Guided by our commitment to education and research and to the health and safety of our community, Harvard continues to emphasize remote learning and work while allowing for the resumption of certain in-person activities, including the return of a limited population of students to campus. Supporting the wellbeing of community members while advancing Harvard’s academic enterprise requires each of us to take steps to protect ourselves and others—whether by continuing to study or work remotely, or by following important health and safety protocols on campus. Through robust commitment at the University, School, and individual level, all of us can play a role in preventing the spread of infection and can help keep Harvard healthy.

Harvard College FAQs

How to Submit an Application

The Fall 2023 Application is now closed.

Application Process Timeline

Applications for the Fall 2023 will close on Sunday, April 16, 2023, at 11:59 PM ET.

Please contact Cassidy Bissell, Fellows Coordinator, with any questions about applying to be an IOP Resident Fellow. 

Fellows and Study Groups at the Institute of Politics was founded in 1966 as one of the IOP’s oldest programs. Each semester, we are honored to welcome six Resident Fellows to campus, each a leading practitioner in their field of politics and public service. Our Fellows spend the semester leading “study groups,” discussion-style weekly seminars that are not for credit, and interacting with Harvard’s community in a variety of other ways. For more details on the Fellows and Study Groups program, please review these FAQs, which detail the components of the Fellowship, logistical details, and more. For more information on the study group component of the Fellowship, please review this guide. 

Many extraordinary individuals have contributed to our Fellows program, and we are honored that you are considering applying. We are confident that our program offers an unparalleled opportunity to join Harvard’s esteemed community, connect and engage with some of the brightest and most inspiring young people in the country, and form relationships with other leading political practitioners who serve as fellow Fellows. Our Fellows are selected through a rigorous and competitive application process that emphasizes genuine passion for mentoring students, an innovative concept for a study group to be conducted over the course of one semester, and commitment to being fully present on Harvard’s campus for roughly ten weeks.

Fall 2019 Resident Fellows kick off the semester with an open house panel moderated by IOP Director Mark D. Gearan in the JFK Jr. Forum. Left to right: Mark D. Gearan, Alice Stewart, LaTosha Brown, Senator Jeff Flake, H.E. Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado, Deesha Dyer, and Bob Cohn.