Two hundred and ninety-two scholars, artists, and scientists received Guggenheim Fellowships in 1978. $4,569,500 was disbursed between the recipients, who were chosen from an applicant pool of 3,073. University of California, Berkeley had the most winners on its faculty (16), followed by Yale University (11) and Stanford University (9). The University of California system had 42 fellowships total among its faculty.

1978 United States and Canada Fellows