YuLin Zhen, Photography Editor

The evaluation process for summer fellowships is underway, with the Office of Fellowships currently reviewing applications and preparing to announce decisions in mid-April.

The office oversees a variety of funding initiatives, from the Rhodes scholarship to Yale-specific opportunities, such as the First-Year Summer Research Fellowship. Candidates are evaluated based on their strengths and how well their applications fit the fellowship’s objectives. 

“We have had record numbers of students applying for all fellowships this year,” said Emma Rose, director of the Office of Fellowship Programs. “It’s great that students are hearing about the opportunities available to them and using the resources available through our office.”

She noted that the number of summer fellowship applications has increased over recent years, as student travel has risen to its level prior to the pandemic. However, Rose noted that this number fluctuates each year, influenced by each class’ different “interests and needs.”

Fellowships are financed through endowed funds provided by donors — often alumni — who aim to support student access to various summer experiences, including internships, research and public service projects.

The Trump administration has previously suggested it considers increasing the endowment tax. The University has an endowment income of $1.9 billion in the 2024 fiscal year, with 18 percent of its income used towards funding financial aid.

Associate Dean of STEM Fellowships Alexia Belperron told the News that no changes to first-year fellowship funding will occur this year. Seventy-five percent of fellowships are funded by different endowments; the remaining 25 percent is provided by the College.

However, she emphasized that the number of First Year Fellowship recipients would remain comparable to previous years, with an acceptance rate of around 75 percent. 

Belperron noted that cuts in the University’s federal funding would not directly impact STEM fellowships issued through the Yale College Dean’s Office, the research opportunities available may become increasingly limited.

“Loss of grant funding could be devastating for professors and research faculty and staff that work with them, the research itself, and of course all of their trainees (postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students),”wrote Belperron.

Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis noted that cuts in federal funding would likely have a greater impact on graduate students and postdoctorates, as the stipend for undergraduate students is a comparatively small part of a faculty member’s budget.

However, he acknowledged that individual faculty members might want to hire fewer research assistants, which in turn could limit overall access to research opportunities.

“Summer funding is the kind of thing that I worry about, because while it’s important and valuable, it’s probably a little bit more discretionary than some of the other expenditures, like paying for financial aid during the academic year,” said Lewis. 

The Office of Fellowships and Funding is located at 55 Whitney Ave.