As 2024 comes to a close, ProFellow is proud to reflect on the remarkable achievements of this year. With the support of our vibrant community, ProFellow remains focused on our mission to make funding opportunities more accessible and committed to breaking down invisible barriers to opportunities in higher education, research, and leadership. We’d like to take a moment to celebrate our passionate team and share some of the new things we undertook this year and some of the great outcomes. We also celebrate you, our readers. Many of you pursued and won incredible opportunities to enhance your careers, fund your work and studies, and make a social impact. Thank you for your support!
Here are some of ProFellow’s biggest accomplishments in 2024…
ProFellow surpassed 300,000 users and grew the database!
In 2024, ProFellow surpassed 300,000 subscribers, with our user base now over 310,000+! Users are people who create a new ProFellow.com to access our free database, which now lists more than 2,835 funding award programs, including:
- 866 Professional Fellowships
- 628 Academic Fellowships and Summer Fellowships for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students
- 430 Fully Funded Master’s Programs
- 720 Fully Funded PhD Programs
- 357 Postdoctoral Fellowships for people who hold a doctoral degree
We launched new content
Tailored, weekly newsletters
In addition to our ProFellow Insider newsletter on Tuesdays, offering our weekly roundup of content and upcoming deadlines, this year we launched four new weekly newsletters tailored to different audiences, including the following:
- Mid-Career Fellowships Newsletter on Mondays, sharing professional fellowship opportunities, events and tips for people with more than 10 years of work experience.
- Graduate School Applicant Newsletter on Wednesdays, sharing information on fully funded graduate programs and graduate fellowships, application tips, and events for those aspiring to enter a master’s or doctoral program.
- Early-Career Fellowships Newsletter on Thursdays, sharing professional and academic fellowships for undergraduates, recent graduates, and young professionals, as well as application tips and events.
- Scholar Fellowships Newsletter on Fridays, sharing doctoral, postdoctoral, and research fellowships, tips, and events for doctoral candidates and PhD holders
To receive one or more of these newsletters, create a free ProFellow.com account and complete your profile. When you select our newsletter opt-in, you will automatically receive relevant newsletters and fellowship announcements by email!
New “Ask Dr. Johnson” series
Dr. Vicki Johnson launched a new article series, “Ask Dr. Johnson,” on ProFellow, where she answers anonymous reader questions about the job, graduate school, and fellowship application process and provides her advice on overcoming challenges to become a top contender. She tackles difficult topics that we all want answers to, but may be too shy to ask!
Some of the most popular editions in this series this year include:
- Is This Impostor Syndrome or Am I Incompetent?
- Will I Face Age Discrimination When I Apply to Graduate School?
- My Friend Got in to Grad School, I Didn’t. Were They a Diversity Pick?
Readers can receive these periodical articles in their email and join the conversation by subscribing to the Ask Dr. Johnson” LinkedIn newsletter.
Do you have an awkward question you want Dr. Johnson to answer anonymously? Submit your question here!
Your stories and tips
ProFellow published hundreds of articles and interviews this year featuring the stories and insights of fellowship winners from all backgrounds! Some of our favorites include:
Fellow Interviews
- From Isolation to Opportunity: How Grants and Fellowships Brought the Outinis Together
- Andre Huynh Balances Diplomacy, Basketball, and Fellowships for Career Success
- Inspiring Service and Fellowship: Mark Flanigan’s Remarkable Journey from Classrooms to Crisis Zones
- Fulbright Winner Nagea’s Vibrant Cultural Immersion in the Ivory Coast
- 1 Hotels Fellowship Winner Mary Kombolias on Courage: “I Simply Said ‘Watch Me!’
Tips articles
- The Role of A Kind-Hearted Mentor In Maximizing Your Fellowship Opportunities
- How to Carve a Professional Niche and Forge Your Own Path
- Beyond the Starving Artist: Navigating Fellowships in the Arts
We hosted new in-person events with the International Fellows Network (IFN)
With the relaunch of the IFN in 2023, we hosted three in-person events in 2024! The first 2 events of the year were both in Washington DC, in April and July, where fellowship winners from diverse programs sat down to share stories, journies, and network while sharing a family-style meal. Fellows represented prestigious fellowships like the German Chancellor, Marshall Memorial, Scoville, and more!
We also had an international event in Berlin, Germany, where fellows from the German Chancellor Fellowship program, Cultural Vistas, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation came together for Stammtisch (a German Happy Hour).
Through The International Fellows Network, current and former fellows can connect for socializing, advice, and insights on fellowships, jobs, events, graduate programs, and collaborative opportunities. If you are a current or former fellow and would like to join, please sign up for our fellowships database, and we’ll be in touch by email!
Our Most Valuable Team Members
We also want to highlight ProFellow’s committed team!
Dr. Johnson received a Wiley book deal!
We are pleased to announce that ProFellow Founder Dr. Vicki Johnson received a book deal from Wiley, one of the oldest and largest publishers in the nation, to publish her first book on her trademarked MATCH ME® Formula, the 7 elements of a winning application! This book is slated to be released in late 2025 and offers an accessible way to receive in-depth guidance on the strategies that have helped hundreds of ProFellow workshop and course participants achieve extraordinary success in the fellowship and graduate school application process. Stay tuned for related events and announcements for the forthcoming book launch!
Dr. Johnson spoke across the U.S.
You might have also seen Dr. Johnson at in-person and virtual events throughout the year, where she spoke with audiences about accessing effective guidance and preparing for the competition. Some of the highlights include:
- She also spoke at the in-person 2024 PPIA Public Service Expo in Washington DC this summer, where she gave the talk “How to Be Your Own Mentor: Distinguishing Guides from Gatekeepers” and facilitated a Graduate Fellowships Program Roundtable featuring Nikka Landau from Soros Fellowship, Lily McGee from the Pickering Fellowship, and David Moore from the White House Fellowship, among others!
- She also partnered with the Cornell University Einhorn Center to deliver a full-day Women in Community-Engaged Leadership Symposium at Deloitte’s headquarters in New York City, where she facilitated talks with Cornell women alumnae who are leaders in non-profit, education, corporate, and business leadership to share insights and tips for students how to face invisible barriers and incorporate community engagement within their careers.
- Dr. Johnson also delivered a 2-day Graduate School Bootcamp at Texas Christian University in support of their McNair Scholars and TRIO program, supporting students from TCU, Texas Women’s University, and UT Arlington.
- She was also featured on The Grad-Post podcast, hosted by Dr. Brian S. Mitchell, where she shared ProFellow’s resources and mission!
Contact us for more information about booking Dr. Johnson as a speaker for your upcoming conference, event, or corporate learning and development session.
Fully Funded Course Success Stories
ProFellow’s Fully Funded Course and Mentorship Program entered its 5th year supporting master’s and doctoral applicants applying to highly competitive, fully funded graduate programs and fellowships. At the end of the Spring 2024, the Fully Funded Course has helped members achieve:
- 533+ Master’s acceptances
- 147+ PhD acceptances, and
- 47+ national Fellowship winners!
Fully Funded Course students regularly win $20,000 to more than $400,000+ in merit-based funding awards and Graduate Assistantships providing tuition and stipend.
See some of our newest testimonials on our Results Page.
What’s new in 2025: The Fully Funded Course and Mentorship Program is pausing in 2025 because Dr. Johnson will be focused this coming year on the writing and launch of her first book. However, we will be opening up spots for 1:1 graduate admissions coaching, as well as a Fully Funded course-only option in 2025. Stay tuned for announcements in January.
Corporate and University Partnerships: The Fully Funded Course is also seeking corporate and university partners to help scale this highly effective online program inside large organizations that are seeking to support underrepresented graduate school aspirants in STEM. Learn more about Fully Funded Course Partnerships.
Thank you for another awe-inspiring year!
A big thank you to the organizations, fellowship alumni, universities, and ProFellow readers who shared new fellowships for our database. Each addition enhances ProFellow, providing opportunities that inspire others to do something exceptional.
We’re excited to see what 2025 has in store for ProFellow. Thank you for your continued support!
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