Rejected, but have now received external fellowship

[ralphzapato]

I am an American citizen who was recently awarded a fellowship from the US government which fully pays for tuition for three years along with a sizable stipend. Unfortunately, I have been rejected from my preferred schools in the US, although I have an acceptance from my top choice in the UK. I don't believe I can use this fellowship outside of the US, so I wanted to ask if it is worth emailing the schools I've been rejected from in America to ask if they would reconsider my application in light of this news? Or am I wasting my time?

[Psyhopeful]

I would say yes. having fellowship money can make a big difference in terms of being able to take on a student. At the very least, they will say no again, but at least you will have tried. I saw a post once of someone else in this situation who was able to get into a program that they had not originally applied for because they had a grant and that meant the school could afford to take them. I would start contacting POIs that you applied to, especially if you interviewed with any of them and it went well, and maybe some others that you are interested in working with that you didn't apply to before. Hopefully someone can give you better info on how to go about this. Congrats on your fellowship!

[juilletmercredi]

Yes, I would absolutely contact your programs of interest and ask if that changes things. POIs for sure, but I'd also contact the departmental secretary in each department and they can direct you to the appropriate person who can officially reconsider your application.