Contact the program office for additional information.

Deadlines:   Published in the Federal Register. Contact the program office for more information.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:   Approximately 120 days.

Appeals:   None.

Renewals:   Requests for continuation of support are made on an annual basis by the institution at which the fellow is pursuing graduate study, but may not exceed 48 months. Continuation awards are subject to the availability of funds.

ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:   None.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:   The length of the grant is one year, but renewable for up to a total of 48 months, subject to the availability of funds.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:   Certification from an appropriate official at an institution of higher education approved by the Secretary, stating that the fellow is making satisfactory progress and has devoted essentially full time to study or research in the field in which the fellowship was awarded.

Audits:   Fiscal records of institutions administering funds are subject to audit by the Education Department at any time within 5 years after the close of the fiscal year in which expenditures are liquidated.

Records:   All records bearing on the receipt and expenditure of funds under this program must be available for inspection by the Education Department. Records must be held for three years after the fiscal year in which expenditures are liquidated, or five years after the grant, or until resolution of any audit questions.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

Account Identification:   91-0201-0-1-502.

Obligations:   (Grants) FY 01 $10,000,000; FY 02 est $10,000,000; and FY 03 est $10,000,000.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:   In fiscal year 2001, the new fellowship stipend awards averaged $20,500. The new institutional allowance covering tuition and fees was $11,000.

In fiscal year 2001, approximately 341 new and continuing fellowships were awarded.

REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:

Javits Fellowship Program, Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-5247.

INFORMATION CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:   Not applicable.

Headquarters Office:   International Education and Graduate Programs, Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-5247. Contact: Carolyn Proctor. Telephone: (202) 502-7567. Email: Carolyn.Proctor@ed.gov.

Web Site Address:   http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/OHEP.

EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:

Awards are made in the following areas: arts, humanities, and social sciences.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:

Criteria are established by the Fellowship Board. Fellowship applications are evaluated based on scholarly achievements, including Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores on the general test only if applying in the humanities, social sciences, multi-or interdisciplinary fields of art history or creative writing; awards; honors; narratives describing personal goals; and three letters of recommendation.