The Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Howard University under a cooperative agreement. The program attracts and prepare outstanding young people for careers as diplomats in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State. The program seeks individuals interested in helping to shape a freer, more secure and prosperous world through formulating, representing, and implementing U.S. foreign policy. The program encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, women and those with financial need.
GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Rangel Graduate Fellowship is a program that aims to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State in which they can help formulate, represent, and implement U.S. foreign policy. The Rangel Program selects outstanding Rangel Fellows annually in a highly competitive nationwide process and supports them through two years of graduate study, internships, mentoring, and professional development activities. This program encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, women, and those with financial need. Fellows who successfully complete the program and Foreign Service entry requirements will receive appointments as Foreign Service Officers, in accordance with applicable law and State Department policy, one of the most exciting and rewarding careers available.
Rangel Fellows are committed to serving their country and promoting positive change globally. Individuals who have successfully completed the Rangel Program are now making a difference in countries throughout the world, including Colombia, Mexico, Panama, South Africa, Nigeria, Angola, China, Korea, Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Germany, and Greece.
2025 Application Deadline: Thursday September 19, 2024 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
Selection Process:
A panel of individuals with experience in the U.S. Foreign Service and academia makes selections for the Rangel Graduate Fellowship Program. A candidate’s community, academic, extracurricular, and leadership activities will be considered during the selection process. Consideration will be given to qualified applicants who, in addition to outstanding leadership skills and academic achievement, demonstrate financial need.
The Rangel Graduate Fellowship selection panel will choose approximately 90 finalists. The Rangel Program staff will communicate decisions by email to both successful and unsuccessful applicants by November 1. Candidates selected for final consideration will participate in a virtual interview and a written exercise between November 11 – 14 2024.The program expects to award 45 fellowships on November 15, 2024.
Eligibility:
- Applicants must be seeking admission to enter graduate school in the fall of 2025 for a two-year program at a U.S. university in an area of relevance to the Foreign Service. They can be in the senior year of their undergraduate studies, graduating by June 2025, or they can be college graduates.
- Applicants must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale at the time of application.
- Applicants must be a U.S. citizen.
Benefits:
In 2025, the Rangel Program plans to award 45 fellowships of up to $42,000 annually for a two-year period for tuition, room, board, books, and mandatory fees for completion of a two-year master’s degree. This includes up to $24,000 per year for tuition and mandatory fees and an academic year stipend of $18,000. At the conclusion of two years of study, the Rangel Fellow is expected to have obtained a degree in international affairs or another area of relevance to the work of the Foreign Service at a graduate school approved by the Rangel Program. Awardees are expected to maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2 throughout their period of study.