Financing Your Degree

The Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program is a graduate fellowship program for Peace Corps Volunteers applying to the MPA or MIA programs. Our Coverdell Fellows must complete an approved Fellowship Placement designed to address the needs of a local undeserved and/or at-risk community. Through these assignments our Fellows are able to “bring home, and expand upon, the skills they learned as Volunteers.” This includes skills such as cultural awareness, adaptability, language skills and working in low resource settings. Prospective students will have the opportunity to indicate that they are/will be a qualified returned Peace Corps volunteer (RPCV) who wishes to be considered for the Coverdell Fellowship on their application to the College’s MIA or MPA program. Rockefeller College will waive the application fee for RPCVs applying to the MIA and MPA programs. For more information, please visit the Peace Corps Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program website. You can also contact our Coverdell Fellows Program Coordinator: Jaclyn Napoleon, Director of Graduate Recruitment & Admissions ([email protected]).

The Rockefeller College Graduate Fellowship provides an opportunity for graduate students to gain valuable work experience within the public sector. Fellows are competitively selected from the College’s master’s programs in public administration, international affairs and political science. Selected students are paid an hourly rate and work 20 hours per week during the academic year and full-time during breaks. Contingent on a student’s performance, an employer may provide a small stipend and extend a student’s position into the summer term. Application announcements are sent to prospective and continuing graduate students in early January with initial screenings and interviews occurring in the middle of the spring semester. All placements begin in late August and conclude in May. Participating employers have included the New York State Division of the Budget, New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and the New York State Department of Health.  

Students interested in applying and employers interested in hosting a Fellow are encouraged to contact [email protected] for more information.

The Center for Women in Government offers six-month fellowships to help women advance their career and develop strong leadership skills through:

• Six-month field placement in New York State government agencies and nonprofit organizations (30 hours per week, January-June).
• Professional development workshops, conferences, field trips, and community-based service activities.
• Network mentoring program that gives access to over 300 fellow alumnae.

Over the past 30 years, more than 300 Center fellows have assumed public policy leadership positions around the globe. The Center provides fellows with a $10,000 stipend in addition to tuition assistance. In the spring semester, fellows are full-time graduate students. The Fellowship program is open to students and working professionals with 12 or more graduate credits in any discipline and three to five years of work experience.