Post-Bac Fellowship Overview

These programs are paid positions that generally span one or two years with an organization, often a nonprofit, research, or federal agency, that provides recent college graduates with a chance to learn from and contribute to the organization's mission. Applicants apply to the program and, once accepted, are trained for a specific role for the duration of the program. At the conclusion of the program, participants move on to different careers and/or organizations. These fellowships require that a person has completed or is completing a bachelor's degree program. Fellowship programs are often offered in Education, Media and Journalism, Science, Healthcare, Public Policy and Government, Environment and Sustainability, Social Entrepreneurship and Non-profits, and Technology. Fellowship programs are often in person and many require people to move to the location of the fellowship program. Most fellowship programs are considered employment and thus the participants do not have other employment. However, some programs require participants to secure their own employment as a condition of the fellowship. Fellowships provide important work experience and training to prepare for a career, leadership opportunities, or graduate school. Fellowships are not meant to be the highest paid positions related to that career. A fellowship is valuable because of the work experience, training, and professional network it helps you build. However, fellowship programs typically do not offer support with the job application process.