StudyDesk Scholarships
About the fellowship
The Hoover Institution, founded in 1919, is one of America’s oldest and most influential policy research centres, housed on the campus of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. The Hoover Fellows Program is its flagship appointment for early-career academics: a salaried research fellowship for scholars whose work has implications for public policy and who want to contribute to the intellectual life of a leading research institution.
What sets this fellowship apart is the combination of senior-level pay and a pure research brief. Fellows receive a 12-month base salary of $169,950 to $230,000 plus a $20,000 annual housing allowance, for one to three years, and the appointment carries no teaching responsibilities — the time is for independent research, writing and publication. It sits at the senior end of early-career fellowships, comparable in prestige and compensation to the Miller Institute at UC Berkeley or the Society of Fellows at Harvard, but with a stronger policy-outreach dimension: Hoover expects its fellows to produce work that reaches policymakers, not only academic journals.
Eligibility
- Hold a PhD or equivalent degree in a relevant field, or expect to complete the degree by 1 September 2027.
- Work in a relevant field: economics, history, international relations, national security, political science or public policy, or a related discipline.
- Have a strong academic or research background and be able to develop an independent research agenda with implications for public policy.
- Be an early-career scholar — the programme is designed for researchers moving from doctoral work towards a sustained independent research career.
- Be of any nationality: the Hoover Institution is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from international scholars.
Benefits
- A 12-month base salary of $169,950–$230,000, depending on the appointment.
- A $20,000 annual housing allowance.
- An appointment of 1 to 3 years, renewable.
- No teaching responsibilities — full-time research, writing and publication.
- Access to the Hoover Institution and Stanford research community, with opportunities to publish scholarly articles and books and to engage with policymakers.
- Time to complete book manuscripts, publish in top journals and build a research profile.
Documents to prepare
- A cover letter or statement of interest describing your academic background and experience.
- One or more recent publications, working papers or draft book chapters — your strongest recent work, closely connected to your future research plan.
- An academic CV.
- A statement of future research plans, two pages maximum — focused, specific about what you will study, why it matters, how you will do it and what you expect to publish.
- Three letters of recommendation addressing your research accomplishments and potential for future research.
How to apply
- Read the official Hoover Fellows Program page at hoover.org/hoover-fellows-program and confirm your field aligns with Hoover’s research priorities.
- Prepare your research statement (two pages maximum), your writing samples and your CV — the research statement is where most applications are decided, so describe specifically what you will produce at Hoover and why it matters for policy.
- Contact your three referees early — give them at least four to six weeks’ notice.
- Register on the SM Apply portal (hoover.smapply.us) with your name and email address and create your application.
- Upload all documents and confirm the portal shows your application as complete, with all three recommendation letters received.
- Submit before 17 November 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Do not wait until the final hour — file uploads and recommendation letters sometimes need extra processing time.
FAQs
A 12-month base salary of $169,950 to $230,000, depending on the appointment, plus a $20,000 annual housing allowance. Appointments run for one to three years.
No. The fellowship carries no teaching responsibilities. Fellows focus on independent research, writing and publication, and on contributing to the intellectual life of the Hoover Institution.
Early-career scholars who hold a PhD or equivalent, or who expect to complete their degree by 1 September 2027, in economics, history, international relations, national security, political science, public policy or a related discipline. International scholars are welcome.
17 November 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Late or incomplete submissions are not considered, and there is no published late-application policy.
Around September 2027. Appointments are for one to three years and are renewable.
Verified 25 Oct 2026: hoover.org/hoover-fellows-program (official) — applications due 11:59 p.m. PT on 17 November 2026, cover letter, publications, CV, two-page future research statement, three recommendation letters, contact hooverfellowship@stanford.edu (inbox checked only periodically); brightscholarship.com, globalsouthopportunities.com, oyaop.com, scholarshipsads.com, jagranjosh.com, ndtv.com — 12-month base salary $169,950–$230,000 plus $20,000 annual housing allowance, appointments 1–3 years, PhD or expected by 1 September 2027, no teaching responsibilities, portal opened 18 August 2026, fellowship start around September 2027; gradualin.com — application portal hoover.smapply.us, official page hoover.org/hoover-fellows-program.
