Eligibility
Applicants must be a sophomore student at Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, Pomona College, or Scripps College.
If selected for MMUF, fellows must agree to participate in all aspects of the program and meet all expectations of the program. Find more about program expectations here.
Applicants should have a strong desire to contribute to multivocality in higher education, “elevating accounts, interpretations, and narratives that expand present understandings.”
To be eligible for selection as an MMUF fellow, students must be planning to pursue graduate study, especially a PhD, in one or more of these fields:
- Anthropology and archaeology
- Area/cultural/ethnic/gender studies
- Art history
- Classics
- Geography and population studies
- English
- Film, cinema, and media studies (theoretical focus)
- Musicology, ethnomusicology, and music theory
- Foreign languages and literatures
- History
- Linguistics
- Literature
- Performance studies (theoretical focus)
- Philosophy and Political Theory
- Religion and theology
- Sociology
- Theater (theoretical focus)
- Interdisciplinary studies: Interdisciplinary areas of study may be eligible if they have one or more of the above eligible fields at their core, but must be approved by the MMUF staff at the Mellon Foundation on a case-by-case basis. Please contact 5CMMUFSupport@pomona.edu to discuss your plans.
Please note that interdisciplinary education graduate programs, even those that incorporate one or more eligible fields, are not eligible for MMUF graduate benefits.
If a fellow’s plans change to a non-eligible field or to a path that does not include graduate study, that fellow will withdraw from the MMUF program. In those instances, we’ll assist in finding other, more relevant forms of support.
If you have questions about eligibility requirements listed above, please write 5CMMUFSupport@pomona.edu.
FAQ: Eligibility
Q: Can undocumented or DACA-mented students apply?
A: Yes! We welcome all domestic students, including citizens, permanent residents, undocumented students, and DACA-mented students.
Q: I’m a bit confused by the word “multivocality.” What does that mean in this context?
A: The Mellon Foundation asks that we identify fellows who demonstrate a potential to bring historically marginalized or underrepresented perspectives to the academy, including by producing scholarly research that reflects and satisfies the goal of the Higher Learning program. Some research themes that may satisfy this goal include, but are not limited to, the following: historical and contemporary treatments of race, racialization, and racial formation; intersectional experience and analysis; gender and sexuality; Indigenous history and culture; questions about diaspora; coloniality and decolonization; the carceral state; migration and immigration; urban inequalities; social movements and mass mobilizations; the transatlantic slave trade; settler colonial societies; and literary accounts of agency, subjectivity, and community. While it is not required that student applicants work within the above or related rubrics, preference may be given to applicants who do.
Q: My goal is to earn a PhD in a field not listed above, but my research interests align with the goals of multivocality. Can I still apply?
A: The list of eligible fields is established by the Mellon Foundation, and we cannot select fellows from fields beyond that list.
Q: What if I am on off-cycle in Spring 2025, for example a first-semester junior or first-semester sophomore?
A: Priority is given to applicants who can commit to two full years in the program, and the content in those years is carefully sequenced. However, there may be exceptions we can accommodate. Reach out to 5CMMUFSupport@pomona.edu to discuss your situation.
Q: I was admitted to the MMUF program at the institution I am currently attending, but I am transferring to one of the 5C Colleges. Can I transfer my MMUF acceptance?
A: Please reach out to 5CMMUFSupport@pomona.edu to discuss your transfer. If you are a good fit, we will add you to the wait list for an open position in the Claremont Colleges MMUF program.