Wilson Center Fellowship Program 2027 | Study in the United States — Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

A $10,000 monthly stipend, a full year to research policy questions that actually matter to Washington, and a network that spans scholars, journalists, and sitting policymakers. The Wilson Center Fellowship Program is built for people who want their research to land somewhere beyond an academic journal.

Based at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the heart of Washington, D.C., the program is open to applicants from anywhere in the world.

About the Scholarship

The Wilson Center Fellowship supports independent, policy-relevant research on the pressing challenges facing the United States and the wider world. It welcomes a genuinely mixed cohort: academic scholars, practitioners, journalists, and public intellectuals all apply through the same competitive process, which sets it apart from fellowships that only accept candidates from one professional track.

The 12-month fellowship centers on nonpartisan, non-advocacy research. The center is explicit that it wants work addressing real foreign policy and domestic policy challenges rather than proposals built around a predetermined political position. Fellows are linked to one or more of the Wilson Center’s existing projects or programs, which gives their research a built-in community of colleagues working on adjacent questions, along with access to the center’s databases, reference library, and other resources.

Although fellows work remotely for most of the year, the program includes two funded trips to Washington, D.C., one at the start of the fellowship and one at the end, both paid for by the center. These trips are designed to connect fellows directly with policymakers, Wilson Center staff, and the broader Washington policy community, giving the otherwise remote fellowship real touchpoints with the people the research is ultimately meant to inform.

The Wilson Center places explicit emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion across its fellowship cohort, and the program’s open eligibility for both US and international applicants reflects that. Early-career researchers not yet at the postdoctoral or senior professional stage this fellowship requires might instead look at paid options like the UNFPA Global Internship Roster, which offers a similar international, policy-adjacent working environment at an earlier career point.

Because the fellowship draws from academia, government, journalism, and the nonprofit sector all at once, the resident community tends to be unusually varied for a research fellowship. A given cohort might include a university professor working alongside a former diplomat and an investigative journalist, all pursuing separate projects but sharing the same institutional resources and access to Washington policy circles. That mix is part of what the Wilson Center considers central to its mission, since cross-pollination between different professional vantage points tends to produce sharper, more grounded policy research than any single field working in isolation.

The center’s location matters too. Being physically close to Congress, federal agencies, and the broader Washington think tank ecosystem, even for the two scheduled visits rather than a full year in residence, gives fellows a direct line to the audience their research is actually meant to reach. That is a meaningfully different setup from a typical university-based research fellowship, where the primary audience is often other academics rather than the people actually writing or implementing policy.

Scholarship Benefits

The fellowship’s paid structure is unusual for an academic research opportunity, particularly one open to non-US citizens.

• A stipend of $10,000 per month for the full 12-month fellowship
• Two fully funded trips to Washington, D.C., one at the beginning and one at the end of the fellowship
• Access to the Wilson Center’s reference library, databases, and research resources
• Direct interaction with policymakers, Wilson Center staff, and fellow researchers in residence
• Formal connection to one or more ongoing Wilson Center projects or programs
• A genuine international networking opportunity spanning academia, journalism, government, and the nonprofit sector
• The flexibility to conduct research remotely for most of the fellowship year

Eligibility Criteria

• Open to US citizens, US permanent residents, and international applicants alike
• International applicants traveling to the United States for fellowship-related events need a valid passport and the appropriate visa
• Academic applicants must hold a PhD and have either published a book or monograph beyond their doctoral dissertation, or produced a substantial body of at least five peer-reviewed research articles
• Applicants from government, policy, or nonprofit backgrounds must show a level of professional distinction and experience equivalent to advanced academic standing
• Strong English proficiency is expected, since the fellowship centers on active exchange of ideas among a resident cohort of fellows

Fields of Study Covered

Because the fellowship draws from academia, journalism, government, and policy practice all at once, funded research topics span a wide range of subject areas, including:

• International relations and foreign policy
• Global security and conflict studies
• Economics and trade policy
• Environmental and energy policy
• Public health policy
• Governance, democracy, and human rights
• Regional studies covering specific countries or areas of the world
• Science and technology policy

Required Documents

• Completed application form
• CV, maximum 3 pages
• Project proposal, maximum 5 single-spaced pages
• A 200-word description of how the applicant intends to contribute to the Wilson Center community
• Two letters of reference

How to Apply (Step-by-Step)

1. Review the Wilson Center’s current research priorities to make sure your proposed project aligns with the center’s policy focus.
2. Complete the online application form through the official Wilson Center application page.
3. Submit the application through the Interfolio application portal, as required by the center.
4. Prepare and upload the CV, project proposal, and 200-word community contribution statement.
5. Arrange for two letters of reference to be submitted through the same portal.
6. Review the complete application carefully before submission, since the proposal’s clarity is a significant part of the review.
7. Submit the full application package before the September deadline.

Selection Process

The Wilson Center evaluates applications against six specific criteria: the research’s significance and originality, its relevance to current policy concerns, how well it fits with the center’s existing activities, the overall quality and clarity of the proposal, the applicant’s qualifications and track record, and the likelihood that the research will genuinely advance the center’s broader objectives.

Because the fellowship pulls from such different professional backgrounds, academics, journalists, and policy practitioners are all measured against the same core standard: whether the proposed research offers something Washington policymakers can actually use, not just an interesting academic exercise.

Tips to Improve Your Chances

• Frame the project proposal around a specific, current policy question rather than a broad academic survey of a general topic
• Make the connection between your research and real-world policy relevance explicit throughout the proposal, since the center weighs this heavily
• Use the 200-word community contribution statement to describe genuine plans for engaging with other fellows and Wilson Center programs, not just a summary of your own research
• Choose reference letter writers who can speak specifically to your research record and professional standing in your field
• Keep the proposal within the 5-page limit and make every section count, since reviewers are comparing dense, well-argued proposals against each other
• Read a few examples of past Wilson Center fellows’ published output if available, to calibrate the tone and level of policy specificity the center tends to favor

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a PhD to apply for the Wilson Center Fellowship?

Not necessarily. Academic applicants generally need a PhD along with a published book or a substantial body of peer-reviewed articles, but applicants from government, policy, or the nonprofit sector can qualify through professional distinction equivalent to advanced academic standing instead.

Is this fellowship open to non-US citizens?

Yes. The Wilson Center Fellowship accepts international applicants alongside US citizens and permanent residents, making it one of the more globally accessible paid research fellowships based in Washington, D.C.

Do fellows need to relocate to Washington, D.C. for the full year?

No. Fellows work remotely for most of the 12-month fellowship, with two funded trips to Washington, D.C. built into the program, one at the start and one at the end.

What kind of research does the Wilson Center fund?

The center funds policy-relevant, nonpartisan research addressing significant foreign policy and domestic policy challenges facing the United States and the world, spanning fields from international relations to public health policy.

How much does the fellowship pay?

Fellows receive a stipend of $10,000 per month across the full 12-month fellowship, which is a substantial figure compared to many academic and policy research fellowships.

Can journalists and practitioners apply, or is this only for academics?

The fellowship explicitly welcomes scholars, practitioners, journalists, and public intellectuals through the same application process, rather than restricting eligibility to a purely academic applicant pool.

What happens during the two trips to Washington, D.C.?

The opening trip typically orients fellows to the center’s resources, staff, and resident community, while the closing trip gives fellows a chance to present findings and connect their year of research directly with the policymakers and institutions it was meant to inform.