Anderson Fellowship

For consideration, projects must be related to the field of political science or politics and be academic in nature. Students must be full-time, degree-seeking students majoring in Politics or UEP at Occidental College. Fellowships are competitive and require an application process. 

When are Anderson Fellowships awarded? What is the Fellowship amount?

• An Anderson fellowship for winter break is awarded in the amount of $2000 (plus up to $1000 for students who face additional expenses related to travel and/or lodging)
• An Anderson fellowship for summer break is awarded in the amount of $4500 (plus up to $1500 for students who face additional expenses related to travel and/or lodging) 

Are there limits for my eligibility for an Anderson Fellowship?

• Students must have a declared major in Politics or UEP and be in good academic standing in the major and in the college
• Graduating seniors are not eligible for Anderson Fellowships over the summer break following graduation
• Graduating seniors are only eligible for Anderson Fellowships if all funded work is completed prior to their graduation date 

What projects and activities does the Anderson Fellowship support?

• Senior comprehensive research for the Politics or UEP major
• Travel to a conference in the field of politics or political science
• Internships in the field of politics or political science
• Independent research carried out over summer or winter break, in conjunction with a Politics course or senior comprehensive project, and/or supervised by a Politics professor

What expenses are covered through the Anderson Fellowship?

• Anderson Fellowships are awarded as a study grant, to support students in carrying out a project related to developing professional skills (i.e., holding an internship) or conducting research. Students are responsible for developing and following a budget for the costs of their project.

What are the deadlines for the Anderson Fellowship?

• For an Anderson Fellowship for winter break, all materials must be received 3 weeks prior to the last day of classes, by 4:30 pm.  (For Fall 2024, that date is 4:30 pm on Monday, November 11th.)
• For an Anderson Fellowship for summer break, all materials must be received 3 weeks prior to the last day of finals, by 4:30 pm. (For Spring 2025, that date is 4:30 pm on Tuesday, April 8th, 2025.)
• Please note that all applications for international travel, per the International Programs Office, must be received 30 days prior to the first date of travel. If an Anderson fellowship involves international travel, and the deadlines above are within that 30 day window, the application must be submitted earlier. The deadline for international projects takes precedence over the deadlines set above. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Are there any restrictions on receiving Anderson support?

• The Anderson Fund does not support students working as research assistants for faculty members unless the project also supports an output that carries the student's name (e.g., the student's comprehensive project or a coauthored research project). 
• The Anderson Fund does not support donations to non-profit, community-based, humanitarian, or political organizations. 
• The Anderson Fund cannot make donations or direct payments to political campaigns or to individuals seeking elected office.  
• The Anderson Fund also does not support payments to friends or family members; if students stay with friends or family during their research or internship trips, “thank you” payments to friends or family are not covered by the fund and are at the students’ own expense. 
• The Anderson Fund does not support purchasing materials or resources for others or for non-profit, community-based, or humanitarian organizations.
• Students may receive the Anderson Fellowship a maxium of two times. 
• For projects requiring approval from the Human Subjects Research Review Committee (HSRRC), the HSRRC approval process must be initiated at the time of the Anderson application or students must provide a separate statement explaining why the process has not yet been initiated.

​​How will my Anderson Fellowship application be assessed?

• All Anderson applications will be assessed using a scorecard. 
• Anderson applications falling short of the required score—but meeting the requirements for a fundable project—will be returned for revision. The revised application will be reassessed and a final decision made about funding.  

How do I apply for an Anderson Fellowship?

• Submit a completed application online. Send all files via email attachment to Romy Corona: rcorona@oxy.edu. 
• The application consists of several components, itemized below. Submit each component as an individual file in Microsoft Word or PDF, labeled as follows: “Lastname_Component” (for example, “Jones_CoverPage” and “Jones_PersonalStatement”). Only Word (.docx) and PDF are accepted. Failure to submit the correct file types or to label your files correctly can result in disqualification. 
• All documents should be prepared in a professional manner, with the student’s name appearing on each page.
• Incomplete applications will not be accepted. If incomplete at the time of the deadline, an application will not be considered.
• The recommendation form must be submitted directly to Romy Corona for an Anderson Fellowship application to be considered complete. Applications without the recommendation form will not be accepted. Please ensure the faculty member completing your recommendation form is aware of the deadline. 

What is a complete Anderson Fellowship application?

1. Cover page: download and complete the cover page. 
2. Abstract: one paragraph
3. A personal statement: A one-page, double-spaced statement explaining why the project matters for the student’s academic career, including their preparation to carry out the project.
4. A project summary: A two-page, double-spaced statement that clearly states the project goal and/or the research question, and discusses the project’s importance, methodology, and relevance to the fields of politics and/or political science. Academic literature should be cited and a professionally formatted bibliography included (the bibliography does not count towards the page limits). In the project involves travel, clearly explain and justify the rationale for travel, including travel to a particular destination, and why this travel entails expenses like lodging. 
5. A faculty recommendation using this form . The recommendation form should be submitted directly by the faculty member by the application deadline. Submit to Romy Corona at rcorona@oxy.edu. For students applying for a Caldwell, McKelvey, or Reath Fellowship, the same faculty member may serve as a reference, but the Caldwell, McKelvey, and Reath Fellowships require a letter of recommendation; please make sure your faculty member knows to submit the form for Anderson as well as the letter for Caldwell, McKelvery, or Reath. 
6. A budget: Anderson Fellowships need only include a budget if students are requesting the additional money for expenses (up to $1000 for winter break and $1500 for summer break). Expenses include one roundtrip ticket to/from the internship or research destination (e.g. airfare) and lodging (e.g., rent or AirBnB expenses) for the duration of the internship or research trip. Other expenses, such as food, daily ground transport, and any travel or lodging above $1000/$1500, are expected to come from the fellowship itself. Using this budget form, the budget should include clear itemizations, sources, and justifications for the travel and lodging and requests. The budget should be based on well-researched estimates and not guesses. Incomplete budgets will be returned.   
7. Supporting materials:
   1. If applicable, a letter of support from the internship organization
   2. If applicable, a copy of the email indicating that the HSRRC approval process was initiated, including a copy of the submitted HSRRC application form, or a separate detailed statement explaining why the HSRRC approval process could not be initiated at this time and the student's plan for submitting the HSRRC forms as part of the research project.

What do I do after receiving my Anderson Fellowship? 

Before beginning the project

• You will receive an award letter that serves as a contract. Please return a copy with an original signature to Romy Corona in Johnson Hall 101 (or via email), no later than 5 business days after receiving notification of your award.  (Original signature means your penmanship, not your name typed in italics.)
• Winter Fellowships will be released in two installments: half of the fellowship prior to winter break (e.g., approximately December 15) + any monies requested in supplemental funds, and half of the fellowship on January 15.
• Summer Fellowships will be released in two installments: half of the fellowship on June 1 + any monies requested in supplemental funds, and the remaining half of the fellowship on July 31. 
• If applicable, obtain final HSRRC approval. The final installment of money will not be released until HSRRC approval has been received. 
• If your project requires travel abroad, complete the pre-clearance process with the International Programs office. Funds will not be released until IPO notifies Romy Corona that pre-clearance was completed; this rule is non-negotiable and there are no exceptions.  

After completing the project

• Prepare a final report, due no later than September 15 (for Summer fellowships) or February 15 (for Winter fellowships) and submitted Romy Corona via email.      
• The final report includes:
  1. A summary of the project activities and results (one to two double-spaced pages)
  2. Evidence of the project being carried out, which could include a letter from the internship supervisor or evidence of research outputs 
  3. ​If supplemental funding for travel was received, a budget report using this Budget Reconciliation Worksheet ad copies of receipts to support all expenses documented in the Budget Reconciliation Worksheet. 
• Please prepare the final report in a professional manner, organize receipts in order, and make sure your name appears on every page of the report.
• A failure to submit the final report, evidence of the project, and copies of receipts will disqualify students from consideration of future funding and may initiate a student conduct process.  
• Be willing to engage with the Anderson Committee and Politics Department upon return, to promote your project and your work
• Present your project findings and/or experiences at the Politics Department annual open house

​Who can I contact with questions?

• Politics Professor, Isaac Hale halei@oxy.edu