BAEF First-Year PhD Fellowship
Offered by Belgian American Educational Foundation
About this scholarship
The BAEF First-Year PhD Fellowship helps Belgian students begin a doctoral program at a leading U.S. university in the 2027–2028 academic year. The one-year, nonrenewable award is worth up to $72,000, consisting of a $22,000 living-and-travel stipend and up to $50,000 for tuition and health insurance. It is intended specifically for the first year of a U.S. PhD, after which fellows are expected to arrange continuing support through their university or other sources. Candidates may hold either a bachelor’s or master’s degree when the fellowship begins, but the corresponding bachelor’s degree must have been earned after January 1, 2023. The competition requires an excellent academic record, admission applications to suitable U.S. doctoral programs, high-level English proficiency, and strong GRE or equivalent examination results. Applicants begin with BAEF’s online eligibility form and, once approved, submit an autobiographical essay, research and study rationale, list of intended universities, transcripts, test scores, and portrait through the application platform. The fellowship application closes October 31, 2026; three reference letters and any remaining test documentation are due November 15. Shortlisted candidates interview in Brussels before decisions are issued in February.
Eligibility
- Hold Belgian nationality
- Hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree by activation of the fellowship
- Have earned the corresponding bachelor’s degree after January 1, 2023
- Apply to enter the first year of a PhD program in the United States in 2027–2028
- Provide outstanding official bachelor’s and master’s transcripts as applicable
- Submit TOEFL iBT above 100 or IELTS above 7.5 by November 15, 2026
- Submit GRE verbal above 160, quantitative above 160, and analytical writing above 4.0 or an accepted equivalent
- Complete the BAEF eligibility form and full application by October 31, 2026