FAQ

U.S. and international journalists, both those working in news organizations or independently as freelancers or contractors. Applicants need to have at least five years of full-time professional work experience in journalism, not including internships during college. 

We do not accept applications from people working in public relations, public information, content marketing, corporate communications or in academic positions. 

Our fellowship does not fund or support book projects or reporting projects, and we are not a business accelerator.

Applications for the 2026-27 fellowships open at 1 p.m. Pacific time, October 15, 2025. Applications must be submitted by 1 p.m. Pacific time, December 3, 2025. 

We provide a stipend of $130,000. We also cover the cost of Stanford tuition for fellows and Stanford health insurance for fellows, as well as for spouses and children who come to Stanford.

You must complete an online application form, which has questions about your professional background and goals. You’ll also need to submit these items: a 1-minute selfie video describing what you want to be doing in journalism three to five years from now, a resume, a work sample and contact information for three professional references. 

Yes. Check out this selection of Medium posts by recent JSK Fellows.

We expect JSK Fellows to be proficient in written and spoken English, as both are needed to function in the fellowships program and at Stanford University. Application materials should be submitted in English. If your work sample is in another language, you may submit the original and include a brief summary in English. You do not need to submit TOEFL scores. You will need to be able to effectively communicate in English in fellowship events, gatherings and classroom settings.

No. JSK Fellows and their eligible dependents come to Stanford on J-1 and J-2 visas tied to the fellowship. We cannot help in obtaining any other type of visa for you or for an unmarried partner or non-dependent children. If you have questions about the J-1 visa process at Stanford, please visit the university’s Bechtel International Center’s website for more information. 

If the community you are trying to serve in your journalism work is primarily in the United States, you would typically be a U.S. applicant; if not, you would be an international applicant. After you create an account in our application system, you will be asked a few questions that will determine the fellowship for which you may apply. 

The best source of advice are the webinar sessions we will be hosting this fall that are led by JSK directors and include fellowship alumni. In these webinars, we provide an overview of the JSK experience and provide tips on the application. We also answer questions from attendees. Watch our website and social media for the dates and registration links. If you are unable to attend, we post recordings of all webinars in the Become a fellow section of our website.

Yes. You’ll need to submit a new application as we do not carry over previous applications.

Yes.

No. We are not an academic program.

No. While JSK Fellows are able to sit in on many classes at Stanford, they do so on an informal basis and do not receive grades and do not earn academic credit.

You will be expected to:

• Spend the academic terms in residence at Stanford, from September to May.
• Dedicate yourself full time to the fellowship.
• Attend weekly meetings with your cohort and one-on-one meetings with your adviser as well as other occasional JSK events.
• Publicly share your work and insights throughout the year.
• Work collaboratively with people who offer a range of ideas, experience and perspectives.

Yes. We welcome spouses or partners and fellows’ children. Many of our fellows with families bring them along and tell us that the opportunity to share this unique year away from regular work obligations allows them to establish, or reset, greater balance in their work and professional lives. 

Fellows’ children are able to attend area public schools. Spouses and partners can have their own unique Stanford experience. They are able to sit in on some Stanford classes and are invited to many of our events.

• Embraces the need for bold solutions to ensure journalism not only survives but thrives in these turbulent times.
• Is dissatisfied with the status quo and ready to shake things up in service of becoming a better journalist and leader.
• Is eager to step away from day-to-day professional responsibilities and commitments to spend a busy 9 months using the resources JSK and Stanford provide to accelerate your professional and personal growth.
• Values diversity of thought, experience, background and perspective and believes the most transformative ideas come from collaborations that are respectful and welcoming.

Yes! 

• Start working on your application now. Give yourself time to draft answers to the questions. Ask a friend or mentor to review them and give you feedback.
• Ask a colleague or friend to proofread your text before you submit your application.
• Be true to your values, priorities and life experiences. Tell us what your goals are for a fellowship and why.
• Familiarize yourself with our mission, values and priorities. You can learn about JSK by following our social media posts, reviewing information on our website and reading Medium posts by recent JSK fellows.
• Identify and/or connect with a JSK alum who can share first-hand information about their experience as a fellow.
• Don’t wait until the last hour (or minute) to submit your application. We’d hate for you to miss being considered because your Internet connection went out or was too slow to upload your application in time.

No. Instead, we ask you to provide the names and contact information for three professional references. These should be people who can speak about your experience and qualities that will help you be a successful fellow.

• December 3: Application deadline, by 1:00 PM Pacific time.
• Early March: Initial evaluations completed; applicants who will not receive further evaluation notified.
• March: Zoom interviews.
• April: International fellowship offers extended; finalists for U.S. fellowships notified.
• May: U.S. fellowship offers extended.
• May: JSK International Fellows announced.
• August: Fellows move to Palo Alto to prepare for program orientation.
• Early September: Fellowship orientation.