We host semester-based Fellowship cohorts 3 times a year: Spring, Summer, and Fall. The Spring Cohort runs from late January to early May, the Summer Cohort runs from late May to early September, and the Fall Cohort runs from late September to late December. Applications for each cohort open roughly two months before each Cohort's start date.

Following the initial written application round, we select a group of finalists for a Group Trial Interview. During this stage, applicants are placed in teams and tasked to complete a mock policy assignment over the course of 3-4 days. From there, we will select Fellows based on their demonstrated effort, engagement with the rest of the team, and ability to collaborate asynchronously. We will select Project Leads based on their leadership qualities, problem-solving ability, and effectiveness in organizing and managing projects.

All Project Lead candidates are considered both for the Fellow and Project Lead position. If you are not accepted as a Project Lead, you will still be considered for the Fellow position. The Project Lead application is largely the same as the Fellow application, just with a few more questions in the written application and an additional individual interview during the group interview stage.

We encourage all students located in the US who are interested in making real-world impact in digital government and civic innovation to apply. This Fellowship provides entry-level training those without much formal technology policy experience, while providing opportunities for more experienced students to exercise their analytical, writing, and policy abilities. We encourage experienced candidates to apply to be Project Leads.

Fellows spend 8-10 hours per week on their projects, making this fellowship equivalent to a 2-credit professional seminar at a university. Like a university course, the fellowship includes both synchronous commitments (team meetings, workshops, and presentations that you must attend at scheduled times) and asynchronous work (self-guided research and writing that you complete on your own schedule). As with a course, your time commitment may fluctuate week to week depending on project deadlines, presentation schedules, and deliverable due dates.

Day to day, the Fellowship operates akin to a professional internship or work-study position; fellows must be able to accommodate government partners' and supervisors' working hours, team coordination across schedules, and firm project deadlines. Before applying, ensure you can attend meetings during business hours, commit to consistent weekly engagement throughout the fellowship period, and balance this alongside your other academic, professional, and personal obligations.

If you cannot meet these requirements during the upcoming Fellowship cohort, we strongly encourage you to apply for a future Cohort when your schedule allows for full participation.

Yes! All Fellows must be authorized to work in the United States via

• U.S. Citizenship;

• Permanent Residence;

• F-1 OPT visa;

• F-1 CPT visa;

• F-1 STEM OPT visa; or

• TN visa

We cannot accept individuals outside of these categories at this time.

Work authorization documentation is required upon acceptance to the Fellowship. Please review our International Student Guide for more information on work authorization and what documents you need to provide upon acceptance. Failure to provide valid work authorization within the time period specified will result in immediate removal from the Fellowship.

Your Designated School Official (DSO) or university international office would be the best point of first contact. Other useful resources are listed below:

• US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for work general information and OPT

• ICE Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) explains CPT/OPT rules

• I-94 System to view current immigration status 

In the last year, we have received over 400 applications per Cohort. For the Summer 2026 Cohort, we are projected to accept 32 Fellows (including Project Leads).

Due to our Cohort size and mission of maximizing technology policy and public interest opportunities for students, we are not accepting returning Fellows or Alumni of the program at this time.

However, please stay tuned for additional alumni publication and programming opportunities!

We host two information sessions in addition to a last minute office hours during each Cohort application window. These are the perfect place for you to come and ask any questions you may have.

When applications are open, the links to these events will be on this website and in the application form itself. Furthermore, feel free to email us at hello@paragonfellowship.org for general inquiries and apply@paragonfellowship.org for application-specific questions.