Eligibility & Criteria
Eligibility and what we read for.
The Fellowship is open to citizens of any African country and to scholars of the diaspora whose work concerns the continent. There is no application fee. The criteria and calendar follow.
Criteria
What we read for.
Demonstrated seriousness
A record, whether academic, professional, or civic, that shows you have already begun to take a question seriously. Letters of reference and prior work matter more than transcripts alone.
A question of consequence
The Fellowship is not a degree programme. Applicants arrive with a question worth a year, and the discipline to widen it before answering. Submitted as a 2,000-word statement.
Capacity for company
Fellows live and learn in cohort. We look for evidence of intellectual generosity: the ability to read others closely and to be read in turn.
African nexus
Open to citizens of any African country, and to scholars of the African diaspora whose work materially concerns the continent. There is no age requirement; most fellows are between 22 and 32.
Calendar
Key dates for the Class of 2027.
A note on funding
The Fellowship covers tuition, residency travel, accommodation, a monthly stipend for the cohort year, and a capstone allowance. There is no application fee.