Tips on Preparing a Competitive Application
How to Apply
Information and requirements about how to apply to the Pickering Fellowship Program.
Browse Resources
Resources are available to applicants and individuals working with applicants to apply.
FAQ
Questions frequently asked about the Pickering Graduate Fellowship Program.
The Pickering Fellowship Selection Panel evaluates applicants based on academic achievement, leadership, writing and analytical skills, resourcefulness, financial need, and a demonstrated commitment to public service and a Foreign Service career. Applicants should explain how their education, work, community involvement, and other relevant experiences have prepared them to represent the United States and advance U.S. foreign policy interests. A strong application demonstrates academic readiness, sound judgment, clear writing, leadership, resourcefulness, and a commitment to serving the United States through a Foreign Service career. Explain how your experience has prepared you to represent American interests and implement U.S. foreign policy. Please review the Frequently Asked Questions for additional details and prior to emailing program staff with questions.
Review all fellowship application requirements for the fellowship to ensure you are eligible and prepared.
Applicants should review all requirements upfront at the Pickering Program website (pickeringfellowship.org). The program has no flexibility on core eligibility requirements such as U.S. citizenship, cumulative GPA, plans to attend a two-year graduate program at a Department-approved institution in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, and completion of the revised FSOT between October 2025 and October 2026.* Applicants should make a plan to complete all aspects of the application on time.
*Note: For the 2027 cohort only, applicants who do not already have passing results from the FSOT and WE administered on/after October 2025 must take the FSOT in the October 2026 or January 2027 testing window.
- Passing FSOT results and confirmation of either having scheduled or taken the WE but are awaiting results, or
- Confirmation of registration for the January 2027 FSOT with Pearson VUE.
Selected applicants who have yet to provide results for the FSOT and WE will receive a conditional offer, contingent on submitting passing FSOT and WE results before their academic program begins. Fellows who have not passed both tests by then will not be accepted to the Fellowship program.
Clearly explain in your statement of interest your motivations for applying for the fellowship and identify the background, experiences, skills, and motivation that you believe will make you successful in the Foreign Service.
The Pickering Fellowship prepares individuals for careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State. A commitment to pursuing this career should be your primary reason for applying. Begin by reviewing the Department of State’s current Foreign Service Officer career guidance to learn about the work, responsibilities, and expectations of diplomatic service. Your statement should explain why you want to represent the United States as a Foreign Service Officer and how your qualifications have prepared you for this role.
Highlight specific experiences that demonstrate your academic readiness, professional skills, and commitment to service. Relevant examples may include employment or internships in government, nonprofit organizations, or business; community service; language study; and international experience gained in the United States or abroad. Explain how these experiences have strengthened your judgment, adaptability, communication, leadership, and ability to work effectively with others. Use concrete examples to demonstrate planning, organization, problem-solving, and responsibility. Your statement may also discuss challenges you have overcome and how those experiences have shaped your motivation or readiness for a Foreign Service career. Connect your accomplishments and experiences to your ability to serve the American people, advance U.S. interests, and carry out the responsibilities of diplomatic service.
Focus on your qualifications and motivations rather than providing a general overview of international affairs. However, applicants should be prepared to discuss U.S. foreign policy interests and goals, current international issues, and major challenges facing the United States if selected for an interview. Your statement must be 600 words or fewer. Review it carefully to ensure that it answers the prompt, presents your ideas clearly and concisely, and is free of grammatical and spelling errors. The strongest statements help the selection panel understand who you are, why you are pursuing this career, and what you would bring to the Foreign Service.
Demonstrate a strong academic background.
Applicants should provide official transcripts for ALL colleges or universities that they have attended, including study abroad programs. Failure to submit all transcripts upfront can halt consideration of an application. Applicants should request transcripts early and ensure that they are submitted to the Pickering Program before the deadline. The panel reviews all academic transcripts, looking for course work that indicates particular academic ability and rigor or that is relevant to the Department of State Foreign Service skill needs. There is no specific requirement for an academic major, and the panel is interested in the applicant’s overall academic background. However, it does look for coursework in the following areas: Mathematics /Quantitative Courses and/or Sciences; English; Economics, Business, and/or Political Science; and foreign language skill or studies. Coursework in these areas is not required but can be a useful indicator of success in graduate school and beyond.
Obtain strong letters of recommendation; ensure they arrive on time.
The fellowship requests two letters of recommendation, one from a faculty member and one from a community leader. The community leader should be an individual in a position of responsibility who can comment on the applicant’s non-academic accomplishments and potential, including work ethic, initiative, dependability, composure, goal-orientation, and interpersonal skills, among others. Examples of community leaders could include an internship supervisor, a faculty advisor for a student organization, employer or supervisor.
Applicants should seek individuals who know them and their work well. Titles of recommenders are less important than the substance of recommendations. Thus, a professor with whom you’ve taken several classes will likely be able to give a more compelling assessment of your strengths and areas for improvement than the Department chairperson whom you do not know as well. Your supervisor in an internship may give better insights on your abilities than a general recommendation from the president of the organization or company with whom you did not work personally.
Applicants should approach recommenders early, provide the needed information, and monitor to ensure that they submit the recommendations on time. The best letters of recommendation directly address the applicants’ suitability for this fellowship program and the Foreign Service. Letters of recommendation that provide specific examples and references are more helpful than generic letters of recommendation. Missing letters of recommendation are one of the most common problems in applications; it is the applicant’s responsibility to make sure that all letters arrive on time.
Applicants can view a template of the letter of recommendation request that the programs send to your recommenders HERE. The recommender template is provided for reference only and should not be submitted to the program. Applicants will identify and provide contact information for recommenders in the application, and the program will contact them to arrange for them to send the letter of recommendation directly to the program. Please instruct your recommender to complete the form using the link to the recommender portal received once a request is initiated. You are responsible for ensuring that both recommendations are submitted by the application deadline.
Review the Department of State website for information about the Foreign Service Career Tracks.
We ask that applicants indicate their career track preferences on the application. We do this for statistical purposes and do not use this information in selections. The career-track preference indicated in the application is not a binding selection. Applicants are encouraged to explore the roles and responsibilities of each Foreign Service career track: consular, economic, management, political, and public diplomacy. Review the Department of State’s current Foreign Service Officer career guidance and competencies to learn about the tracks and consider how your skills, experience, and professional interests align with each.
Demonstrate the need for financial assistance to attend graduate school.
Applicants must be prepared to discuss the context of their financial situation in a 400-word essay, provide parents’/guardians’ employment and income information, indicate whether or not they received Pell Grant or Stafford Loans, and upload their current school year financial aid statement, if available.
Consistent with the Foreign Service Act and the Administration’s Executive Orders on equal opportunity and merit-based selection (E.O. 14281, E.O. 14173, and E.O. 14151), the assessment to identify financial need will use objective, verifiable measures, such as receiving a Federal Pell Grant or participating in a Federal TRIO Program, consistent with 20 U.S.C. # 1070a-11(h)(3). Once selected, no fellow should be kept from serving because of financial need. The higher awards make it possible for qualified candidates from anywhere in the country to accept the fellowship.
Complete the financial questions in the application using information consistent with your FAFSA for the 2027–2028 academic year.
Upload your FAFSA Submission Summary as a PDF.
based on the information in the FAFSA. Applicants should use 2025 financial data in the 2026-2027 FAFSA.
generated from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. Again, applicants should use 2025 data in the 2026-2027 FAFSA.
submitting documentation from your university that shows financial assistance you received during your undergraduate years. Writing a statement that explains your particular situation. The most useful statements focus specifically on questions of financial need. They clearly and concisely explain the applicant’s need for financial assistance for graduate school and any plans for covering these costs. They use quantitative data whenever possible, including specific data on financial assistance received during undergraduate school and outstanding education-related debt. They can highlight overall family economic status, as well as the individual’s situation, e.g., work during school, low-paid service positions, or particular financial obligations. This is your chance to make your case. You have 400 words to do it.
Include in your application all relevant extracurricular, community, or volunteer experiences and highlight any leadership roles in these efforts.
The panel is particularly interested in extracurricular, community, or volunteer activities that show a commitment to service and to social causes, public policy, and related issues. Applicants should list all such activities and indicate any leadership roles that they have had in such activities, including creating programs or organizations or serving as an officer in an organization. The panel also values work experiences that show an interest in such issues.
List all relevant professional and academic honors and awards.
These honors and awards could include inclusion in the Dean’s List, service or academic awards, scholarships, selection for prestigious programs, membership in academic or service organizations, or any other honor the individual would like to highlight in his/her academic or professional career.
Proofread all aspects of your application carefully; submit all application materials on time.
The fellowship selection process is very competitive. Applications that are polished, well written, address all requirements, and arrive on time and complete, generally create a favorable impression. You can track the status of your application and recommendations online.