To apply for the Embedded Scholars fellowship in democratic institutional development, please follow the steps below.
Eligibility
This fellowship is open to all undergraduate and graduate students of any major at UT-Austin. Students must have a GPA of at least 3.5 and a demonstrated interest in democracy and/or the region for which they are applying. Students must be able to take a 3-hour course in Spring 2025 to prepare for their fieldwork.
Students applying for internships in Latin America must be proficient in Spanish, as IDEA’s working language in Latin America is Spanish. Students applying for internships in Eurasia and the Balkans must be proficient in English, as NDI’s working language is English.
Deadline
The deadline to apply for the 2025 summer fellowship is December 1, 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis before that.
Process
Step 1: Review the Embedded Scholars website and eligibility requirements. Contact program directors Zachary Elkins and Ashley Moran (copy both) if you have any questions about your eligibility or the program more broadly.
Step 2: Email the following materials in a single pdf file to Cat McGovern and Ashley Moran (copy both): (a) a one-page statement of interest explaining your qualifications and your plan for internship preparation and (b) a resume. Students are encouraged to submit their statement of interest to the University Writing Center for feedback before submitting their application.
Step 3: Have two recommenders submit their letters of recommendation directly to Cat McGovern. One of the recommendation letters must be from a UT faculty member or teaching assistant. For students applying to the internships in Latin America, one of these recommendation letters must be from an instructor (preferably) or other individual describing the applicant’s proficiency in Spanish.
Step 4: Applicants who meet the eligibility requirements will be invited to an interview.
Step 5: Accepted applicants will need to register for the 3-hour spring course and work with Cat McGovern at Texas Global to complete travel paperwork.
More Information
For more information, see the program page or download the Eurasia and Balkans 2025 Info Sheet and Latin America 2025 Info Sheet.