MLH Fellowship vs SMART Scholarship Program

Comparing two highly competitive STEM opportunities. MLH Fellowship is a internship while SMART Scholarship Program is a scholarship.

MLH Fellowship SMART Scholarship Program
Prestige Tier Tier 2 — Highly Competitive Tier 2 — Highly Competitive
Type Internship Scholarship
Organization Major League Hacking (MLH) Department of War (DoW)
Acceptance Rate Not publicly disclosed; competitive program but exact rate unknown Unknown - not publicly available
Applicants Not publicly disclosed; appears to have multiple cohorts annually Unknown - not publicly available
Deadline Rolling Rolling
Cost to Apply Free Free
US Only No / International Yes
Grades College students and above (program appears designed primarily for undergraduates; high school eligibility unclear) Appears to be for college-bound students (exact grade level unclear from available information)
College Impact Highly valued in college admissions and recruiting. Shows: (1) Real-world experience with production-grade code, (2) Demonstrated commitment to open-source/collaborative development, (3) Recognition b... Theoretical impact: A full DoD-sponsored SMART Scholarship would demonstrate significant academic achievement and military/government alignment, potentially valuable for certain college applications. ...