Eligibility requirements for individual fellowships vary. A few are open to first-years, sophomores and juniors, while many others are open to graduating seniors and recent college graduates. While each fellowship has specific criteria in terms of what defines an ideal candidate, all share a common emphasis on academic excellence. Many fellowship competitions also value the types of experiences Elon University encourages through the Elon Experiences transcript, including undergraduate research, community service and service learning, foreign language study and intercultural exchange, internships and leadership.