Institute of International Education - Leonora Lindsley Memorial Fellowship

Leonora Lindsley Memorial Fellowship

A scholarship is a one-off grant to support your studies. You will receive about 8,800 EUR (usually between 6,000 and 12,000 USD, depending on the fund’s annual performance) for 12 months of postgraduate study in the United States. Postgraduate study refers to a Master’s or PhD programme that you undertake after completing your first higher education degree. One or two students are selected per round. The scholarship is awarded by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in New York, which manages a fund established in memory of Leonora Lindsley, an American woman who served in a French medical unit during the war. Travel costs are not covered, so you will need to cover the cost of your journey yourself.

Who can apply

• Nationality: You are a French citizen.
• Family history: You were active in the French Resistance during the Second World War, or you are a child or descendant of such a person.
• Study level: You are starting a postgraduate course in the United States, i.e. the stage following your first degree.
• Field of study: Open to all subjects.
• Your own place: You are looking for a degree programme in the USA yourself, have applied there and have been accepted, or have submitted an application for admission.
• English: You have a working knowledge of English and have passed the necessary entrance exams.

How to apply

You submit your application via the Fulbright Commission in Paris, which forwards it to the IIE in New York. The IIE checks whether your documents are complete and whether you meet the eligibility criteria. A selection panel then meets to select the finalists.

How realistic are your chances?

This award is presented only to a very small group of people. You must be a French national, have a direct connection to the Resistance during the Second World War, and be commencing postgraduate studies in the USA. As a result, the pool of eligible candidates is small, meaning that only a few applicants are in the running. If you clearly meet these criteria and can provide evidence of your family’s connection to the Resistance, your chances are good, even though only one or two students are awarded funding per round.