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Archer Fellowship Program

The Archer Fellowship Program is a highly selective program open to all students in the University of Texas System that prepares students for leadership roles in public service. The program is designed for students who are passionate about making a difference in the world and who have the potential to become the next generation of leaders in government, nonprofits and the social sector.

Archer Center students with the U.S. Capitol in the background

For Undergraduates

Apply for the undergraduate program on the Archer Center website. A full application includes the information sheet, a resume, a writing sample, a personal statement, a transcript, two letters of recommendation, and a list of desired internship placements.

The program hosts undergraduate students in the fall and spring semesters. Students in the Archer Fellowship Program take nine hours of classes focusing on policy, economics and persuasion.

Applications to the Bill Archer Fellowship Program for Undergraduates are due Feb. 15 for both semesters of the following academic year. On campus interviews will be held in late February or early March. Final decisions will be made in late March.

Students also earn six hours of internship credit working at federal agencies, nonprofit organizations and corporations.

For Graduate Students

The program brings graduate students studying policy and politics to Washington, D.C., for 12 weeks in the summer. Students in the program learn about the federal government and public service.

The application process consists of two parts: 

  1. Selection of semifinalists based on submission of application material.
  2. Interviews of the semifinalists, from which program participants will be chosen.

Enrollment in the Graduate Archer Fellowship Program is limited and will be determined by a competitive process. Approximately twenty students from within the UT System will be selected. The application process consists of two parts: (1) selection of semi-finalists based on submission of application materials outlined below; (2) interviews of the semifinalists, from which Program Participants will be chosen.

Applications for the Summer Graduate Archer Fellowship Program are due in early November. On-campus interviews will be held in late November and students selected as Fellows will be notified in early December. Apply for the graduate program on the Archer Center website.

Archer Center students wall along the National Mall with the U.S. Capitol behind them

Prestigious Internships

Archer students have served as interns for the following:

  • White House
  • Office of the Vice President
  • Supreme Court
  • Department of State
  • Department of Homeland Security
  • Department of Education
  • U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  • Committee on the Judiciary
  • Committee on Foreign Relations
  • Various Senate Offices
  • Various Congressional Offices
  • National Archives and Records Administration
  • Center for Strategic and International Studies
  • American Bar Association
  • American Enterprise Institute
  • The Heritage Foundation
  • National Republican Senatorial Committee
  • House Armed Services Committee
  • National Center on Education and the Economy
  • National Science Foundation
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Academy of Medicine
  • United Nations
  • World Bank
  • World Health Organization
  • Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld 
  • Marathon Oil
  • German Embassy
  • Terrorism Research Center
  • Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
  • Knight Ridder News
  • The Nation magazine
  • John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
  • CBS News
  • National Geographic

For More Information

Visit the Archer Center website for details about the program.

Priya Jacob
dome of the US capitol