Zuckerman Fellowship
The 2025 application deadline has passed.
The Zuckerman Fellowship provides recipients with full tuition and health insurance fees for one year plus a living stipend. The program's value proposition extends, however, beyond financial support: fellows come together regularly — both as a cohort and with the broader pool of CPL fellows — for dinners, speakers, retreats, and other experiential learning opportunities, including a field experience trip to another city or region. This co-curricular program is designed to enrich the fellows’ academic experience, develop leadership skills, and build lasting ties that serve them beyond their years at Harvard.
The animating idea behind the Zuckerman Fellowship is crosspollination: the creativity that results from bringing perspectives of multiple professions and academic disciplines to bear on public sector problems. Zuckerman Fellows are selected on the basis of leadership abilities, intellectual and academic achievement, and a commitment to public service.
How to Apply
Candidates for the Zuckerman Fellowship should visit the Center for Public Leadership, complete the fellowship application form, and upload supplemental materials through the online application portal.
Eligibility
Candidates who already possess an M.D., J.D., M.B.A., D.M.D., or D.D.S. degree, or are currently in the process of obtaining one of those degrees are eligible to apply.
Additional Fellowship Information
The following videos highlight the program via the lens of David Gergen, professor of public service and founding director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, positions he has held for over a decade.