Humanity in Action Fellowship
Important Dates
Visit for details.
Online application availability: Mid-September
Application Deadlines:
Campus deadline: N/A; candidates may apply directly
National deadline: Mid-January
Notification of qualifying candidates: February
Notification of winning candidates: March
Scholarship Overview
Recognize and address the need to protect minorities and promote human rights in your community and around the world!
The Humanity in Action (HiA) fellowship brings together international groups of students and recent graduates from the United States, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, and Ukraine to explore historical and contemporary issues of human rights, diversity, and active and responsible citizenship.
The HiA Fellowship seeks to educate, connect, and inspire the world's future leaders in the fields of human rights and social justice. Fellows participate in two week or month-long virtual and in-person fellowship programs. Not all fellowships are available to US students:
Mapping Inequities Fellowship
European Fellowship
Copenhagen Fellowship
Sarajevo Fellowship
Warsaw Fellowship
Participants study these issues collaboratively within the historical and national context of their placements. Intensive and demanding, each program is highly interdisciplinary and features daily seminars, discussions, site visits, and workshops with renowned academics, journalists, politicians, and activists, as well as site visits to government agencies, non-profit and community organizations, museums, and memorials.
Within one year of completing their fellowship, HiA Fellows develop and implement an Action Project in their own communities. Action Projects are initiatives that encourage Fellows to engage their fellowship experience in their own communities and in the issues that they care about most. Upon completion of their Action Projects, Fellows receive the title of Senior Fellow and have lifetime access to the growing international network of more than 1,500 HiA Senior Fellows as well as access to professional fellowships, including the Lantos-Humanity in Action Congressional Fellowship and the Humanity in Action - Pat Cox fellowship in the European Parliament.
Information for Applicants
- Eligibility
Applicants must be:
- Undergraduate sophomores, juniors, or seniors currently enrolled in or recently graduated from a 4-year US based college or university
- US citizens doing an undergraduate degree abroad, or international students studying at a US college or university
- Graduate or PhD students currently enrolled in a US based university
For more information about eligibility requirements, visit .
- Additional Requirements
There are no language requirements for the fellowship, but knowing other languages can be a valuable asset to you and those you will be engaging and working with during the fellowship.
Seek advising early on in the application process. Schedule an advising appointment with the HiA Campus Representative, TBD.
Interview requirements:
Campus interview: No, but highly recommended
National interview: Yes - Award Benefits
- An educational experience that broadens and challenges views on human rights, diversity, and active citizenship
- Access to a community of emerging and established leaders with a deep commitment to ethical leadership
- Professional and personal support through this community to those who seek to develop careers and lives dedicated to advancing civic engagement locally and globally
- Professional fellowship opportunities, such as programs in the US Congress and the European Parliament, where fellows can gain in-depth experiences in policy and government
- Costs of participation and accommodation
- International travel stipends are available for those Fellows who demonstrate financial need
Award cannot be deferred or renewed.
- Candidate Profile
- Intellectual curiosity: eagerness to discuss a range of historical and contemporary topics that drive, challenge, and impact diverse societies
- Collaborative spirit: thrive in collaborative settings and enjoy discussing challenging issues in culturally and internationally diverse groups
- Possess the cultural maturity and skills to discuss sensitive topics and appreciate a pedagogy based upon collective and intellectually demanding discussion with speakers, peers, and host families
- Open-mindedness: open to challenging your personal convictions and stretching your understanding of complex human rights issues
- Entrepreneurial drive: innovative in developing your Action Project and career as an active and responsible citizens
- Application Procedure
- Review fellowship mission, goals, and requirements at .
- Find a faculty member willing to serve as your mentor throughout the application process.
- Notify the Humanity in Action (HiA) Campus Representative, TBD of your intent to apply the semester before you plan to apply for the award.
- Schedule an advising appointment with the HiA Campus Representative to discuss internal and external application processes and timelines.
- Register with Humanity in Action and start completing the application at .
- You will need to develop three written documents: a personal statement; short answer responses; and essay question response. You will also need to develop an action project pitch video. See the HiA online application for details.
- Prepare your CV/resume and a copy of your unofficial transcripts.
- One letter of recommendation and one additional reference is required. Select recommenders who know your intellectual abilities, your personal passions, and your professional interests, and who can comment on your deep concern for humanity as well as your open-mindedness and entrepreneurial drive. The letter of recommendation should address your academic and extracurricular performance, as well as your engagement and working style in group settings.
- Submit a PDF copy of your complete application to the HiA Campus Representative by the campus deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
- If applicable, prepare for your individual campus interview, which will take place 1-2 weeks after the campus deadline.
- HiA's selection process involves two phases. In phase 1, a panel of HiA staff, board members, and Senior Fellows select a pool of finalists from applicants. In phase 2, the national Selection Committee will review finalist's applications and conduct group interviews in February where you will be interviewed with two or three other finalists. Final selections will be made after this interview.
About 7% of applicants receive fellowships.