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Fellowship · Fully funded

Spencer Fellowship for Education Reporting (2027-28)

Columbia Journalism School / SpencerFellows.org

A yearlong fellowship for journalists and educators to develop and publish an ambitious long-form education journalism project, based at Columbia Journalism School.

Award
Residential: $85,000 living scholarship plus $7,500 project expenses, with tuition, student fees and basic health insurance covered. Non-residential: $43,000 stipend plus $7,500 project expenses; no health insurance.
Who can apply
North America
Where
New York City, USA (Columbia Journalism School), remote possible
Deadline
4 Feb

About the programme

Four fellows are selected for a yearlong program at Columbia Journalism School, combining study and research with faculty mentoring from Columbia and Teachers College. Residential and non-residential options exist. Fellows are matched with a J-School faculty mentor and an outside content advisor, and may add a researcher. The board judges project quality, research and study plans, and the candidate's ability to complete and publish. Work samples, a proposal, a research plan, a residency statement and three recommendation letters are required (How to Apply page states three fellowships are awarded, while the About page says four).

Duration: One academic year (orientation late August; semester begins after Labor Day)

Eligibility

  • Must be a U.S. citizen or green card holder
  • Sign in to check these against your background.

What they look for

  • No college degree or academic prerequisite required
  • Experience in education journalism, broadly defined, is valued
  • Demonstrated ability to research and tell stories in a journalistic style
  • Strength of project idea and potential to complete and publish for a general audience
  • Residential fellows must live near Columbia campus / NYC for the year; non-residential fellows may live elsewhere in the U.S. but must travel to NYC several times

What you will need

  • Resume or CV
  • Short narrative autobiography
  • Up to four work samples
  • Proposal essay describing the project
  • Research plan using Columbia resources
  • Brief statement on residential or non-residential choice
  • Three letters of professional recommendation (one may document a publication/distribution commitment)

How to apply

  1. Apply online only through the official application form; other submission forms are not accepted
  2. Selection board convenes in March or April
  3. Candidates notified in spring
  4. New fellows invited to May orientation

Applications are submitted on Columbia Journalism School / SpencerFellows.org’s own site. Open Doors helps you prepare; it is not the official application portal.

From people who applied

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Source and verification

Last checked
13 Nov 2026, read automatically from the official page

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