About the programme
CEGA invites African social scientists and practitioners to build skills in quantitative impact evaluation of development programs. Fellows audit tailored coursework, receive faculty and PhD peer mentoring, and develop a research project. Resident fellows spend the term at UC Berkeley; non-resident fellows study online at a part-time pace. Fall 2027 or Spring 2028 start options are available. Seven Practitioner Track and four Academic Track fellows are planned.
Duration: 16 weeks (page also describes a 12-week non-resident schedule at 15-20 hours per week)
Eligibility
- Fluent in English, written and spoken, and a strong communicator
- From an East or West African country and completed at least secondary education in an African institution
- Resident fellows must be from a country eligible for a J-1 visa under current U.S. rules
- At least a Master's degree, currently enrolled in a PhD, or completed a PhD within the last 8 years, in economics, political science, statistics, epidemiology/public health or another social science
- Plan to return to an institution in East or West Africa after the fellowship
- Practitioner Track: work for an NGO, think tank or government ministry in East or West Africa and use or promote evidence to improve well-being
- Academic Track: doctoral student or current staff position at a university or research institution, preferably policy-relevant quantitative social science
- Supervisor or department chair leave approval or support letter allowing full-time (resident) or part-time (non-resident) leave for 4 months
- Sign in to check these against your background.
What they look for
- Non-resident fellows: priority to applicants from countries under U.S. visa restrictions
- Preference for applicants from the country or region where they plan to conduct research, and for female applicants
- Earlier-career applicants are preferred when PhD completed more than 8 years ago
- Strong quantitative methods focus; preference for designs that demonstrate causality
Needs your employer. Leave approval or letter of support from the applicant's supervisor or department chair is required.
Limits on using AI. Reviewers expect proposals not to be written entirely with generative AI.
What you will need
- Personal statement (max 1 page)
- CV/resume (max 2 pages)
- Policy statement (max 2 pages, Practitioner Track)
- Research proposal (max 2 pages, Academic Track)
- Two references
- Leave approval or letter of support from supervisor or department chair
- Working paper or publicationOptional
How to apply
- Submit application via the online portal by the deadline
- Webinar info session on December 2nd
- Notification of final selections around mid-March
- Fellowship runs Fall 2027 (Aug-Dec) or Spring 2028 (Jan-May)
Applications are submitted on Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), UC Berkeley’s own site. Open Doors helps you prepare; it is not the official application portal.
Who received it before
Past fellows are early-career African social scientists from a range of academic backgrounds; the program has trained more than 100 fellows across Africa, Asia and Latin America since 2012.
- Oluwabunmi Adejumo (featured as a Global Fellow Spotlight)
From the programme’s own pages.
From people who applied
No notes yet.
Source and verification
- Official source
- Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), UC Berkeley · Application
- Last checked
- 12 Nov 2026, read automatically from the official page
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