FAQs

The Hertog Foundation currently offers the following fellowships:

Humanities at Hertog — a variety of online seminars held on great texts, both classic and contemporary. Apply now

Political Studies — a six-week, full-scholarship summer program in Washington, DC on politics and public policy for college undergraduates and recent graduates. Apply now

Constitutional Studies — residential and online seminars on our key constitutional debates for college undergraduates, law students, and young professionals. Apply now

Security Studies — residential and online seminars on today’s pressing national security challenges for college undergraduates, recent graduates, and young professionals. Apply now

War Studies — a fully funded, two-week summer seminar in Washington, DC on warfare and military doctrine for advanced undergraduates, offered in conjunction with the Institute for the Study of War.  Apply now

You can apply by filling out a form accessible at our application page. On this form you will select your desired programs(s), provide your contact information and educational background, and upload the stipulated documents (e.g., CV/résumé, transcript, personal statement). Read the application instructions carefully to see what documents are required for your desired program(s).

Yes. Provided you satisfy a specific fellowship’s eligibility criteria, you may apply to multiple fellowships. However, should you be admitted to fellowships with overlapping schedules, you will be permitted to accept only one offer. Only one application is necessary to apply to any of our programs.

Participation in Political Studies and War Studies is restricted to college undergraduates and recent graduates. However, graduate students may apply to work with the Political Studies Program as a teaching assistant. TAs sit in on program lectures, participate in all events, and receive a stipend as well as residential accommodations. Email info@hertogfoundation.org with a résumé and cover letter to apply.

Graduate students should consider other fellowships, including Humanities at Hertog, Constitutional Studies, and Security Studies.

Applicants are not required to be U.S. citizens, nor are they required to have studied in the U.S. International applicants should be highly proficient in the English language, and all application materials, including essays and academic writing samples, must be submitted in English. Please note that we cannot help with visa applications.

We welcome nominations for all our programs. In addition, interested applicants may apply directly without a nomination. Nominations can be submitted via our website using the online form.

Applicants who are nominated do not need to submit a letter of recommendation for our programs, with the exception of the War Studies Program.

Two letters of recommendation, regardless of nomination status, are required for the War Studies Program. Your nominator may write a letter of recommendation.

Applicants who received a nomination from a professor or Hertog alum have the option, but are not required to submit a letter of recommendation.

All War Studies applicants should submit two letters, regardless of whether they received a nomination.

Your recommender will be contacted upon the completion of your application using the contact information you provide. It is your responsibility to remain in contact with the individual(s) you ask for letter(s) of recommendation and ensure they submit those letters by the deadline.

Transcripts can be submitted with the application form OR via email at info@hertogfoundation.org.

Having trouble? Email us at info@hertogfoundation.org.

Our faculty and speakers fully reflect the unusual scope and depth of our coursework and activities. Each is an accomplished, leading figure in academia, politics, journalism, or business, and together they represent a wide variety of ideological, political, and social views. Learn more about our Faculty.

The Hertog Foundation reviews all applications and makes final selections. There will be interviews with all finalists before final decisions are made. Evaluations are based on each applicant’s personal statement, academic record, résumé, and other application materials. Candidate selection is highly competitive.

Admission is extremely competitive, and every year we decline admission to many highly qualified applicants simply due to lack of space. A typical competitive applicant will have:

• An undergraduate GPA > 3.5
• A personal statement which explains why the applicant is interested in pursuing study with the Hertog Foundation and how it fits into their aspirations and plans for the future. The statement of purpose is very important, and deserves careful attention.
• An academic writing sample that demonstrates the applicant’s powers of analysis and independent thought, and not only their ability to do scholarly research or comment on a text.

Please submit what you consider to be your most successful academic piece of writing. The writing sample helps us to understand your habits of mind, and we are happy to receive writing from across the curriculum. The subject-matter of your sample need not—but may—relate directly to the topic of the seminar for which you are applying.

The writing sample should be a maximum of 12 pages for all programs except War Studies, which allows up to 20 pages. Many successful applicants have submitted writing samples that are much shorter than that maximum length—please submit your best work, no matter its page count.

Multiple papers should not be submitted. If multiple papers are submitted, only the first paper will be read.

If you submit an excerpt from a longer paper, please provide a short explanatory paragraph about the broader argument of your sample and the relationship of the excerpt to that argument.

Our residential programs are full-time endeavors, while our online programs are ideal for fellows with internships, work obligations, or other commitments on their time. For all our programs, fellows are expected to attend and participate in all scheduled lectures, discussions, and program events. Fellows are also expected to complete the assigned reading prior to each class.

Our programs are provided at no charge to participants. We ask only for your time and thoughtful participation.

Residential programs offer hotel or dormitory accommodations and a stipend to offset travel and living expenses. Online programs offer a stipend upon successful completion of requirements. All fellows receive books and course materials. 

Applicants submitting a completed application will receive a confirmation email. If you did not receive a notification after submitting your completed application, please contact us at info@hertogfoundation.org because we may not have received it.

Yes, we encourage our former applicants to re-apply. Our programs are highly competitive, and we tend to select upperclassmen for our summer college fellowships.

If you made it to the finalist round but were not selected, you may receive an expedited application for the next round of seminars.

All applicants need to submit a new application to be considered for a Hertog fellowship, even if they have applied previously.

If a member of the Hertog staff told you that you were sponsored, then you need to submit only the application form, an updated CV/résumé, and an updated transcript. Please note: Being sponsored is not the same as being nominated by your professor.

If a member of the Hertog staff told you that you are able to submit an expedited application, or if you are a Hertog alum, then you need to submit only the application form, an updated CV/résumé, an updated transcript, and a personal statement. Please note than an invitation to apply to our programs is not the same as an invitation to submit an expedited application.

The Hertog Foundation cannot offer college credit to our participants. Most colleges and universities make decisions about recognizing course credit for off-campus academic work, such as our summer programs, on a case-by-case basis. Students interested in the possibility of receiving course credit should consult with appropriate officials at their home institutions.