Scholarships & funding

Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowships

Established in 1938, Zonta International’s Amelia Earhart Fellowships memorialize famed air pioneer and Zontian, Amelia Earhart, who disappeared over the Pacific in 1937. By remembering Amelia Earhart through this fellowship, Zonta International encourages and supports women to expand their horizons by pursuing degrees and careers in aerospace engineering and space sciences. In the program’s 82-year history, Zonta has awarded 1,638 Amelia Earhart Fellowships, totaling more than US$10.6 million, to 1,209 Fellows from 73 countries. It is anticipated that 35 Fellowships of US$10,000 each will be awarded in 2021.

Please see Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowships for more details

Women of any nationality pursuing a Ph.D./doctoral degree who demonstrate a superior academic record conducting research applied to aerospace engineering or space sciences are eligible. It is imperative that students be registered in a full-time Ph.D./doctoral program and have completed at least one year of that program or have received a master’s degree in an aerospace-applied field at the time the application is submitted. Applicants must not graduate from their Ph.D. or doctoral program before April 2026. Please note that post-doctoral research programs are not eligible for the Fellowship. Club members and individuals with direct membership with Zonta International and employees of Zonta International and Zonta Foundation for Women, and their family members (ancestors, descendants, adoptees, siblings, nieces or cousins, and those of their spouse or co-habiting partner), are not eligible to apply for the Fellowship. Note that previous Amelia Earhart Fellows are not eligible to apply to renew the Fellowship for a second year.  

To apply for the Amelia Earhart Fellowship, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Be registered in a full-time Ph.D./doctoral program in research applied to aerospace engineering or space sciences and have completed at least one year of that program, or, have received a master’s degree in an aerospace-applied field at the time the application is submitted. A verification of current enrollment must be submitted with the application. Acceptance letters are not verification of enrollment and will not be accepted.
• Demonstrate a superior academic record at a recognized university or college with accredited courses in aerospace-applied studies as verified by official transcripts and recommendations. In programs where graduate transcripts are not provided as a matter of institutional policy, please provide a statement of that policy from the registrar or other school official. (Note: please do not upload electronic transcripts, or links to electronic copies, directly from the university as the documents may have expiration dates to review. Please scan official transcripts and/or save as a PDF and upload the saved copy in color. Please ensure all transcripts are legible.)
• Provide evidence of a well-defined research program applied to aerospace engineering or space sciences in the application essay (in general scientific terms), the academic documents (references, transcripts, verification of enrollment) and the list of publications (Note: please do not attach publications; citing the references is sufficient).
• Clearly demonstrate that the Ph.D. research program is directly related to aerospace/space sciences and furnish verification of the research program through at least one of the reference letters required with the application. The thesis supervisor or advisor and a university professor must each be one of the referees.
• Applicant must be registered in a full-time Ph.D./doctoral program by 15 November 2020 and must not graduate before April 2022.

Value

US$10,000 

How to apply

To apply for the Amelia Earhart Fellowship, visit zonta.org/AEFellowship

Note that three (3) recommendations from university professors (or supervisors), official transcripts, and verification of enrollment for the 2021 Amelia Earhart 

The 2025 Amelia Earhart Fellowship application must be submitted in full by 15 November 2024 to be considered

For more information contact: programs@zonta.org