Jane Stanford Fellowship Spring 2025
Through the Jane Stanford Fellowship, undergraduate students take a quarter-long Leave of Absence from Stanford to design and implement a service experience during the fall, winter or spring quarter in the U.S. or abroad. Students are encouraged to think about how their academic background and prior experiences might be useful to organizations and communities trying to develop better ways of addressing challenges they face. This fellowship provides an opportunity for students to expand on work started through a Cardinal Course, study abroad experience, student organization, or other campus program.
Applicants propose their own placements with organizations with which they have corresponded before the application deadline and effectively demonstrate that their intended partner organization has the need, interest and capacity to work with a fellow and to support the proposed project/work plan. Please view our list of Cardinal Quarter Connections for host organizations seeking to work with Stanford undergraduate students.
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.
Each Jane Stanford Fellow receives a base stipend of $7,000 to support travel and living expenses during the fellowship. Financial aid and supplemental funding is available to students who qualify.
Visit this page for information on previous fellows' community partners and projects.
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.
Undergraduates from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply, and applicants may vary in academic interests, public service involvement, and experience. Priority will be given to students who have completed fewer than two previous Cardinal Quarter opportunities.
Graduating seniors will have lower priority and are not eligible to apply for the quarter preceding graduation. Students who have begun their coterm programs (i.e., students who are paying for graduate tuition) are not eligible to apply.
Jane Stanford Fellowship applicants for Spring Quarters must be enrolled in the quarter immediately preceding the fellowship experience. Students are expected to re-enroll at Stanford to continue their academic programs in the quarter immediately following their Jane Stanford Fellowship (Fall Quarter the following academic year for Spring Quarter Jane Stanford Fellows).
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:
The Jane Stanford Fellowship is designed for students willing to devote a full quarter to a project/internship. Fellows are required to work with their host organization for at least 35 hours/week for at least nine consecutive weeks. Fellows are expected to work on-site at their host organizations, but some hybrid or fully virtual experiences may be allowed on a case-by-case basis. Fellows must have a designated full-time professional staff member on-site as their supervisor/mentor. Please review the complete program policies for additional requirements. Other commitments include the following:
Quarter before fellowship
- Meet with an on-campus mentor at least once.
- Complete an online program orientation.
- Complete the Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service workshop or worksheet.
- Design a personal learning plan for the experience.
During fellowship
- Update staff with changes to contact information.
- Share a learning plan to the community partner and update accordingly.
- 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.
Quarter after fellowship
- Meet with an on-campus mentor at least once.
- Attend a de-briefing meeting for the purpose of reflecting upon and evaluating summer projects.
- Participate in outreach activity to share your experiences and help publicize the program.
Selection Process:
We strongly encourage students to discuss ideas for projects with fellowships program staff at the Haas Center well before they apply for a fellowship. Developing a suitable project takes time, so start the application process early and consult with professors, advisors and community partners regularly. Students need to apply by the following deadlines:
January 31, 2025 for Spring 2025
This fellowship is intended for individuals whose application, references, and interview demonstrate the following:
- need for the project and potential impact on the community (short and long term)
- feasibility and viability of the project
- quality of direct interaction and collaboration with the community partner and community being served
- innovation in the project design
- relationship of the project to the applicant’s background and future plans
- ability, initiative, motivation and demonstrated commitment of the applicant
- flexibility and willingness to adjust project plans in accordance with community needs
Additional considerations for applicants proposing international opportunities include the following:
- the applicant’s ability to speak the local 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)
- safety: the safety of travel to any international destination is reviewed up until time of departure. The fellowship program must adhere to the Provost’s International Travel Policy.
Complete applications are screened, finalists interviewed, and fellows selected by a committee with the intention to award fellowships within 3-4 weeks of the 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.
