Funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Howard University, the Thomas R. Pickering Fellowship Program provides undergraduate and graduate students with financial support, mentoring and professional development to prepare them academically and professionally for a career in the U.S. 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. Candidates interested in the management and consular career tracks in the Foreign Service are also encouraged. 

Pickering Fellowship Program Benefits

• Graduate candidates: The Pickering Program plans to award 45 fellowships of up to $42,000 annually for a two-year period for tuition, room, board, books, and mandatory fees for completion of two-year master’s degrees.  This includes up to $24,000 per year for tuition and mandatory fees and an academic year stipend of $18,000.
• Two summer internships, one at a domestic office of the Department of State in Washington, D.C. and one overseas at a U.S. embassy or consulate. The program provides stipends, transportation and housing for these internships.
• Orientation to the Program and the Foreign Service at the Department of State.
• Mentoring from a Foreign Service Officer throughout the duration of the fellowship.
• Employment in the Department of State Foreign Service for those who successfully complete the program and Foreign Service entry requirements.

• U.S. citizenship.
• Intention to seek admission to a two-year, full-time, on-campus, master’s degree program at a U.S.-based institution in an academic field relevant to the Foreign Service, to begin in the following fall (fall after the fall you apply for the fellowship).
• Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale at the time of application.

• senior
• graduate

• US Citizen

Get complete details and guidance at https://pickeringfellowship.org/graduate-fellowship/how-to-apply/. 

The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship is named in honor of one of the most distinguished and capable American diplomats of the latter half of the 20th century.

Ambassador Pickering served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (1997-2000) and as U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation, India, Israel, El Salvador, Nigeria, and Jordan. He also was the U.S. Ambassador and Representative to the United Nations in New York, where he led the U.S. effort to build a coalition in the UN Security Council during and after the first Gulf War. He has held additional positions in Tanzania, Geneva, and Washington, including as Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Oceans, Environmental and Scientific Affairs and as Special Assistant to Secretaries of State William P. Rogers and Henry A. Kissinger. After retiring from the State Department in 2000, Ambassador Pickering joined The Boeing Company as Senior Vice President, International Relations and member of the Executive Council. He serves on a number not-for-profit boards. He holds degrees from Bowdoin College, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and the University of Melbourne and speaks French, Spanish, and Swahili fluently and also Arabic, Hebrew and Russian.

Upon accepting the fellowship, you will sign a contract that clearly outlines your benefits and responsibilities as a Fellow. Fellows must meet and maintain all Foreign Service entry requirements including security, medical and suitability requirements in order to remain in the program. 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. Failure to meet the contractual obligations, including obtaining and maintaining required medical, security, and suitability clearances may result in your disqualification from the fellowship program and repayment to the U.S. Government of financial assistance received related to your education.

PICKERING PROGRAM