Undergraduate Fellowship
Call For Applications
The Moynihan Undergraduate Fellowship is a transformative program that prepares promising CCNY students for impactful careers in government, policy research, and civic leadership. Fellows join a dynamic intellectual community that spans several career stages, from peer undergraduates to distinguished practitioners, while engaging in a unique curriculum that combines rigorous academic study with practical professional development. This is a two year fellowship but Juniors may apply for a one-year program.
Fellows receive up to $20,000 in financial support over up to two years, including funding for summer internships. We invite applications from full-time City College students interested in careers in government or policy research.
Applications for the 2025-2026 cohort are now closed. Please stay in touch with the Moynihan Center to be notified of future opportunities.
Overview
The United States faces a crisis of civic leadership. Deepening political divisions, declining trust in democratic institutions, and a precipitous decline in the quality of public discourse have eroded our capacity for collective problem-solving. Meanwhile, our public institutions struggle to reflect the demographic and viewpoint diversity of the communities they serve.
These challenges demand a new generation of civic leaders—leaders who represent the full diversity of American society, who can think beyond established categories, and who are committed to meaningful dialogue across difference. In response, the Moynihan Undergraduate Fellowship advances a vision of public service leadership inspired by Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan's own career—one that united scholarly rigor, practical wisdom, and a commitment to communicating across ideological divides.
To cultivate such leaders, the Fellowship provides two essential foundations. First, at the heart of the fellowship is a curriculum that connects insight from foundational texts in the humanities and social sciences to contemporary policy and governance challenges. Through four interconnected courses, fellows develop both the intellectual foundations and practical capabilities needed for effective civic leadership.
Second, the Fellowship operates within the Moynihan Center's distinctive "society of fellows," an intellectual ecosystem that spans career stages and sectors. Undergraduate fellows engage regularly with Moynihan Public Scholars, Postdoctoral Fellows, and Distinguished Practitioners. This multilayered community ensures that Fellows benefit not only from financial resources and a distinctive curriculum, but also from access to networks with leading thinkers and practitioners who exemplify the variety of excellence in public service careers.