USA Scholarships
Hoover Fellowship 2027 - $169,950+ Salary at Stanford
The Hoover Fellowship is a paid research appointment at the Hoover Institution, the policy research centre sitting in the middle of the Stanford University campus in California. The term runs from one to three years, the post carries no teaching responsibilities, and the 12-month base salary range is $169,950 to $230,000 with a $20,000 annual housing allowance on top. Hoover is looking for early-career scholars with a PhD or equivalent degree in fields such as economics, history, international relations, national security, political science or public policy, and your degree has to be finished by 1 September 2027. The application portal opened on 18 August 2026 and closes at 11:59 PM PT on 17 November 2026.
What is the Hoover Fellowship?
The Hoover Fellowship pays you a real salary to think and write for up to three years. That is the short version, and it is rarer than it sounds. The Hoover Institution is a policy research centre that sits in the middle of the Stanford University campus in California, and the Hoover Fellow position is its route in for early-career scholars. The 12-month base salary range is $169,950 to $230,000, with a $20,000 housing allowance on top of that, and the appointment carries no teaching responsibilities.
What Hoover wants in return is public writing that lands. Fellows are expected to publish scholarly articles and books with implications for public policy, and to contribute to the intellectual life of the Institution. You are also encouraged to work with the wider Stanford research community in your field, which is a serious perk when the rest of the university is a short walk away. The fields named in the call are economics, history, international relations, national security, political science and public policy, listed as examples rather than a fence.
One date governs everything. Your PhD or equivalent degree must be complete, or expected to be complete, by 1 September 2027. If that fits you, the file itself is manageable: a statement of interest covering your background and experience, one or more recent publications or working papers or draft book chapters, a CV, a two-page statement of future research plans, and three letters that speak to what you have done and what you are likely to do next. It all goes through hoover.smapply.us, which opened on 18 August 2026 and closes at 11:59 PM PT on 17 November 2026.
Two things are worth knowing before you commit a month to this. Hoover publishes no target number of fellowships and no notification date, so you cannot plan around a decision landing in a particular week. And while nothing in the call restricts applicants by citizenship, nothing in it addresses visa sponsorship either, which matters a great deal for a salaried post in California. Email [email protected] with Hoover Fellow in the subject line and ask, keeping in mind that the inbox is only checked from time to time. Then put your effort where it counts, which is the two pages on what you would actually write at Stanford.
Eligibility
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✓A PhD or equivalent degree, finished by 1 September 2027The degree does not have to be in hand on the day you apply, but Hoover states that candidates must expect to complete it by 1 September 2027. Final-year doctoral candidates with a defence booked for spring or summer 2027 are squarely inside the call.
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✓A field Hoover actually works inThe call names economics, history, international relations, national security, political science and public policy as examples of a relevant field. The list is written as examples rather than a closed set, so neighbouring social science disciplines are worth a try if your work speaks to public policy.
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✓Early-career, not established facultyHoover advertises this round under the heading Opportunities for Early-Career Scholars. Senior academics looking for a paid sabbatical year are better served by the separate National Fellows Program, which is built for scholars already holding posts elsewhere.
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✓Research that carries into public policyFellows are expected to publish scholarly articles and books with implications for public policy. Pure theory with no line of sight to a policy question is a weak fit here, however good it is, because the Institution measures its output by public policy reach.
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✓In residence at StanfordThe position is located at the Hoover Institution, Stanford, CA, at 434 Galvez Mall on the Stanford campus. Fellows are also encouraged to engage with the wider Stanford research community in their field, which only works in person.
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✓Three referees who can judge your researchYou need three letters of recommendation that speak to your research accomplishments and your potential for future research. Choose people who have read your work closely rather than the most senior names you can reach.
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✓No citizenship rule is publishedHoover states no citizenship or residency restriction for this fellowship and describes itself as an equal employment opportunity employer. It also says nothing either way about sponsoring a work visa, and this is a salaried US appointment, so email [email protected] and ask before you build an application around it.
Benefits
- 12-month base salary range $169,950 - $230,000
- Annual housing allowance $20,000
- Length of appointment One to three years
- Teaching responsibilities None
- Office at the Hoover Institution Stanford campus
- Access to the wider Stanford research community Encouraged
- Number of fellowships awarded Not published
- Decision or notification date Not published
- Relocation allowance Not stated in the call
- Visa sponsorship terms Not stated in the call
- Renewal beyond three years Not stated in the call
- Remote or part-time option Not offered, the post is at Stanford
Document checklist
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✓Cover letter or statement of interestIt has to include a description of your academic background and your experience. This is where you connect your record to the policy questions Hoover cares about, so do not reuse a generic postdoc letter.
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✓Recent publications, working papers or draft book chaptersOne or more, and the call accepts unpublished work. Pick the pieces that best show you can finish serious scholarship, not simply the ones that landed in the best-known journal.
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✓Curriculum vitaeA full academic CV covering education, positions, publications, working papers, grants and talks. No page limit is published for it.
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✓Statement about future research plansTwo pages maximum, and that ceiling is stated plainly. Say what you would write during the appointment and why it matters beyond the seminar room.
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✓Three letters of recommendationThey must address your research accomplishments and your potential for future research. Ask your referees early and send them your research plan so their letters point at the same project yours does.
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✓An account on the Hoover application portalApplications are submitted online through hoover.smapply.us. You can register with a Stanford single sign-on or a standard SurveyMonkey Apply account, so no Stanford affiliation is needed to start a file.
How to apply
Deadline and timeline
FAQ
What is the Hoover Fellowship?
It is a salaried research appointment at the Hoover Institution, the public policy research centre on the Stanford University campus in California. Hoover Fellows spend one to three years publishing scholarly articles and books with implications for public policy and taking part in the intellectual life of the Institution. The post carries no teaching responsibilities at all.
How much does the Hoover Fellowship pay?
The Institution publishes a 12-month base salary range of $169,950 to $230,000, plus a $20,000 annual housing allowance. That makes it a salaried position rather than a stipend, which is unusual for a post aimed at early-career scholars. Hoover does not publish how the range is set for an individual offer.
When is the Hoover Fellowship 2027 deadline?
Completed applications are due online by 11:59 PM PT on 17 November 2026 for the 2026-2027 round. The portal opened on 18 August 2026 at 10:00 AM PDT. The deadline is stated in Pacific Time on both the Hoover Institution page and the application portal.
Who is eligible for the Hoover Fellowship?
You need a PhD or equivalent degree in a relevant field, with economics, history, international relations, national security, political science and public policy given as examples, and you must expect to complete that degree by 1 September 2027. The round is advertised for early-career scholars, so it is aimed at people close to or just past the doctorate rather than established faculty.
Can international scholars apply for the Hoover Fellowship?
The call sets out no citizenship or residency restriction and Hoover describes itself as an equal employment opportunity employer that welcomes applications from all who would bring additional dimensions to its mission. What it does not address is visa sponsorship, and this is a salaried appointment based in California, so anyone without US work authorisation should email [email protected] and confirm that point before applying.
How long is a Hoover Fellowship appointment?
The term of the appointment runs from one to three years. Hoover does not publish how the length is decided or whether it can be extended past three years, so treat the upper end as the ceiling stated in the call rather than a guarantee.
What documents do I need for the Hoover Fellowship application?
A cover letter or statement of interest describing your academic background and experience, one or more recent publications, working papers or draft book chapters, a curriculum vitae, a statement of future research plans running to two pages maximum, and three letters of recommendation addressing your research accomplishments and potential. Everything is submitted through hoover.smapply.us.
How is the Hoover Fellowship different from the Hoover National Fellows Program?
The Hoover Fellowship is a multi-year salaried post for early-career scholars who move to Stanford. The W. Glenn Campbell and Rita Ricardo-Campbell National Fellows Program is a separate one-year programme that frees scholars already holding posts at other colleges, universities and institutions to spend a year on unrestricted research and publication. Hoover also runs the Bochnowski Family Veteran Fellowship, the Campbell Visiting Fellows programme and the Silas Palmer Fellowship, all of which have their own audiences and terms.
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