Director's Fellowship

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The ISPS Director’s Fellowship provides Yale College students with sophisticated policy training and work experiences to bridge the gap between theory and practice in U.S. domestic policymaking.

Director’s fellows are selected from among the most promising Yale College students with a demonstrated interest in government, policy, and political work in the United States. The fellowship takes place over the course of one calendar year, and consists of a mixture of skills development, research, work experience, and integration with ISPS’s ongoing engagement with the policy world.

Director’s fellows graduate prepared to contribute to the policy discussions at the local, state, and federal level in the United States, whether through continued academic research and writing, policy development and advocacy, or supporting the work of policymakers directly.

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The Program

Applications are open to Yale College students interested in academic research on domestic policy in the United States. The program runs the calendar year from January to December. Prospective fellows apply during the fall of their sophomore or junior year, and successful fellowship recipients will graduate from the during the fall semester of the following year. 

During biweekly policy seminars, director’s fellows meet with ISPS researchers, government officials, and other leading policy experts. Director’s fellows are required to locate, secure, and complete a policy internship over the summer. In their second semester, director’s fellows complete a series of deliverables, including culminating a policy brief and presentation. 

Applications for the 2026 cohort are now closed. Please visit our website Fall 2026 for information on the 2027 cohort.

If you have any questions, please contact Kira Wishart.

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Adrian Hale speaks in front of a classroom of students