The Harvard University Radcliff Fellowship has supported the work of 50 fellows annually in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Radcliffe fellows are exceptional scientists, writers, scholars, public intellectuals, practitioners, and artists whose work is making a difference in their professional fields and in the larger world.
About Harvard University Radcliff Fellowship
Based in Radcliffe Yard, fellows join a uniquely interdisciplinary and creative community. A fellowship at Radcliffe is an opportunity to step away from usual routines and dive deeply into a project. With access to Harvard’s unparalleled resources, Radcliffe fellows develop new tools and methods, challenge artistic and scholarly conventions, and illuminate our past and our present.
Throughout the year, fellows convene regularly to share their work in progress. Coming from diverse disciplines and perspectives, they challenge each other’s ideas and support each other’s ambitions. Many say that it is the best year of their professional lives.
Application Deadlines
The application deadline differs depending on your discipline
- The deadline for applications in humanities, social sciences, and creative arts is 9th September, 2021.
- The deadline for applications in science, engineering, and mathematics is 30th September, 2021.
Eligibility Criteria for Harvard University Radcliff Fellowship
Humanities and social sciences
Applicants in the humanities and social sciences must:
- Have received their doctorate (or appropriate terminal degree) in the area of their proposed project at least two years prior to their appointment as a fellow (December 2020 for the 2022-23 fellowship year).
- Have published a monograph or at least two articles in refereed journals or edited collections.
Science, engineering, and mathematics
Applicants in science, engineering, and mathematics must:
- Have received their doctorate in the area of the proposed project at least two years prior to their appointment as a fellow (December 2020 for the 2022-23 fellowship year).
- Have published at least five articles in refereed journals. Most science, engineering, and math fellows have published dozens of articles.
No matter their field, Radcliffe Fellows demonstrate an extraordinary level of accomplishment.
Creative Artists
Applicants need not have a PhD or an MFA to apply; however, they must meet the following discipline-specific eligibility requirements:
- Film and Video: Applicants in this discipline must have a body of independent work of significant achievement. Such work will typically have been exhibited in galleries or museums, shown in film or video festivals, or broadcast on television.
- Visual Arts: Applicants in this discipline must show strong evidence of achievement, with a record of at least five years of work as a professional artist, including participation in several curated group shows and at least two professional solo exhibitions.
- Fiction and Nonfiction: Applicants in these disciplines must have one of the following:
- one or more published books;
- a contract for the publication of a book-length manuscript; or
- at least three shorter works (longer than newspaper articles) published.
- Poetry: Applicants in this discipline must have had published at least 20 poems in the last five years or published a book of poetry, and must be in the process of completing a manuscript.
- Journalism: Applicants in this discipline are required to have worked professionally as a journalist for at least five years.
- Playwriting: Applicants in this discipline must have a significant body of independent work in the form. This will include, most typically, plays produced or under option.
- Music Composition: It is desirable, but not required, for applicants in music composition to have a PhD or DMA. Most importantly, the applicant must show strong evidence of achievement as a professional artist, with a record of recent performances.
Individuals who are in doctoral or master’s programs at the time of application submission are ineligible to apply, unless the dissertation has been accepted and degree is forthcoming.
Former Radcliffe fellows (1999-present) are ineligible to apply.
Application Materials
The application comprises the following:
- Completed application form
- Short curriculum vitae
- Project proposal
- Work sample
- Three letters of recommendation
For more detailed application guidelines, consult the Application Materials section of our FAQs.
How to Apply
To submit your application, visit the online application page for the 2022–2023 fellowship year.
For more information about the fellowship, visit the Programme Webpage.
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