The Center for Life Beyond Reed

Beinecke Internal Application Instructions

The Beinecke Scholarship provides recipients with $35,000 in support of full-time graduate study in the arts, humanities, or social sciences. Students of promise with demonstrated financial need apply during their junior year and will receive the funding upon commencing their graduate study. There are no geographic restrictions and funding can be used anywhere in the U.S. or world.

As a program for which Reed College plays an endorsing role, there is a two-tiered application process for the Beinecke. The first stage is to apply to the Reed Faculty Committee on Fellowships and Awards. If your application is endorsed by the committee, you would then complete the application process directly with the Beinecke program administrators.

Internal Application Deadline

January 17th, 2024 at 12:00 PM noon, Pacific Time

Applications Steps

Please complete all of the following steps to apply to be nominated by the college for this award.

Application Materials

Please send PDF versions of the following items in one email to clbrfellowships@reed.edu by the internal application deadline:

  1. A completed Application Form (download the form from the Beinecke website)
    1. Enter "N/A" for Primary Major GPA, as Reed doesn't provide that GPA.

  2. A current C.V.

  3. A statement of 1,000 words or less from the nominee devoted to describing their research or creative interests for graduate study and career aspirations beyond these studies. It should also include a discussion of the most relevant academic, professional, extracurricular, and personal experiences that have influenced or shaped the nominee’s interests and plans.

  4. A copy of your Reed transcript.

  5. Candidates who wish to pursue an MFA degree must submit an artist’s supplement (creative writing samples should be attached as a PDF, while a hyperlink to a folder containing visual work should be provided at the top of the statement):
    • Creative writers: a maximum of five pages of double-spaced text, though playwrights, poets, and screenwriters should submit the text in the format appropriate to the genre (i.e., not double-spaced, if inappropriate).
    • Visual artists (except filmmakers): a digital portfolio containing up to ten images of current work, with an image resolution of at least 300 dpi.
    • Performing artists (including filmmakers): video sample(s) no longer than five minutes in total.

Letters of Recommendation

Two internal letters of recommendation are required from faculty members who can assess your intellectual curiosity, character, and potential for advanced graduate study. These should be sent via email to clbrfellowships@reed.edu and are due by the internal application deadline.

Make sure to give your recommenders several weeks notice and read our guidance on requesting letters of recommendation.

If you are nominated, you will need a third recommender for the final application.

Waiver

You will need to complete this online waiver form as the final step in submitting your internal application.

Waiver Form

Applicants submitting application materials by email will generally receive a confirmation within twenty-four hours. If you do not receive a confirmation during this time, please follow up with the Center for Life Beyond Reed at clbrfellowships@reed.edu to ensure that the application was successfully submitted.

Next Steps

The faculty fellowships and awards committee will review applications early the following week. You'll hear about the status of your application within a few days of decisions being made.

If you are nominated, please make use of your advisors (CLBR, academic advisers, and other trusted advisors) to obtain feedback on your application materials. All final documents, including formal letters of reference, will need to be sent to clbrfellowships@reed.edu prior to the national deadline so that CLBR staff can submit your final application on your behalf.

You will also need to meet with a faculty member of the Fellowships and Awards committee, as they will need to write an endorsement letter for you on behalf of the college.

If you have any questions about the process or this award, please let us know.

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