There are a small number of private scholarship funds with significant aid amounts. Most are for a few hundred or a few thousand dollars; this money certainly isn’t worthless and smaller scholarships have value, but the largest ones have a value all their own. These large scholarships are the difference between a significant amount of student loans, and graduating college debt-free (or near it).
In this article, we’re going to talk about one such scholarship: the Davidson Fellowship. We’re going to go over what exactly this is, how to apply for it, and how to maximize your chances of winning it. As with all competitive scholarships, Davidson is quite competitive, but in many ways the journey of this scholarship makes applications worthwhile anyway. Let’s find out why!
The Davidson Fellows Scholarship
This is a scholarship run by the Davidson Institute, a foundation devoted to supporting and advancing particularly gifted students. The scholarship itself has three levels of awards: $25,000, $50,000, and $100,000. This is not a recurring or renewable scholarship, but you have ten years to use it. The scholarship funding may be spent on any educational related expense, from tuition costs, to supplies, to fees.
The scholarship money can go directly to the school, or your family can pay the costs and then be reimbursed by the scholarship. Due to the ten year limit on the scholarship, some students use it to pay for graduate school as well.
This scholarship is awarded annually. All submissions must be in one of their stated categories (more on that later), but are judged and awarded collectively. The number of awards given is budgeted to be 20 total annually; an independent panel of judges reviews all projects and selects those most worthy of recognition to be awarded, along with the level of award each will receive.
Eligibility
The scholarship has broad availability. There is no fee to apply for this scholarship. You must be 18 years old or younger (there is no minimum age), and a US citizen or permanent resident residing in the US. US citizens living abroad due to military deployment are eligible; citizens living abroad for other reasons are typically not eligible to apply.
These are the only rules for eligibility.
Applying for a Davidson Fellowship
Applications to the Davidson Fellows program must be done online. The application opens in the Fall, and is due in early February. The application must be submitted online, and has two parts. The first part asks for a brief description of your project, to ensure that it is eligible for the scholarship. In the second, you input your nominator’s information, along with category specific criteria.
Each application requires submission of a project or portfolio that falls into one of their specified categories. Each category has its own application requirements; we go into these in more detail in the next section.
They urge students to submit the initial portion of the application, the description of your project, as soon as possible. This will then be reviewed, and if it is deemed eligible, you and your nominators will be sent links to submit the rest of the materials.
You must have two nominators for your project; these may not be your parents. Despite describing these as nominators, their real purpose is much more that of a letter of recommendation; we do not know why they do not just use that term, but that is their prerogative. See our article here for advice on letters of recommendation. Note that these nominators should include any research mentors you worked with in the creation of your project.
Once these and your project are submitted, they will be reviewed by an independent panel of judges. We will go over review criteria in a later section. We advise you to submit before the deadline, though there is no mechanical advantage to submitting early; it simply ensures you won’t be late due to unforeseen circumstances.
Davidson Fellowship Project Categories
Projects submitted to the Davidson Fellows Scholarship fall into one of three broad categories, each of which has its own sub-categories. These are:
- STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math
- Humanities: Literature, Music, Philosophy
- Out-of-the-Box: Social Sciences, Academic fields not listed, interdisciplinary projects
Note that there are also some fields where students may not submit projects. This includes all artistic fields other than music, sports, and community service. While these can all be wonderful projects, these are not what the Davidson Fellowship is looking for. We will now go through each of these categories in turn, plus their sub-categories, to explain what they are looking for in these project submissions.
Also note that any projects involving human subjects (including surveys) or studies involving live vertebrates are not eligible for submission.
STEM Projects
All STEM projects have the same basic requirements, regardless of field. These basic requirements are:
- A formal research paper
- A visual model
- Code
- Supplemental documentation or information
- Application Attachments
The formal research paper is exactly what it sounds like, and should follow the standard model of an academic paper as would be submitted for publication. For guidance on writing one of these papers, see our article on the subject here. Note that for these papers, they do not accept literature reviews. You need to have done novel research and analysis, even if it is a reinterpretation or application of an existing data set. Your paper should of course have a literature review section, but this cannot be the entire paper. If you are using a paper that has already been published, make sure you don’t self plagiarize. They have a link where you can report it if you are submitting a paper by you which has already been published elsewhere. This is allowed, but they want to know.
The visual model can be any image or graphics which best represent the work you have done. This can be plots or charts, diagrams, technical drawings, powerpoints, 3d visualizations; anything which visually illustrates what you have done. Davidson recommends you consult with your nominators about how best to present your data or project visually.
Not all projects in this category will use code, but if yours did, then judges want to see it. All code needs to be differentiated between code you acquired (such as open source projects from GitHub), and the code you wrote. This is so judges can accurately evaluate your particular contributions to the coding aspect of the project. Even if your project uses limited code, such as R for data analysis, this needs to be noted.
Supplemental information is anything else you want the judges to know about your project. Most commonly, this is future plans if this is an ongoing undertaking, or a resume for further context. Davidson allows you to submit projects which have been submitted elsewhere, so if your research project already won at a local science fair, you can put that on your resume and then submit it as supplemental material.
Finally, you must include attachments to your application; all categories require this, but they vary in their components. Within STEM, they are all the same. You are first required to complete two essays. The first essay is on your process, and is meant to describe how you undertook the research and work you completed. This essay is meant to answer the following questions:
- What inspired you to pursue this work?
- How much time (hours/days/months) did it take you to complete this work?
- How did you organize the work that went into doing it?
- What difficulties did you encounter and how did you handle them?
- Where was the work completed?
- Who supervised your work (ex. teacher, mentor, grad student, principal investigator, etc.)?
- List who helped you and what assistance they provided. (Please include individuals who offered equipment, ideas, critiques, materials, methodology, etc.)
- Was your project completed through a paid program/mentorship? If yes, which one, who did you work with and in what capacity?
The final question is especially important, especially as paid research programs proliferate, many of questionable quality. Their goal with this is to determine how much of the work was actually done by you, and that your contributions were your own. The second question is simpler in nature, but harder to answer: it asks how your project, as you understand it, will benefit society or have a positive impact.
Finally, you are required to submit a video of up to ten minutes in length. You are not judged on production quality, though it should be intelligible. This is your chance to discuss anything else you feel is relevant to your submission that wasn’t covered elsewhere; they encourage creativity in this. The two essays must be submitted directly with your application, the video must be uploaded to Youtube.
Humanities
Humanities projects have similar requirements, but differ somewhat based on individual field and the nature of work within them, so we will cover each in turn. All of these require a portfolio of work, a grand project and undertaking; these are meant to be equally difficult and equally impressive as the STEM projects.
Literature
For literature, you are required to submit a portfolio of different works totalling 60-75 pages in length. They want you to demonstrate your breadth and depth as a writer, and want works from three of the following four genres:
- Fiction (they note that novel excerpts may not exceed 30 pages)
- Nonfiction (they note that any school assignments, including book reports, research papers, or journalism, may not be submitted)
- Poetry
- Drama or screenplay
They note that each genre may have multiple shorter pieces, so long as all three genres are represented. An overarching theme may be incorporated at your discretion, but is not expected or required. A bibliography (if necessary for nonfiction or otherwise), does not count towards the total page count. All pieces need to have been created by you within the past three years (or updated within the past three years).
You must also submit a literary narrative; this is not counted with the literary portfolio page count. This is a narrative written by you about your own relationship with reading and writing, and how you relate to and view yourself and your work in a literary context. The purpose of this is to express yourself and analyze your own relationship with this as an artistic field. They specifically link to this article when discussing what a literary narrative is and what they are looking for.
Finally, there are the attachments. These are additional components which are attached to but separate from the portfolio itself; more of a meta commentary. The first is the process essay; this is discussed above in the STEM section. The second is a video submission, this is also discussed in the STEM section. Your creation process for literature is likely to be entirely distinct from the creation process for a scientific research paper, but they still want to understand it, to gain deeper insight into how the work you submitted was done.
Music
The music portfolio has three distinct categories: composition, classical instrument, and other instrument. Each of these has different portfolio components, but all have the same additional attachments component at the end. We’ll go through the portfolio components for each, and then discuss the attachment requirements.
Composer portfolios are required to include three scores created by you, and recordings of those scores being performed. They note specifically that AI generated compositions are not allowed, but MIDI may be used for recordings. There are no other guidelines on the character or requirements of these compositions.
Classical instrument portfolios require two components. The first is an audition-format video demonstrating your breadth and depth as a musician by playing at least one piece from at least three of the following periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary. This recording need not be done in one take, and cannot exceed 45 minutes total. The second component is a live recording of you playing your instrument in a public performance within the past year which includes one complete movement of a concerta, sonata, or solo piece.
Other instrument portfolios are for jazz, bluegrass, and other musical traditions not considered classical. These require two components. The first is an audition style video of not more than 45 minutes demonstrating your breadth and depth as an artist. This must include one piece where you play off a written manuscript, demonstrating your ability to read music, plus three additional pieces. The second component is an unedited video of a public performance of your instrument within the past year.
Regardless of portfolio type, all applicants in music must include the same attachments. Two of these are the process essay and personal video, described already under the STEM section. Your process for music is likely to be very different, but this is a place to detail all the work you did, that which cannot be seen in a simple audition piece, your time and effort spent perfecting your craft.
The other essay attachment required is a reflective essay, a chance for you to reflect on how music and performance impact you and your life. There are no length guidelines or requirements for this essay. They want this piece to reflect on the following questions:
- What music means to you in your everyday life?
- How you think music is socially relevant?
- Do you think music has the capacity to bring people together in our ever-fractured society? If yes, how? If no, why not?
- Do you plan on pursuing music as you progress through school, career and life? Why or why not?
- Is there anything else you would like to reflect on about your submission?
Philosophy
A philosophy portfolio is a compendium of works written by the student presenting analyses of fundamental assumptions or beliefs relating to human thought or culture. A portfolio should contain three to five different short pieces of this nature, each no more than 3,000 words in length. Each piece needs its own bibliography; they prefer APA formatting for citations.
The philosophy submission also requires attachments. These are the exact same as those required of STEM submissions; first an essay on your process, then an essay on your work’s relevance and benefit to society, and finally a ten minute video describing your work, serving as a conclusion to all else included in your submission.
Outside the Box
This category is for all submissions that do not fit into another category, and which are also not one of the categories they do not accept (all other arts, athletic accomplishments, and community service). All work submitted is expected to be graduate level, and you should not submit school assignments or descriptions of future majors or fields of study. If your work fits into another category, then you should submit it as that category.
You must specify the category or categories your submission falls into. From there, there are several options for what you can actually include. Specifically, this can be either a written research paper, or a portfolio of work, in both cases meant to demonstrate the breadth of your understanding and engagement with the material at question. You may also include supplemental material, such as graphics or images, best needed to convey your points. You are expected to include a bibliography should one be necessary as part of your work.
The Outside the Box submission also requires attachments. These are the exact same as those required of STEM submissions; first an essay on your process, then an essay on your work’s relevance and benefit to society, and finally a ten minute video describing your work, serving as a conclusion to all else included in your submission.
How Projects are Reviewed
All submissions for the scholarship are reviewed by a panel of judges; there will be subject matter experts in your field and in related fields who are judging your work. The goal here is that all works are reviewed by people who understand them. In general, judges are looking for the following things when they judge submissions:
- The scope and quality of the work
- How significant the work is to the domain in question as judged by subject matter experts
- Your own depth of knowledge of the work and of related fields of knowledge
Overall, they are looking for projects that go above and beyond what could be expected of high school level work, and that show a real possibility of changing and impacting the world in a positive way. Now, there are many different ways a work can be judged to be significant. They do give some examples of what they consider:
- Creative reapplication of existing knowledge, especially if it’s in a way that creates a great benefit in an unexpected way
- A fully new idea or innovation with immediately apparent impact
- An important advancement in a field that can be replicated and built upon, even if not immediately impactful
- A prodigious performance (for music especially)
Note that they don’t want purely theoretical projects for this reason; they want to see how your ideas work in practice to benefit society. A theory is great, but they can’t judge that. A project in progress can be submitted if you have the necessary data and results and proof of relevance to be judged. If it doesn’t, then keep working, and apply next year.
Strict Judging Criteria
The first thing judges check is that the application is fully complete and correct. This is an application with a lot of moving parts, and judges need to be able to access all of them. Make sure each essay is uploaded to the right place, not duplicated or left out. For your video uploaded to YouTube, make sure it is an unlisted video, and not a private video. Private videos are not watchable, this renders an application incomplete and your application will not be viewed.
These judges are professors or PhDs, and there are different panels for different subjects (this is why they ask you to specifically designate your field and subfield when you apply). Thus if you submit a chemistry project, it will be judged by chemistry professors, while a literature project will be reviewed by literature professors.
Projects are scored on this rubric out of 100 points:
- 50 points for quality and scope of the entry
- 30 points for the level of significance
- 20 points for the depth of knowledge and understanding of the domain area
This evaluation is based on the application packet alone. Having won other programs is great, and can be a sign the project is worth submitting, but will not impact judging either way. Note that you may receive questions via email if they have questions about your application; make sure you answer these emails promptly.
Judging runs through the end of June, there were approximately 750 applicants in 2024 and 900 in 2025. If your project is not selected for an award, you can continue working on the project and resubmit next year if you are still eligible.
A Note on Intellectual Property
Your submission and application will not be published on the website; if you win, you will be asked to write additional material to feature on their website. All intellectual property remains the property of the student; judges and members of the staff at Davidson sign NDAs and confidentiality agreements to this effect.
They do specifically state that even if your material is patent pending, you must still submit all required documentation. They will not steal your ideas, but they do need to be able to see and understand your process. None of these materials will ever be published by them, and remain the student’s intellectual property.
Final Thoughts
This is an incredibly detailed application, and they urge all students to read the entire thing carefully before submitting, and to make sure you understand it before you do. They also welcome you to reach out with any questions; they try to make everything straightforward, but with the amount of money on the line, they are incredibly strict with the standards for submission.
We hope that this article has given you a solid understanding of how the Davidson Fellows Scholarship operates. This is a very prestigious and very competitive scholarship, but one well worth applying to, as any project done for this scholarship is also going to look impressive in its own right on a college application. If you are looking for help doing one of these high tier research projects yourself, then Ivy Scholars can help. Our Research Mentorships partner students with experienced and published researchers to conduct original research, and have seen publications in numerous professional and industry journals. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more; we’re always happy to hear from you.
