The James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program (formerly Carnegie Junior Fellows) is a highly-competitive award that enables recent graduates to work for a year with a senior fellow in one of the program areas of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Each year the Endowment selects approximately 12 uniquely qualified graduating seniors and recent graduates from a pool of candidates nominated from several hundred participating colleges. Fellows serve as research assistants for Senior Carnegie Associates (academics, former government officials, lawyers, and journalists) from around the world on a range of international affairs issues. Junior Fellows have the opportunity to conduct research for books, participate in meetings with high-level officials, contribute to congressional testimony, and organize briefings on international policy. Fellows receive an annual salary and a benefits package (medical, dental, vacation).

Project areas reflect current programs and priorities of Carnegie researchers and may thus vary by year. Recent program areas include:

• Democracy and Rule of Law
• U.S. Foreign Policy and Diplomacy
• Nuclear Policy
• Technology & International Affairs
• Middle East Program
• South Asia Program
• China Studies (Asia Program)
• Japan Studies (Asia Program)
• Economics (Asia Program)
• Russian/Eurasian Program
• Africa Program

View the current list of programs on the Carnegie Programs page.

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Who Should Apply?

To be eligible, you must:

• be a graduating senior or have graduated within the last academic year
• have a 3.7 GPA or higher
• have a strong interest in international affairs
• be authorized to work in the U.S. for the duration of the fellowship year

Additional subject area and language requirements vary by program area. In general, strong candidates have strong writing skills, research experience, and are comfortable engaging in high-level academic discussion.

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How to Apply

This program requires an institutional nomination. Drexel can nominate up to two students each year. We hold an open campus competition for nomination beginning in November.

Step 1. Get Ready

Carnegie publishes the list of the requirements for each available fellow assignment in October, based on the research agendas of that year’s senior fellows. If you believe you are a strong candidate for one of this year’s positions, review our Fellowships Resource Site to learn more about the Gaither Junior Fellows Program and see the current list of requirements. The resource site requires a Drexel login; alumni can email fellowships@drexel.edu to request access.

Step 2. Apply for Campus Nomination

Deadline to apply for nomination: Monday after Thanksgiving
You MUST submit an application to be considered for campus nomination. Students will apply for the campus nomination by submitting a draft of their application essay, a resume/CV, a signed fellowships waiver and responses to a brief internal nomination form. Specific deadlines and more information is available through the Fellowships Resource Site. Please note that we will not give draft feedback before selecting nominees.

Nominees will be announced shortly thereafter and provided with feedback for revising and preparing the final application. Sample application materials are available on our Fellowships Resource Site.

Step 3. National Deadlines

Institutional Submission Deadline: Mid-January

Nominees must submit their completed applications, including their letters of recommendation, to their fellowships advisor at least two days before Carnegie's published national deadline.

Undergraduate Research and Enrichment Programs will submit complete nomination packages in mid-January. Finalists will be invited to conduct an interview (in-person or via Skype) shortly thereafter. We will coordinate mock interviews for those students offered an interview. Final selection is announced in the spring.

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More Information

More information about the Gaither Junior Fellows Program, including application resources, is available on the Drexel Fellowships Resource Site.

For official program information (which supersedes any information provided here), please visit the Gaither Junior Fellows Program website.

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Related Awards:

Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship Program; Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Programs; Rangel International Affairs Program

Last updated: October 2023