International Public Service Fellowship Summer 2025 (Includes African Service Fellowship)
Through the International Public Service Fellowship, continuing undergraduate students design and implement a full-time service experience outside of the United States during the summer quarter. Students may serve across diverse service themes--from arts, education, and health, to racial justice, climate solutions, and public interest technology. Students are also able to engage in different Pathways of Public Service and Civic Engagement – from direct service, community organizing and activism, to policy, philanthropy, or social entrepreneurship.
International Service Fellows spend the summer working full-time with a supervisor/mentor in an international organization of their choice.
Please note: With limited exceptions, travel for undergraduate students is not permitted to countries, regions or cities where the Crisis24 rating is “High” or “Extreme.” To determine a location’s Crisis24 travel risk rating, please visit this page.
Applicants propose their own placements with organizations with which they have corresponded before the application deadline and effectively demonstrate that their intended partner organizations have the need, interest and capacity to work with a fellow and to support the proposed project/work plans. Students can submit an application after they have received and accepted an offer from a host organization, and the host organization must then complete the Community Partner Questionnaire (via the fellowship application) by the application deadline. The Haas Center has many Resources for Fellowship Applicants, including our list of Cardinal Quarter Connections of host organizations seeking to work with Stanford undergraduate students, and our Meet the Undergraduate Fellows page with information on previous fellows' community partners and projects.
Please review the program policies in their entirety before applying. The application deadline will be February 4, 2025.
Each International Service Fellow receives a base stipend of $7000 to support travel and living expenses during the fellowship. Financial aid and supplemental funding are available to students who qualify.
Are you working on a “project” this summer? Would your “project” benefit from additional funding? A Cardinal Quarter “project” is defined as 1) student designed in consultation with a community partner, 2) student implemented, 3) provides a tangible deliverable to the community, and 4) is sustainable beyond the summer. Students working on projects may be awarded up to an additional $1000 for project-related expenses. Click here for more information about projects and here to see a list of project-related expenses that may be covered. Please check the relevant box on the fellowship application if you will be applying for project-based funding.
The International Public Service Fellowship encompasses:
The African Service Fellowship, a joint program with the Center for African Studies, supporting students’ engagement with community partner organizations that focus on a wide range of social and economic issues in Africa. This fellowship was initiated in 2003 and is made possible by the David Abernethy NGO Internship Fund, the African Service Fellowship Fund, and the Tom Lockard and Alix Marduel International Public Service Fellowship for Undergraduates Fund.
The Halper Summer Fellowship supporting students' engagement in international service that connects with academic learning and helps them explore career interests was established in 2014 to support international fellowship placements.
The Minev Family Fellowship supporting students' service engagement in Brazil, Bulgaria, or countries in South America other than Brazil (preferences in that order) was established in 2015.This fellowship is made possible by Haas Center donors as part of the Cardinal Quarter program.
Eligibility
For complete eligibility requirements, please review our program policies in its entirety.
Applicants must be:
- enrolled at Stanford for the winter and spring quarters of this academic year (2024-25);
- be in good academic standing and not on suspension; and
- enrolled as a first-year, sophomore, or junior (from all academic disciplines), or a senior who will be returning for a co-term program during the following academic year
Students who are graduating and leaving campus at the end of Spring 2025 are not eligible to apply. Students who have begun their coterm programs are not eligible to apply. Priority will be given to students who have completed fewer than two previous Cardinal Quarter opportunities.
Students are welcome to propose placements with a variety of public interest organizations, keeping in mind funding will be restricted for certain types of political, research, Stanford-based, for-profit, and faith-based organizations. Please review the “Host Organization Eligibility” section of our program policies for more information.
Requirements
Spring Quarter
- Complete an online program orientation.
- Complete an online international orientation.
- Register your travel through Stanford Travel and submit any required information to Stanford’s Global Risk department (Haas staff will guide you through this process).
- Complete the Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service in-person workshop or worksheet.
- Identify and meet with an on-campus mentor at least once.
- Design a personal learning plan and share the learning plan with the site supervisor and on-campus mentor.
- Complete all required pre-orientation forms.
Summer Quarter
- Submit a brief preliminary report.
- Submit a final report, complete a program evaluation, and correspond with fellowship donor(s) as requested by fellowships program staff.
Fall Quarter
- Meet with an on-campus mentor at least once.
- For project-based fellows, apply to present at the Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Public Service (SURPS).
- Participate in outreach activities to share the experience and help publicize the program.
Selection Process
For those who seek assistance, advising is available through the Haas Center to help students develop their applications and/or to identify potential partner organizations. Please reach out to a Cardinal Quarter Peer Advisor or email cardinalquarter@stanford.edu for an advising appointment with program staff.
Students are strongly encouraged to discuss ideas for placements with program staff well before the application deadline to identify appropriate/relevant opportunities and prepare effective application materials. Developing a suitable fellowship placement takes time, so it is important to start the application process early and consult with professors, advisors, and community partners regularly.
This fellowship is intended for individuals whose application, references, and interview demonstrate
- an integration of the fellowship experience with the applicant’s academic, personal and/or career goals
- prior demonstrated interest or involvement in the subject area, including related coursework
- a compelling match between applicant’s skills and interests and an organization’s work and needs
- strong potential for the fellowship experience to deepen a candidate’s understanding of an identified community issue or challenge
Additional considerations for applicants proposing international service include the following:
- the applicant's ability to speak the native language
- prior experience in the country or local community
- adequate in-country community connections (international projects require a local community partner, U.S. representatives or affiliates are not acceptable substitutes)
Complete applications are screened, finalists interviewed, and fellows selected by a committee with the intention to award fellowships within six weeks of the application deadline. Applicants should respond promptly (within 48 hours) via email to a fellowship offer, or the offer will be rescinded. Once an applicant accepts a fellowship offer, the student should promptly notify all other Stanford and non-Stanford programs to which they have applied that they have accepted another offer and to withdraw their candidacy.
