Fellowships & Aid

Only incoming students are eligible for Merrill College fellowships and scholarships. There is no separate application process for most of the awards; all accepted students are considered.

Baltimore Examiner Fund

The Baltimore Examiner Fund is open to master’s-level journalism students.

Crosby Graduate Scholarship

The Crosby Fund for Graduate Scholarship is awarded to graduate journalism students.

Eleanor Merrill Graduate Fellowships

The Eleanor Merrill Graduate Fellowship is open to all journalism graduate students.

Gridiron Foundation Journalism Scholarships

The Gridiron Scholarship is open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

John Story Cleghorn & Nona Reese Cleghorn Journalism Scholarship

The John Story Cleghorn & Nona Reese Cleghorn Journalism Scholarship is awarded to one journalism student with demonstrated financial need.

Lawrence L. and Lillie Z. Goldberg Journalism Endowed Scholarship

The Lawrence L. and Lillie Z. Goldberg Journalism Endowed Scholarship is awarded to either graduate or undergraduate journalism students who demonstrate academic excellence and financial need.

Michael Gurevitch Journalism Scholarship 

Professor Emeritus Michael Guerevitch taught at the University of Maryland’s College of Journalism from 1983 to 2008, during which time he worked on original research on how journalists grasped the practical problems of keeping the public informed. The Michael Gurevitch Journalism Scholarship is awarded to one Ph.D. journalism student.

Professor Thomas J. Aylward Scholarship

The Professor Thomas J. Aylward Scholarship is awarded to one journalism Ph.D. student who demonstrates financial need.

Ray Hiebert Endowed Scholarship

As founding dean of the College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, Dr. Ray Hiebert began the college’s ascent to national stature. The Ray Hiebert Endowed Scholarship is awarded to graduate students with a focus in broadcast.

Ray Hiebert History of Journalism Award

This award reflects the interest of Professor Ray Hiebert, founding dean of the University of Maryland College of Journalism and himself a historian. The scholarship provides an annual award to any graduate student or faculty member at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism who writes the best material on any aspect of American journalism history.

Scholarships for Internships or Travel

Please download our travel award application.

Gene Roberts Award

The Gene Roberts Award supports international travel by journalism students.

Hiebert Journalism International Endowed Travel Fund

The Hiebert Journalism International Endowed Travel Fund is awarded to support international travel for journalistic or research projects by journalism students.

John Jenkins Internship Fund

The John Jenkins Internship Fund provides funds for travel- or tuition-related internship expenses for Merrill College students.

Joseph R. Slevin Award

In recognition of Joseph Slevin’s dedicated service to the field of journalism and his passion for economic and financial reporting, his wife Katherine Day Slevin and their children established the Joseph R. Slevin Award. It is awarded to students taking part in a full-time summer internship in political or financial reporting.

Penny Bender Fuchs Fund

The Penny Bender Fuchs Fund supports scholarships for students who are experiencing financial stress and provides funds to students who might not otherwise be able to participate in an internship due to financial limitations.

Salzburg Academy Scholarship

The Salzburg Academy Scholarship is awarded to journalism students to help cover the cost of the Salzburg Academy study-abroad program.

Teaching, research and administrative assistantships include tuition assistance of up to 10 credits per semester and stipends starting at approximately $12,000 a year for master’s and doctoral students. Students interested in assistantships must apply to individual units. Merrill College typically pays about $18,000 per year for assistantships, although rates can vary. Assistantship opportunities can be found at the UMD jobs portal.

Financial Aid information is available from the university Office of Student Financial Aid, which has information on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as well as information on and links to scholarships through the university. Students are strongly encouraged to fill out a FAFSA form, even if they do not believe they have an immediate need for aid.

National Scholarships Office. The National Scholarships Office is committed to helping University of Maryland students identify, apply for, and win national scholarships and fellowships in their pursuit of higher education. We also help students find research opportunities in their fields of study.

Although Merrill College attempts to keep this information up-to-date, please double check the websites to confirm the scholarships are still being offered and check their deadlines.

Peter Agris Memorial Scholarships

Five scholarships of $5,000 are available to journalism or communications graduate and undergraduate students of Greek American heritage.

American Copy Editors Society Scholarships

Six scholarships are awarded annually through the ACES Education Fund. One is the Bill Walsh scholarship, in honor of the late editor, author and ACES guiding spirit. The winner receives $3,500 plus financial aid to attend the ACES national conference. Additionally, the ACES Aubespin scholarship winner receives $2,500 and four other winners receive $1,500 each — also with aid to attend the ACES conference. The generosity of donors enables all of these awards.

Asian American Journalist Association

AAJA offers a variety of scholarships.

Association for Women in Sports Media Scholarship

Since 1990, AWSM has placed nearly 200 female college students interested in sports media careers in paid summer internships. Each winner also receives a $1,000 scholarship, complimentary registration and lodging at AWSM’s annual conference and a complimentary one-year membership to the organization. The application process opens in the fall and is open to women at the sophomore college level or above.

The John Bayliss Broadcast Foundation

The Bayliss Foundation has been distributing scholarships to outstanding broadcast students for over 23 years. Each award is in the amount of $5,000. The number of scholarships awarded each year depend on the size of the endowment. In 2005, the Bayliss Foundation began a partnership with top communications schools nationwide in an effort to bring a strong radio presence to college campuses.

CCNMA: Latino Journalists of California Scholarship

The CCNMA Scholarships are awarded annually to students who are planning to pursue a career in journalism. The scholarships are based on several criteria, including: commitment to the field of journalism, scholastic achievement, community awareness and financial need. Students must be enrolled full time for the entire academic year in which they apply. They must also be a California resident.

Chips Quinn Scholars Program For Diversity In Journalism

The Chips Quinn Scholars Program for Diversity in Journalism offers students training and mentoring by caring news veterans. More than 1,400 men and women have been named Chips Quinn Scholars since 1991, making it the largest and most enduring diversity initiative of the Freedom Forum Institute. The program’s aim: Provide training and support that will open doors to news and information careers and bring greater diversity to the newsrooms of the United States. The annual application deadline is in October. College juniors, seniors, graduate students and recent graduates with majors in journalism or career goals in journalism are the program’s target audience.

The program, operated by the Freedom Forum Institute and funded by the Freedom Forum, matches qualified candidates with participating news organizations from across the country for 10- to 12-week paid internships. Selected scholars participate in a training workshop in preparation for their internships. The training is paid for by the Freedom Forum Institute.

Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award for Young Science Journalists

The Council for the Advancement of Science Writing's Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award was created to recognize the contributions to journalism of both Ev Clark and Seth Payne. The award is intended to encourage young science writers by recognizing outstanding reporting and writing in any field of science. The 2020 winner received $1,000.

The award is given in memory of Ev Clark, a veteran journalist at Business Week, The New York Times and Newsweek, and Seth Payne, his longtime friend and colleague at Business Week and a founder of the award. It is designed to carry on the work of both men, who offered friendship and advice to generations of young journalists.

Foreign Press Association Scholarship Fund

The Foreign Press Association offers scholarships aimed at encouraging foreign students to enroll in graduate programs in the United States in order to pursue careers reporting on international affairs. The money is to be used to further study in print, broadcasting or photojournalism.

National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter Scholarships

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) offers several national scholarships for students. In addition, the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter (NCCB) offers a regional scholarship in honor of Betty Endicott, the first female news director in Washington, D.C. Students may apply for both national and regional scholarships. NATAS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancement in the television arts and sciences.

National Association of Black Journalists Scholarships

Each year, NABJ and its partners award scholarships to enrich and support the academic experience of students pursuing a career in journalism, media and communications.

National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc., Scholarships

Offers several scholarships for African American students whose major can include journalism.

National Association of Hispanic Journalists Scholarships

NAHJ has awarded more than $1.7 million in scholarships to nearly 800 students since the program began in 1988. NAHJ scholarship opportunities are open to college-bound high school seniors, college undergraduates and graduate students pursuing careers in English or Spanish-language print, broadcast, digital or photojournalism. Students attending four-year colleges and community colleges in the United States and Puerto Rico with a GPA of 3.0 or better are eligible for the scholarships, with amounts ranging from $1,500-$10,000.

National Italian American Foundation Scholarships

The National Italian American Foundation offers a variety of scholarships to outstanding Italian American students from a variety of academic disciplines and backgrounds.

NLGJA -- The Association of LGBTQ Journalists Scholarships

The organization offers several scholarships available to LGBTQ students and students who demonstrate a commitment to providing fair and accurate coverage of the LGBTQ community.

National Press Club Scholarships

The National Press Club is considered one of the world’s leading professional organizations for journalists. It serves its members through professional development activities that bolster their skills, through services that meet the changing needs of the global communications profession and through social activities that build a vital media community in Washington and around the world. The organization offers multiple annual scholarships.

New York Women In Communications Scholarships

New York Women in Communications awards scholarships each year as part of its mission to empower women in the communications field. Most are named, or sponsored, awards supported by corporations or foundations that retain the right to impose certain criteria that may include, but are not be limited to, a declared major, internship availability, year in school, personal background, etc.

The Overseas Press Club Foundation

Aspiring foreign correspondents and students interested in international journalism are encouraged to apply for one of the OPC's several scholarship opportunities.

Radio Television Digital News Association and Foundation

Since 1970, RTDNF has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships and fellowships to more than 500 young journalists as part of its mission as the educational arm of RTDNA. Fellowships are open to professional broadcast or digital journalists with fewer than 10 years of experience. Scholarships are open to college students pursuing careers in radio, television, or digital journalism. Winners must be officially enrolled, full-time sophomores, juniors or seniors in good standing. Scholarship and fellowship winners are also invited to attend the Excellence in Journalism conference.

Society of Professional Journalists Grants

The national journalism society holds a number of national contests and competitions, with several offering scholarships as rewards.

South Asian Journalists Association Scholarships

The South Asian Journalists Association awards up to $20,000 to 10 students to provide financial assistance to undergraduate and graduate-level students pursuing journalistic education.