Human Rights Summer Fellowship 2025
The Center for Human Rights and International Justice and the Stanford Global Studies Division are pleased to offer Human Rights Summer Fellowships to support self-arranged student work in partnership with a relevant organization working towards human rights. This fellowship is meant to support Stanford students looking to make a valuable contribution and learn more about a specific issue in the field of human rights or international justice. Stipends of up to $6,500 are available to undergraduates or graduate students who commit to working full-time (35 hours/week) for a minimum of nine weeks either in the United States or abroad during the summer quarter. Placements ensure students have meaningful, applied research and work opportunities to inform their studies and future career pathways. This program is in collaboration with campus partners such as the Stanford Global Studies Division and the Haas Center for Public Service, and is one of more than 550 Cardinal Quarter opportunities through which Stanford undergraduate students pursue a full-time summer or quarter-long public service experience with Stanford support.
Note on COVID-19 implications: Given uncertainties around travel, we ask applicants to open discussions with potential partner organizations around what both in-person and remote placements could look like.
- Submit an online application form, including a full proposal for the applicant’s research goals or learning objectives through a work placement, information about the partner organization, or a preliminary plan for research (proposed interview subjects, sources for data gathering, etc.)
- Letter of recommendation from an academic or professional reference in any relevant discipline or sector who can attest to your qualifications to undertake the summer work you propose with the support of the fellowship. Contact information for recommender must be included.
- A letter of support and placement confirmation from the primary organizational partner. This letter should show that the host organization has a confirmed placement for the student during the summer, along with a review of relevant projects and tasks for the summer.
- A list of relevant Stanford undergraduate courses the applicant has taken that focused on human rights and/or international justice, including instructor, quarter of enrollment, and official course description (must have taken at least two courses)
- An unofficial transcript
- A tentative budget