Rangel Graduate Fellowship
Description: The Rangel Graduate Fellowship is a program that aims to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State in which they can help formulate, represent, and implement U.S. foreign policy. The Rangel Program selects outstanding Rangel Fellows annually in a highly competitive nationwide process and supports them through two years of graduate study, internships, mentoring, and professional development activities. This program encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, women, and those with financial need. Fellows who successfully complete the program and Foreign Service entry requirements will receive appointments as Foreign Service Officers, in accordance with applicable law and State Department policy.
Rangel Fellows are committed to serving their country and promoting positive change globally. Individuals who have successfully completed the Rangel Program are now making a difference in countries throughout the world, including Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, South Africa, Nigeria, Angola, China, Korea, Bangladesh, Spain, and Ireland.
Please note that Rangel and Pickering application processes are virtually identical. Please apply to both awards.
Award: $42,000 per year ($24,000 for tuition plus $18,000 stipend) for two years.
Award Eligibility:
- Applicants must be seeking admission to enter graduate school for a two-year program at a U.S. university in an area of relevance to the Foreign Service. They can be in the senior year of their undergraduate studies, graduating by June 2025, or they can be college graduates.
- Applicants must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale at the time of application.
- Applicants must be a U.S. citizen.
Deadline: September 1 campus deadline for application review. Candidates should reach out to ONCA at least 4-weeks prior to submitting an application.
Apply: https://rangelprogram.org/graduate-fellowship-program/
Pickering Graduate Fellowship
Description: The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program is a program funded by the U.S. Department of State, administered by Howard University, that attracts and prepares outstanding young people for Foreign Service careers in the U.S. Department of State. It welcomes the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the State Department, women, and those with a demonstrated financial need for graduate school. Based on the fundamental principle that diversity is a strength in our diplomatic efforts, the program values varied backgrounds, including ethnic, racial, social, and geographic diversity.
The Pickering Fellowship offers a unique opportunity to promote positive change in the world. Upon successful completion of a two-year master’s degree program and fulfillment of Foreign Service entry requirements, fellows have the opportunity to work as Foreign Service Officers in accordance with applicable law and State Department policy, serving in Washington, DC and at a U.S. embassy, consulate, or diplomatic mission around the globe. Fellows also agree to a minimum five-year service commitment in the Department of State’s Foreign Service. The five-year service commitment begins upon entry into the Foreign Service.
The Pickering Program has made, and continues to make, an important contribution to the diversity of the State Department Foreign Service. Fellows currently represent the United States in countries around the world, in areas as diverse as Africa, East Asia, Latin America, South Asia, Europe and Eurasia. They are promoting human rights, assisting American citizens overseas, enhancing prosperity and development, deepening ties between the United States and people around the world, and supporting U.S. global values and interests in many different ways.
The Program provides graduate fellowships to qualified college seniors and college graduates committed to joining the Foreign Service. The fellowship helps finance two-year graduate programs, provides two summer internships, offers mentoring from a Foreign Service Officer, and provides other professional development activities. The program continues to ensure that the Foreign Service reflects the face of America to foreign audiences and provides a source of trained women and men who are dedicated to pursuing Foreign Service careers with the Department of State and representing America’s interests abroad.
Please note that Rangel and Pickering application processes are virtually identical. Please apply to both awards.
Award: $42,000 per year ($24,000 for tuition plus $18,000 stipend) for two years.
Award Eligibility:
- Applicants must be seeking admission to enter graduate school for a two-year program at a U.S. university in an area of relevance to the Foreign Service. They can be in the senior year of their undergraduate studies, graduating by June 2025, or they can be college graduates.
- Applicants must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale at the time of application.
- Applicants must be a U.S. citizen.
Deadline: September 1 campus deadline for application review. Candidates should reach out to ONCA at least 4-weeks prior to submitting an application.
Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship
Description: The USAID Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship Program seeks to attract outstanding individuals who are interested in pursuing careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). If you want to work on the front lines of some of the most pressing global challenges of our times — poverty, hunger, injustice, disease, environmental degradation, climate change, conflict and violent extremism – the Foreign Service of the U.S. Agency for International Development provides an opportunity to advance U.S. foreign policy interests and reflect the American people's compassion and support of human dignity. The Payne Fellowship, which provides up to $104,000 in benefits over two years for graduate school, internships, and professional development activities, is a unique pathway to the USAID Foreign Service.
Please note that the Payne Fellowship places students in the USAID Foreign Service, compared with Rangel and Pickering Awards, which place students in the US Department of State.
Award: The award includes up to $24,000 per year toward tuition and mandatory fees for completion of a two-year master's degree at a U.S. institution; a $18,000 stipend for each academic year for room, board, books and other education-related expenses; and up to $10,000 per year in stipend, housing, transportation, and related expenses for summer placements.
Award Eligibility:
- Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
- Applicants must be between the ages of 18-55.
- Applicants must be seeking admission to enter graduate school in the fall of 2025 for a two-year program at a U.S. university. They can be in the senior year of their undergraduate studies, graduating by June 2025, or they can be college graduates.Applicants must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale at the time of application.
Deadline: September 1 campus deadline for application review. Candidates should reach out to ONCA at least 4-weeks prior to submitting an application.
