Eligibility and Terms

Eligibility

Applicants must be full-time journalists, with a minimum five years’ professional experience, whose work appears regularly as an employee or freelancer. Print, broadcast, photo, documentary and Internet journalists are eligible. There are no academic prerequisites.

Terms

Employee applicants must obtain a leave of absence from September 1 through April and return to their place of employment where applicable. All fellows must agree not to publish or broadcast during the fellowship, maintain Ann Arbor residency and attend all program seminars and meetings.

U.S. applicants will be considered for either a general or specialized fellowship. Specialized fellowships are listed below. 


Burton R. Benjamin Fellowship in Broadcast Journalism
Benny Friedman Fellowship in Sports Journalism
Daniel B. Burke Fellowship in General Studies
Ford Fellowship in Transportation Technology and Environment
Time-Warner Fellowship
Mike Wallace Fellowship in Investigative Reporting
Knight Fellowships in Specialty Reporting: Business, Education, Law, Medicine
Karsten Prager Fellowship in International Reporting
William C. Richardson Fellowship for Public Policy and Philanthropy

U.S. fellowships are offered for eight months.

International fellowships are offered for either four months or eight months, as funding is available.

Selection

Fellows are selected on the basis of past performance, future promise and, above all, leadership in some aspect of journalism. Great care goes into assembling classes of fellows that mix the type and size of news organizations as well as personality, geography and background. Typically, 12 Americans are joined by six international colleagues.

Selection is determined by a committee of distinguished faculty and professionals. U.S. finalists are interviewed at Wallace House in April; U.S. fellowships are announced in early May.