Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program 2025

The Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program attracts and prepares outstanding young people for Foreign Service careers with the U.S. Department of State. The program provides financial support for graduate study and includes summer internships, mentoring, and professional development with the goal of placing fellows as Foreign Service Officers upon completion of the program and required service. It is jointly administered by Howard University and the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Global Talent Management.

Financial support for graduate study, two summer internships (domestic and overseas), mentoring from a Foreign Service Officer, professional development activities, and potential employment in the Foreign Service upon completion.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens seeking admission to a two-year, full-time master’s degree program at a U.S.-based institution, and have a GPA of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale; must be able to obtain medical and security clearances.

Approximately 90 finalists are selected by early November; finalists participate in a virtual interview and a written exercise in early December, and offers are made to about 45 fellows by early December.