September 05, 2020

The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship

The Thomas R. Pickering Undergraduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship program provides funding to participants as they prepare academically and professionally to enter the United States Department of State Foreign Service.

The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Howard University, provides funding to participants as they prepare academically and professionally to enter the United States Department of State Foreign Service. Women, members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, and students with financial need are encouraged to apply.

The Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship seeks to recruit talented students in academic programs relevant to international affairs, political and economic analysis, administration, management, and science policy. Fellowship recipients receive funding for study, take part in two summer internships, and receive mentoring from a foreign service officer. Successful candidates will demonstrate strong leadership and academic excellence and have an interest in working as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State and representing the U.S. around the world and a passion for public service.  Additionally, those who complete the program successfully make a five-year service commitment to the Department of State’s Foreign Service.

The fellowship provides $42,000 of annual support for two years of a graduate program, which may fund tuition, room and board, fees, books and supplies for graduate study.  

Eligibility: Applicants must be seeking admission to a U.S. graduate school for Fall the year after the application in an academic field relevant to the work of the Foreign Service (public policy, international affairs, public administration, business, economics, political science, sociology, or foreign languages). They must be U.S. citizens who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale at the time of application. This GPA must be maintained throughout participation of the program.

Deadline: September, 21, 2023

Faculty Representative: Kyle Lascurettes, Department of International Affairs