The James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program provides an opportunity for approximately 15 students who desire careers in international affairs to have a substantive working experience in Washington, D.C.. Junior Fellows work as research assistants to scholars working at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace doing policy research and writing from September 1, 2026 through June 30th, 2027 which includes a monthly stipend of $4,000.
Applicants must be graduating seniors or students who have completed their bachelor’s degree within the past academic year. No one will be considered who has started graduate studies (except those in a joint masters/bachelors program).
Eligibility
- U.S. Citizenship is not required; however, all applicants must be eligible to work in the United States for 10-12 months from September 1 through at least June 30 following graduation. Students on F-1 visas who are eligible to work in the United States for the full year may apply for the program.
- Graduating seniors or those who have graduated during the last academic year
Selection Criteria
- Completed a significant amount of coursework related to their discipline of interest;
- Language and other skills may also be required for certain assignments;
- Strong academic preparation for the position to which you are applying.
Application Materials
URI applicants interested in the Gaither Junior Fellows Program must first complete the pre-application and follow the campus application procedure below which helps them, if nominated, prepare for the final application materials as follows:
- Resume
- Personal Statement
- Writing Sample (3 to 5 pages; please include the brief explanation with the writing sample even if it exceeds 5 pages)
- Two letters of recommendation (or recommender contact information if they upload directly)
- Transcript (unofficial is preferred)
Campus Application Procedure
- For those interested in the Gaither Junior Fellows Program, please complete the Student Interest form or the Alumni Interest form to receive program updates;
- Read the Gaither Junior Fellows Program description so you understand the eligibility and selection criteria;
The Gaither Junior Fellows Program requires institutional nomination, a process coordinated by the Office of Fellowships@URI. Each U.S. institution (college or university) is limited to a maximum of 2 nominees per year. Since the number of qualified candidates for nomination at URI often outnumbers this maximum number, our campus has a pre-application process to select its nominees. The campus pre-application includes:
- Short answer questions
- A resume
- A writing sample
- A list of potential letter writers (no letters are submitted at this stage)
- Unofficial transcripts from all undergraduate work
Application Timeline
- There is no such thing as starting too early for the Gaither Junior Fellows Program! Begin thinking about the many avenues to policy and research and start seeking out or making your own leadership and service opportunities on and off campus. Take academically rigorous courses, and consider the Honors Program;
- Become familiar with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace site;
- October – November: Consolidate materials for the Gaither Pre-application form
- Campus Pre-application Deadline – December 10 at 11:59 PM ET.
- mid- December – Applicants will be notified of their nomination status, and those who have been nominated will schedule a meeting with Fellowships@URI to discuss their application timeline
- National Deadline: January 14, 2026 at 11:59 PM MT
- Finalist Interviews: Mid- February
- Selectees Notified: mid- March
- Program begins: September 1, 2026
- Program concludes: June 30, 2027