Our Program

The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program is the centerpiece of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s initiatives to increase diversity in the faculty ranks of institutions of higher learning.  The MMUF program is administered by over one hundred campus coordinators at 42 institutions and a consortium of 39 historically black colleges and universities within the membership of the UNCF.

As of July 2010 approximately 3,500 undergraduate students representing 25 cohorts have been selected as Mellon Fellows.  The student constituency has the distinction of high academic achievement with a 98% retention and graduation rate.  To date approximately 60% of MMUF students continue on to graduate school shortly following the baccalaureate, of which about 35% directly enter PhD programs.  About 5% choose professional careers in law and medicine, and many students elect to take time off before entering graduate school.

MMUF has been highly successful.  To date, over 340 fellows have earned their PhD and are now teaching around the country.  Thirty-eight of these young scholars have achieved tenure.  An additional 150 graduate students are at ABD level and are expected to complete their degree within the next two years.  There are approximately 580 students at various stages of graduate study, and MMUF continues to attract the best and the brightest undergraduates.

In December 2009 The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation renewed MMUF for an additional four years, continuing its steadfast commitment to increasing the diversity of higher education.