Iowa State University Borel Global Fellows Program 2027

Thanks to a generous gift from ISU alumni Jim (’78 agricultural business) and Marcia (’78 family environment) Borel, the Borel Global Fellows Program was launched in 2018. The Borel Global Fellows Program supports students committed to enhancing African food security, agricultural development, and/or poverty alleviation to pursue graduate studies at Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The program seeks to help eradicate food and nutrition insecurity while promoting wealth and health for subsistence farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa by educating scientists at Iowa State University who will become knowledge leaders that reside and work in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• Table of Content
• About Iowa State University (ISU)
• Borel Global Fellows Program Postgraduate Scholarship
• Aim and Benefits of Borel Global Fellows Program Postgraduate Scholarship
• Requirements for Borel Global Fellows Program Postgraduate Scholarship Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

Borel Global Fellows Program Postgraduate Scholarship

Aim and Benefits of Borel Global Fellows Program Postgraduate Scholarship

• Up to $25,000 per year per student of funding is available to support graduate student stipends (or a combination of a partial stipend and research funding) for up to 30 months for MS students and up to 42 months for PhD students.
• Funding for travel by the student to and from Africa for research purposes also is available.

Requirements for Borel Global Fellows Program Postgraduate Scholarship Qualification

All faculty members with a majority appointment in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University may submit an application for partial graduate student funding. To be considered for the Borel Global Fellows Program, the student must:

• be admitted into a graduate program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• commit to completing graduate studies as a means for preparation of a career contributing to food security in Sub-Saharan Africa
• complete the majority of their graduate research in Sub-Saharan Africa
• demonstrate an intention to work and live in Sub-Saharan Africa after completing their graduate studies

Application Deadline

How to Apply

• A completed application will include a cover letter from the major professor, a CV of the student, and a copy of the student’s goal statement. Due date each year: January 15.
• Cover letters will address the commitment of the major professor to provide the remaining required funding (typically tuition, fees and research costs) and his/her commitment to support the student’s research in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Applications are not accepted directly from graduate students.
• Applications may only be submitted by Iowa State University professors to request support for graduate students who have already been accepted into a graduate program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. 

Iowa State University faculty interested in submitting an application can contact the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods staff. 

For more information, kindly visit Iowa State University scholarship webpage.