FELLOWSHIP (front fellow, Icel. felagi, from Meta, partnership. from fit, property, Eng. fee + lag, a laying together, AS. lugu, Eng. lair Eng. -ship ; cf. Icel. Plagsskaiw, fel lowship). An institution which arose in con nection with the medifeval colleges, originally eleemosynary in their character. The members, or 'fellows' (sucii) . as they are called, usually had a boarding-place in common, and received regular stipends provided for out of the income of the foundation. Such a college was established at the University of Bologna as early as 1267, and the beginning of the institution at the University of Paris is traced to a permanent though humble provision for sleeping accommodations, and for small stipends to be given to eighteen scholar clerks, the founder being a pious man, one Dominus Jocius of London. At Oxford a founda tion was in 1243 established for two priests, who, while pursuing their studies, should say mass for the soul of their benefactor. In 1249 University College was founded with an income for the support of ten or more masters of arts, who were studying theology. At Cambridge. Saint Peter's College was founded in 1284. The recipients of these benefactions were usually required to pass certain examinations. or to have attained a cer tain standard, and often to show their need of such support. Frequently, however. the founder retained the patronage, which was restricted to his kin, or to the members of a certain diocese or district. By the University Act of 1854 such restrictions were removed in England. At pres ent the fellowships there are ordinarily confined to the graduates of the university to which the college belongs.
At Bologna the College of Spain still survives, having five or six students. The great Parisian endowments disappeared as a result of wars and revolutions. A fellowship in the Sorbonne is now merely an honorary distinction. In England the fellowships have steadily increased in number and value. To-day their income ranges from less than £100 to £800 annually; but since they depend upon the proceeds of landed property, this sum varies from veer to year. To this is added the
privilege of occupying certain apartments. and in some cases of enjoying perquisites in meals or commons. Many English fellowships are tenable for life, others for seven years, and at Cambridge for even shorter periods. In general they are forfeited should the holder attain to certain pre ferments in the Church or at the bar, and some times in the case of his succeeding to property above a certain amount. Except by special vote of the college, the holder of a fellowship forfeits it by marriage. The English fellows usually carry on instruction in their own colleges, and are frequently professors in the university as well, or hold other academic positions.
In the colleges and universities of the United States the term 'fellow' often means trustee. as, in one sense. at Ilarvard. On the other hand, the ordinary fellowship is an honor bearing with it a certain annual stipend, which varies from $120 to $1000. The average amount is, however, about $500. The fellowships are bestowed ac cording to merit, and usually without restriction as to the collegiate institution of which the can didate is a graduate. The holder is expected to pursue graduate work in seine special department to which the fellowship is attached, and in most eases this work is to be done at the institution which grants it. Occasionally, however, the fel low is allowed or even required to travel. Some institutions require certain services in connection with instruction from the holders of fellow ships, others expect their time to be devoted to study. There were in 1900 at Harvard 30 fellow ships, at Yale 24, at Columbia 29, at Cornell 24, at Johns Hopkins 22, at Chicago 30, at Princeton 12,;at Pennsylvania 31.and at Bryn Mawr 14, three of which provide for a sojourn in Europe. Other institutions offer in all 55 fellowships. For tha current status of fellowships in various institu tions, consult : The Handbook of Graduate Clubs (Chicago) ; College Year-Book (New York. 1896 et seq.) ; and the If inerra Jahrbueh der Gelehrten Welt (Strassburg, 1892 et seq.). See UmvER