Application Deadline: April 4, 2018
Applications for the 2019/2020 Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program (HSAFP) are now being accepted.
President Derek Bok established the Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program (HSAFP) in 1979 to address the needs of South Africans who were denied access to advanced education by the apartheid system. This program was established, and is still intended, for mid-career professionals educationally disadvantaged by past laws and resource allocations in South Africa. Under the current presidency of Drew Gilpin Faust, the HSAFP seeks to expand its reach to institutions and organizations across South Africa in a continued effort to draw the broadest possible range of candidates for the program. In addition, the University – reflecting the current South African constitution – has expanded its applicant pool to extend to all South Africans, regardless of ethnicity or race.
Eligibility Requirements:
- The HSAFP was conceived largely to provide educational enrichment for men and women in mid-career, that is, individuals in various occupations who have shown considerable skill in their chosen fields and leadership and are expected to benefit from advanced training. Thus candidates who have just completed, or who have not yet completed, a first degree are not selected unless this degree has been pursued concurrently with, or subsequent to, experience in the workplace.
- Fellows usually range in age from 30 to 45 years.
- Fellows must be South African citizens.
- Applicants should determine well in advance whether, if awarded a fellowship, they can be granted leave by their employers for Harvard’s academic year.
- They should generally plan to be in residence at Harvard from September until June. However, some programs require fellows to begin residence on July 1st. No candidate should accept an interview unless assured that such leave will be granted.
- The Center does not wish to assign fellowships to anyone who subsequently finds it impossible to use the opportunity.
Fellowship Worth:
- The fellowship provides for payment of all tuition for the full period of enrollment at Harvard.
- The fellowship also funds round-trip airfare between the fellow’s home and Boston.
- A monthly stipend is provided to fellows, with the exception of those enrolled in the Executive Education Programs, to cover the cost of housing and other living expenses.
- Housing is usually in university graduate dormitories. Please note that housing costs in the Boston/Cambridge area are extremely high, and the stipend only covers bare necessities.
- The monthly stipend must also be used to pay other expenses such as medical and dental insurance, medicine, taxes, food, winter clothing, books and supplies.
- Fellows are held personally responsible for the payment of all bills other than tuition fees and airfare.
- Fellows should also be aware that their stipends will have a significant amount of taxes taken out before they receive the funds.
Application
2019-2020 APPLICATION TIMELINE
| December 1, 2017 | HSAFP application opens |
| April 4, 2018 | HSAFP applications DUE (at 11:59pm EST) |
| May 2 – 17, 2018 | Applications reviewed by program staff |
| Early June 2018 | Applicants notified if they have been selected for an interview |
| July 11-15, 2018 (subject to change) | Expected timing for interviews in South Africa |
| August 2018 | Interviewed candidates are notified if they have been selected as a Harvard South Africa Fellow finalist |
| September 2018 – December 2018 | Selected finalists apply directly to the Harvard program they are interested in attending |
| January 2019 – April 2019 | Candidates typically hear about their admissions decision from the Harvard School to which they applied |
| Beginning July – August 2019 | Most Harvard South Africa Fellows’ academic programs at Harvard begin |
| May 2020 | Fellows at Harvard for one-year programs complete their academic year at the University |
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program 2019/2020