FAQ

Yes, we anticipate opening the 2026 Bonderman Fellowship application in November for both graduate students and graduating senior undergraduates.

This year’s 2026 application cycle is limited to undergraduate applicants graduating in winter 2026, spring 2026, summer 2026 or autumn 2026. If your graduation date is in 2027 or later, you will need to wait to apply until the year in which you graduate. If you are graduating in autumn 2025, unfortunately you are beyond the eligibility limits.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents to be eligible for this fellowship.

Although the Bonderman experience is unique, there are many other fellowships out there in the world that provide or support international experiences for students and alumni. A few examples:

• Fulbright U.S. Student Program

• Fulbright Foreign Student Program

• Luce Scholars Program

• Princeton in Asia, Africa, Latin America

• Peace Corps

• Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellowship

• Jet Program USA

If you have missed the information sessions please review all parts of the Bonderman Fellowship FAQ and the guidelines on the How to Apply page, watch the information session recording, attend a Q&A and let your imagination soar. If you still have questions you contact us at bonderman@uw.edu.

The application for the 2026 selection process will in November, and close in mid-January. Please check back for more information soon.

It is possible to edit the application fields and re-upload files in EXPO until the application is submitted. Once submitted, however, the application cannot be edited. To edit your existing application, sign into EXPO.

No, the application deadline is final. No late applications will be considered.

Your references should be people in a position to speak to your qualifications for and commitment to this experience. References can be instructors, mentors, advisers, or employers, but should not be family members or significant others. They do not need to write a letter—if needed we will contact them by phone or email during the interview stage of the selection process. References should be able to speak to:

• Your qualifications for solo international travel.
• Your interest in the itinerary you propose.
• Their experience with how you follow through on your commitments.
• Your openness to ways of thinking that differ from you.

We do not share prior successful proposals. Not only do the Fellowship requirements and the application regularly change, but each Bonderman fellow is unique and so are the proposals that got them to the interview stage. We encourage you to focus not on what has worked in the past, but on why you make a great candidate, why you are applying for the fellowship, what you hope to learn, why you chose your countries, and why the Bonderman experience is important to you right now.

No, you don’t have to be enrolled to use the fellowship, you can even use the fellowship after graduation.

• Graduate and professional students do have to be enrolled at the University of Washington at the time the application is due (i.e., you must be enrolled in at least one credit Winter Quarter 2026 to be eligible to apply). Graduate and professional students: on leave status is not considered “enrolled.”
• Undergraduate applicants must be enrolled in at least two quarters between autumn 2025 and autumn 2026.

We are searching for applicants who are curious, open, and creative. We seek those who demonstrate self-knowledge, interpersonal and cross-cultural skills and interests, and resilience and fortitude. We look for proposals that balance challenging the applicant in new ways with careful planning and thoughtful engagement with those challenges. Bonderman Fellowships enable students to undertake independent international travel to explore, be open to the unexpected, and come to know the world in new ways. In your proposal make sure you respond to all of the prompts. Tips for a successful application can be viewed here.

We anticipate awarding 8-10 undergraduate Bonderman Fellows this year. We’ve removed some of the previous eligibility requirements for undergraduate applicants, which widens access and significantly increases number of potential applications. Anticipating a very large number of applications for very few undergraduate fellowships, and an ultra-competitive selection process, we want to be transparent about factors that will be taken into consideration in selecting undergraduate Bonderman Fellows.

All applicants must meet the eligibility requirements for their application to be considered eligible for review by the selection committees. The additional guidelines and preferences listed on the Eligibility & Requirements page do not restrict eligibility but do weigh extremely heavily in the selection of Bonderman Fellows.

Selection as a Bonderman Fellow will be extremely competitive, especially for undergraduate applicants. Meeting all of the preferences does not guarantee selection. Likewise, meeting some but not all does not mean you cannot get selected. Not meeting any of the preferences is a good indication that the Bonderman Fellowship is not aligned with your interests.

Please carefully review all of these FAQs, the Tips page, and the Selection Process page for more details on the selection process and consider carefully how this opportunity and all of the factors involved align with your interests in continuing your education in this unique way.

Absolutely not!  You are not required to have a theme to apply for a Bonderman Fellowship. If you have something that ties all your countries together, great, but if you want to travel to different places for different reasons, that is great as well!

No. We are looking for undergraduate applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to public service through current or past engagements, not necessarily during the fellowship. We are also looking for undergraduate applicants with a commitment to public service in their careers and professional plans after their Bonderman experience. How you envision thoughtfully participating in the global community, connecting with people and communities during your Bonderman experience is up to you to define, and we certainly hope your Bonderman experience would impact your perspectives on your future in public service. But the Bonderman Fellowship’s core focus is on independent travel and personal growth, and should not be viewed as a service trip.

The Bonderman Fellowship prioritizes students without extensive international experience, but we also recognize that there are a wide variety of international experiences that may be very different from the independent travel of the Bonderman Fellowship. We ask about your previous international experiences in the application to understand the type of experiences you’ve had and how those are similar and/or different from the travel you would undertake on the Bonderman Fellowship.

This is an independent journey, so if an applicant proposes to visit family in another country, that will not be viewed as competitive by the selection committee as it does not follow the guidelines of a solo journey. However, independent exploration of one’s identity, including traveling to a country one’s family is from and one may have been to before, is acceptable. Strong applications will articulate how the journey being proposed will help one interact with people, places, and cultures with which one is unfamiliar.

Language fluency is not required to be awarded the Bonderman Fellowship. Language experience provides the selection committee context for your proposed itinerary and how it will push you outside of your comfort zone.

Bonderman Fellowships are intended to introduce students to cultures, peoples, and areas of the world with which they are not familiar. Proposals to travel in areas of the world that an applicant is comfortable with and has significant experience in will not be considered as strong as those that challenge the applicant to stretch and learn new things about the world.

Bonderman Fellows must adhere to university rules and policies that govern international travel by UW staff, faculty, students, and affiliates. See the below question “Can I travel anywhere I want?” for more guidance on where Bonderman Fellows can and cannot travel.

All applicants will be notified of whether or not they will move on to the interview stage of the selection process. All applicants will be notified of their interview status between end of Winter Quarter and early Spring Quarter 2026.  Please contact us if you have not heard by early April 2026.

You must travel for eight months to a minimum of six and a maximum of nine countries in a minimum of two and a maximum of three distinct world regions.

While your official Bonderman travels and the support and oversight of the University of Washington ends at eight months, you can continue with personal travels after that eighth month.

If awarded a Bonderman fellowship in the 2025-26 selection cycle you can embark on your travels between September 1, 2026 and August 31, 2027.

No, this is to be a life-changing experience of total immersion in other places, peoples, and cultures and you cannot break the eight months of travel into smaller sessions.

Yes, absolutely. In conjunction with DRS and Global Affairs, Bonderman program staff work with fellows on an individual, case-by-case basis to determine needed accommodations and whether they are accommodations the program can reasonably provide. We encourage you to talk to your healthcare provider about the feasibility of longer term, international travel. Some countries and regions might be more accommodating and equipped for those with disabilities or health issues. We encourage you to check out the U.S. Department of State’s website and Mobility International USA, along with other online blogs and resources that offer specific guidance and tools.

This is a solitary adventure that you must undertake alone. You can occasionally travel with other travelers or have friends or family join you for a limited time (~one week), but you cannot take your spouse/partner/friend/child on your travels with you. You also should not travel in organized, group tour situations, except for limited duration in places you cannot otherwise reach (i.e., a guided tour of a location that requires permitted guides to accompany visitors).

This award should not be used to fund research towards your degree, for formal study at a university, or for travel with a formal organization. This is not a research fellowship, but is a personal journey.

That being said, on arrival in a new region or location we would encourage you to engage in a short-term language course (~one week) to aid your engagement in that place.

Bonderman Fellows must adhere to university rules and policies that govern international travel by UW staff, faculty, students, and affiliates. While we encourage you to be imaginative and honest about your true desires when creating your itinerary, we follow the advice of the U.S. State Department and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). If you propose travel to a country with a high level of risk, in your interview we will ask about your plan to safely and successfully travel there and may not approve your travel there, even if we should award you a fellowship.

Bonderman fellows are not allowed to travel to countries that the U.S. State Department rates as a Level 3 or 4 (on their 1-4 scale). Fellows requesting to travel to countries with a country-wide Level 1 or 2 rating with High Risk Areas (Level 3 or 4) within that country will go through a Bonderman and UW review process before being approved to travel there on their Bonderman Fellowship. Should a country’s rating change prior to your departure or during your Fellowship you will work with Bonderman and UW staff to make an appropriate plan.

The Bonderman funds are limited intentionally and are likely not enough to sustain private accommodations (e.g., hotels) in all locations over the eight month fellowship. Most fellows stay in a combination of home stays, hostels, hotels, and/or guest houses during their travels. Some fellows choose to include camping on their itinerary as well. Many fellows find that staying in accommodations that facilitate cross-cultural exchange (e.g., home stays) is a highlight of their fellowship.

It varies quite a bit from fellow to fellow! It is the fellowship’s goal that you engage with the local community wherever you are, but how you do that is up to you. Many fellows find a way to use their personal interests and hobbies as a connection point with communities. If a fellow has a passion for art, they may spend time connecting with local artisans or attending an art workshop. If a fellow enjoys running, they may meet locals through running groups. There is no sole point of connection with communities, these are just a few ideas to get you started. 

As long as you fulfill the obligations and responsibilities of the fellowship, then any funds remaining at the conclusion of your travels are yours to use as you wish. Should you fail to fulfill the requirements, you will need to return a portion of the funds.

If some countries on your itinerary have onerous COVID-related entry requirements, you will work with the Bonderman staff to determine if modifications should be made to your itinerary to remove those countries, or if you will be able to navigate the entry requirements while traveling on a Bonderman Fellowship.

Bonderman Fellows travel independently for an extended duration, exploring multiple countries in multiple regions of the world. Many Bonderman Fellows use public transportation and stay in shared accommodations (including home-stays and hostels). Social distancing in these settings can be very difficult and fellows experience frequent and close contact with others.

In line with university policy, fellows are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19. However, fellows can still carry and transmit the virus. Many countries have varying levels of health system readiness and capacity to manage COVID-19 and entry requirements can change unexpectedly based on COVID-19 trends, including required quarantines, proof of a negative COVID test, or full border closures.

Given these considerations, Bonderman Fellowship staff work with selected fellows to understand these complex dynamics and the ethical implications of travel. All fellows are required to have UW Student Abroad Insurance for the duration of their fellowship, enabling access to healthcare providers and health coverage around the world. While Bonderman staff support fellows in navigating this new travel landscape pre-departure and during travel, fellows are ultimately responsible to research and understand how COVID-19 or any public health emergency will impact their travels and develop a personal and ethical risk-assessment. Bonderman staff encourage applicants and fellows to consider the impact of their choices and travels on the people and communities they’ll be encountering along the way.