NCAT Extraordinary Opportunities
NCAT Extraordinary Opportunities (NCAT EO) is a unit in the Honors College that helps North Carolina A&T State University's undergraduate students, graduate students, and alumni, regardless of Honors College membership or current merit scholarship status, learn of and apply for nationally competitive and prestigious scholarship and fellowship programs.
- These programs, which are branded at North Carolina A&T as "extraordinary opportunities" or "EOs," are external to N.C. A&T and they span a wide range of experiences and typically have in-depth applications. Incoming students who are looking for tuition-related funding internal to N.C. A&T should first contact both the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships and their academic department and/or College.
- Scroll all the way down after reading to view a list of 70+ highlighted EOs below and click on the hyperlinked names to start learning more.
- Most EOs are fully funded, and some also include stipends. The funding is typically connected to one or more of the following: undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs (sometimes at a specific institution), internships, international programs and activities, servant-leadership development, language programs, and independent projects and research.
- The oldest and most well-known of these EOs is the Rhodes Scholarship, which was created in 1902 and allows for at least two years of postgraduate study at the University of Oxford for people who meet the Rhodes selection criteria. Many EOs, as well as some undergraduate four-year merit scholarships, are modeled closely on the Rhodes Scholarship and at least one of its criteria.
- Some EOs, such as the Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships and the Fulbright US-UK Summer Institutes, have very high GPA minimums (3.700). A very high GPA will not compensate for a lack of engagement outside the classroom. Other EOs may request minimum GPAs of 3.000, and there are several that do not have a minimum GPA.
There are two categories of EOs: those that require endorsement (about 10-15) and those that do not require endorsement (55+).
- Endorsed EOs require candidates to first apply in the campus competition to gain nomination, or endorsement before they can apply in the national competition. Applicants should therefore put their best foot forward for the campus competition. Campus application deadlines for this endorsement may be anywhere from four weeks to four or more months before the national deadline.
- Non-endorsed EOs do not require this campus vetting process, and applicants should also allot at least four weeks before the national deadlines for non-endorsed EOs.
Next steps:
- Reach out to NCAT EO for appointments, coaching, or questions.
- View highlighted news for Aggies who have pursued EOs.
- Follow on Twitter and Instagram: @NCAT_EO
EOs open to undergraduate students
International/Language
Boren ScholarshipCongress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX)
Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program
Cultural Vistas (besides CBYX)
DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) programs
ESU Luard Morse Scholarship (second-years only)
Douglass-O'Connell Global Internship (formerly the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship)
Freeman-ASIA
Fund for Education Abroad Scholarship
Gaither Junior Fellows Program
Gilman International Scholarship
Gilman-McCain Scholarship
Humanity in Action (HiA) Fellowship
The Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service (Voyager Scholarship) (second-years only)
Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Scholarship
Rangel International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program
US-UK Fulbright Summer Institutes (first- and second-years only)
Public Service/Leadership
Boren ScholarshipCongressional Black Caucus Foundation Internships and Scholarships
Cultural Vistas (besides CBYX)
The Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics Essay Contest
ETS Presidential Scholarship for HBCU Students
Gaither Junior Fellows Program
Humanity in Action (HiA) Fellowship
Marshall-Motley Scholars Program (MMSP)
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows (MVLF) program (second-years only)
The Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service (Voyager Scholarship) (second-years only)
Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute (JSI) (third-years only)
Samuel Huntington Public Service Award
Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship
Truman Scholarship (third-years only)
Udall Scholarship (second- and third-years only)
The US Mapping Democracy Fellowship (HiA)
The Washington Program (from the Institute for Responsible Citizenship) (second-years only)
White House Competitiveness Scholars Program for HBCU Students
STEM
Amgen ScholarsAstronaut Scholarship (second- and third-years only)
Boren Scholarship
Cultural Vistas (besides CBYX)
DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) programs
DAAD Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) Germany
Foreign Affairs Information Technology (FAIT) Fellowship
Goldwater Scholarship (second- and third-years only)
NOAA EPP/MSI Scholarship (second-years only)
NOAA Hollings Scholarship (second-years only)
Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship
Truman Scholarship (third-years only)
Udall Scholarship (second- and third-years only)
Underrepresented Groups
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Internships and Scholarships
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
Cultural Vistas (including CBYX)
Douglass-O'Connell Global Internship (formerly the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship)
ESU Luard Morse Scholarship (second-years only)
ETS Presidential Scholarship for HBCU Students
Marshall-Motley Scholars Program (MMSP)
NOAA EPP/MSI Scholarship (second-years only)
Point Foundation Scholarships (LGBTQ)
Thurgood Marshall College Fund Awards
Udall Scholarship (Native American/Alaska Native track) (second- and third-years only)
UNCF Scholarship Programs
The Washington Program (from the Institute for Responsible Citizenship) (second-years only)
White House Competitiveness Scholars Program for HBCU Students
EOs open to alumni, postgraduate students, and students graduating from college
Most/All Disciplines and Career Paths
Fulbright U.S. Student Program grantGates Cambridge Scholarship (also open to non-U.S. citizens)
Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program
Luce Scholars Program
Marshall Scholarship
Mitchell Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship (also open to non-U.S. citizens)
Career Pathways/Specific Fields
AAUW American Fellowship (for women scholars)Cultural Vistas (including CBYX)
Echoing Green Fellowship
Foreign Affairs Information Technology (FAIT) Fellowship
Foreign Agricultural Service International Agricultural Fellowship Program (IAFP) (formerly the Foreign Agricultural Service Diversity Fellowship Program (FDFP))
Gaither Junior Fellows Program
James Madison Graduate Fellowships
Marshall-Motley Scholars Program (MMSP)
Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship Program
Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship
Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program
Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program
Scoville Peace Fellowship
Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship
International/Language
American-Scandinavian Foundation Scholarship
Boren Fellowship
Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program
Cultural Vistas (including CBYX)
DAAD Scholarships
Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant
Humanity in Action (HiA) Fellowship
Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program
Luce Scholars Program
Princeton in Africa
Princeton in Asia
Schwarzman Scholars program
U.K. Degrees (various disciplines)
Ertegun Graduate Scholarship Programme in the Humanities
Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant (also for degrees outside the U.K.)
Gates Cambridge Scholarship (also open to non-U.S. citizens)
Marshall Scholarship
Mitchell Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship (also open to non-U.S. citizens)
Public Service/Leadership Degrees
William D. Clarke, Sr. Diplomatic Security (Clarke DS) FellowshipForeign Agricultural Service International Agricultural Fellowship Program (IAFP) (formerly the Foreign Agricultural Service Diversity Fellowship Program (FDFP))
Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant
James Madison Graduate Fellowships
Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program
Marshall Scholarships
Marshall-Motley Scholars Program (MMSP)
Mitchell Scholarship
Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship Program
Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship
Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program
Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program
Rhodes Scholarship (also open to non-U.S. citizens)
Schwarzman Scholars program
Think Tanks/Independent Projects
The Detroit Fellowship (HiA)
Echoing Green Fellowship
Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant
Gaither Junior Fellows Program
Humanity in Action (HiA) Fellowship
The US Mapping Democracy Fellowship (HiA)
Rotary Peace Fellowships
Scoville Peace Fellowship
STEM
AAUW American Fellowship (for women scholars)
Dept. of Energy Computational Science Fellowship
Ford Foundation Fellowship Programs for Minorities
Foreign Affairs Information Technology (FAIT) Fellowship
Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant
Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Hertz Foundation Fellowship
Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program
Marshall Scholarships
Mitchell Scholarship
National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship
Rhodes Scholarship (also open to non-U.S. citizens)
Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship
Soros Fellowships for New Americans
Underrepresented Groups
AAUW American Fellowship (for women scholars)William D. Clarke, Sr. Diplomatic Security (Clarke DS) Fellowship
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Internships and Scholarships
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
Ford Foundation Fellowship Programs for Minorities
Foreign Affairs Information Technology (FAIT) Fellowship
Foreign Agricultural Service International Agricultural Fellowship Program (IAFP) (formerly the Foreign Agricultural Service Diversity Fellowship Program (FDFP))Foreign Agricultural Service Diversity Fellowship Program (FDFP)
The US Mapping Democracy Fellowship (HiA)
Marshall-Motley Scholars Program (MMSP)
National Black MBA Association Scholarship
Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship Program
Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship
Point Foundation Scholarship (LGBTQ)
Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program
Princeton in Africa
Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program
Soros Fellowships for New Americans
Thurgood Marshall College Fund Awards
UNCF Scholarship Programs
White House Competitiveness Scholars Program for HBCU Students