USAID Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship

The USAID Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship Program seeks to attract outstanding individuals interested in pursuing careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The Payne Fellowship provides up to $104,000 towards your graduate school expenses (only two-year graduate programs are eligible). The Payne Fellowship is a unique pathway to the USAID Foreign Service. It encourages members of underserved communities who have historically been underrepresented and those with financial needs to apply. All applicants must be college seniors or graduates with a 3.2 GPA or higher and planning to start a master’s program in the Fall after applying for the fellowship. After fellows complete the two-year graduate program, they are obligated to a minimum of five years of service as a USAID Foreign Service Officer.

Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program

The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program, funded by the U.S. Department of State, attracts and prepares outstanding young people for Foreign Service careers in the U.S. Department of State. It welcomes the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the State Department, women, and those with financial need. The Pickering Fellowship offers a unique opportunity to promote positive change in the world.  The Pickering Program awards about 45 fellowships of up to $42,000 annually for a two-year period. Upon successful completion of a two-year master’s degree program and fulfillment of Foreign Service entry requirements, fellows have the opportunity to work as Foreign Service Officers in accordance with applicable law and State Department policy, serving in Washington, DC and at a U.S. embassy, consulate, or diplomatic mission around the globe. Fellows also agree to a minimum five-year service commitment in the Department of State’s Foreign Service.  

Rangel Graduate Fellowship

The Rangel Graduate Fellowship is a program that aims to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State in which they can help formulate, represent and implement U.S. foreign policy. The Rangel Program supports Fellows through two years of graduate study, internships, mentoring, and professional development activities.  The Rangel Program awards about 45 fellowships of up to $42,000 annually for a two-year period for tuition, room, board, books and mandatory fees for completion of two-year master’s degrees. This program encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, women, and those with financial need. Fellows who successfully complete the program and Foreign Service entry requirements will receive appointments as Foreign Service Officers, in accordance with applicable law and State Department policy.

National Deadlines:  

Payne

Late October or early November. Confirm the exact date on the Payne website. 

Pickering

Mid-September. Confirm the exact date on the Pickering website. 

Rangel

Mid-September. Confirm the exact date on the Rangel website. 

Institutional Nomination

The Rangel, Pickering, and Payne do not require institutional nomination. Candidates are encouraged to work with Fellowships Advising on their applications. 

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

Applicants for all three of these fellowships must: 

• Be a U.S. citizen. 

• Seek admission to a two-year, full-time, on-campus, master’s degree program at a U.S.-based graduate institution to begin in the fall in an academic field relevant to the work of the Foreign Service (public policy, international affairs, public administration, business, economics, political science, sociology, or foreign languages). 

• Have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale