USA Scholarships
Fully Funded Postdoctoral Fellowship the USA

Notre Dame Provost Fellowship 2027 - $75,000 Postdoc

Deadline 1 December 2026, 11:59pm EST, for the 2027-2029 cohort 102 days left · Hosted by University of Notre Dame, College of Arts and Letters · Published

The Notre Dame Provost Fellowship 2027 gives eight early-career humanists a two-year salaried post at the University of Notre Dame with almost nothing standing between them and their own work. Run by the College of Arts and Letters, the 2027-2029 cohort places one fellow in each of eight units: Art, Art History and Design; English; German, Slavic and Eurasian Studies; Philosophy; Romance Languages and Literatures; Theology; the Initiative on Race and Resilience; and the Program in History and Philosophy of Science. The package is an annual salary of $75,000, an extra $15,000 for research and further training, office space in your host department, and a faculty mentor you meet with at least monthly. Teaching is available if you want a course on your record, but it is not a condition of the job. You need a doctorate finished, or on track to finish, between June 2024 and June 2027, and you cannot hold a Notre Dame doctorate or already be a postdoc there. Everything is submitted through Interfolio by 1 December 2026 at 11:59pm EST, decisions land by 1 March 2027, and the appointment starts in the autumn of 2027.

Salary
$75,000 a year
Level
Postdoctoral
Deadline
1 December 2026
Who can apply
All nationalities
How to apply Am I eligible? Official website

What is the Notre Dame Provost Fellowship?

The Notre Dame Provost Fellowship is the University of Notre Dame's answer to a problem every humanities PhD knows well: you finish the doctorate with a half-built book and no salaried time to build the rest of it. The Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program hands you two years on campus at $75,000 a year, an extra $15,000 for research and training, an office, and a faculty mentor who is actually obliged to meet you. For the 2027-2029 cohort the College of Arts and Letters is hiring eight fellows, one apiece in Art, Art History and Design; English; German, Slavic and Eurasian Studies; Philosophy; Romance Languages and Literatures; Theology; the Initiative on Race and Resilience; and the Program in History and Philosophy of Science.

The structure matters more than the headline number. Because each unit takes exactly one fellow, you are not thrown into a single university-wide pile. Your file is read by the department you named, by people who work on things adjacent to what you work on. That cuts both ways. A brilliant application aimed at the wrong unit goes nowhere, and a strong fit in a small pool can carry you a long way. Spend an hour on the faculty list of the department you are targeting before you write a word of the cover letter.

Teaching sits in an unusual place here. Notre Dame does not require it. Departments make it available so fellows can put a course or two on the CV before they go on the permanent market, but the default assumption is that you are there to research. Pair that with the mentoring, which the College describes as monthly meetings on professional development and planning, and the shape of the job becomes clear: two protected years, a person whose job is to help you use them, and a cohort of seven others going through the same thing across campus.

The eligibility window is the thing to check first, because it is strict. Your doctorate has to be completed, or firmly on track, between June 2024 and June 2027. Applying ABD is fine if the defence is locked in for no later than June 2027. Anyone with a Notre Dame doctorate is out, as is any current Notre Dame postdoc or student. Family and medical leave in the last two years can push the window back, but you have to raise it yourself in the cover letter. Applications run through Interfolio and close at 11:59pm EST on 1 December 2026, with every applicant hearing back by 1 March 2027. Questions go to [email protected], and given how much rides on the fit with a single department, it is worth asking them early rather than guessing.

Who can apply

Eligibility

Your progress 0 / 7
  • ✓
    Doctorate awarded between June 2024 and June 2027
    The programme wants people close to the end of their training, so your PhD has to land inside that three-year window counted back from the start of the appointment. If maternity leave, paternity leave or FMLA leave fell within the past two years, Notre Dame will consider an earlier completion date. Say so in your cover letter rather than hoping the committee works it out.
  • ✓
    You may apply while still ABD
    A defence that has not happened yet is not a bar. You can apply as a doctoral candidate provided your defence is confirmed and complete by the June before the cohort starts, which for the 2027-2029 group means June 2027. No defence date, no appointment.
  • ✓
    No existing Notre Dame tie
    People who earned their doctorate at Notre Dame are not eligible, and neither are current Notre Dame postdoctoral fellows or students. The point of the programme is to bring new scholars onto the campus, so an internal candidate is ruled out no matter how strong the file.
  • ✓
    Your field has to match a hosting unit
    Only eight units are recruiting for 2027-2029, and each takes one fellow. If your work does not sit inside Art, Art History and Design, English, German, Slavic and Eurasian Studies, Philosophy, Romance Languages and Literatures, Theology, Race and Resilience, or History and Philosophy of Science, wait for a cycle where your discipline is on the list.
  • ✓
    Open to scholars of any nationality
    There is no citizenship or residency requirement, and the College hires internationally. If you are selected from outside the United States, Notre Dame handles the visa sponsorship for the appointment. Give yourself extra lead time on paperwork if you are applying from abroad.
  • ✓
    Two years in residence at Notre Dame
    The appointment runs for two academic years on campus in Notre Dame, Indiana, starting in the autumn of 2027. Fellows take part in the intellectual life of their host department and in university-wide cohort activities, so a remote or commuting arrangement is not what the programme is offering.
  • ✓
    Holding another job while you apply is fine
    You are allowed to apply from a permanent position. Plenty of applicants are already employed elsewhere when they submit, and the College says so explicitly in its application FAQ, so there is no need to be between jobs to be taken seriously.
What you get

Benefits

  • Annual salary $75,000
  • Research and training fund $15,000
  • Office space in host department Covered
  • Assigned faculty mentor Monthly meetings
  • Professional development programming Included
  • Visa sponsorship for international fellows Covered
  • Relocation or housing allowance Not advertised
  • Dependant or childcare grant Not advertised
  • Length of appointment Two years
  • Cohort start Autumn 2027
  • Cohort size 8 fellows
  • Hosting units 8 departments and programmes
  • Teaching Optional, not required
  • Location Notre Dame, Indiana
  • Application platform Interfolio
  • Decision date By 1 March 2027
What to prepare

Document checklist

Documents gathered 0 / 6
  • ✓
    Cover letter, four pages maximum
    Double-spaced, 12pt, one-inch margins. Use it to introduce your project, name the department you want to sit in, and explain why Notre Dame is the right place for the next two years. If you are claiming a leave-based extension to the degree window, this is where you say it.
  • ✓
    Curriculum vitae
    A full academic CV covering your degrees, teaching, publications, conference papers, grants, and languages. Make the defence date or expected defence date easy to find, because it is the first thing a committee checks against the eligibility window.
  • ✓
    Research statement, five pages maximum
    Same formatting rules as the cover letter. Describe what you will actually do across the two years, what comes out of it, and how it moves on from the dissertation. Committees in these units are reading for a book project or its equivalent, not a list of interests.
  • ✓
    Writing sample, up to 10,000 words
    One piece of finished scholarship, a chapter or an article, that shows how you argue. Ten thousand words is a hard cap, so pick something that stands on its own rather than an extract that needs the rest of the dissertation to make sense.
  • ✓
    Three letters of recommendation
    Submitted directly by your referees through Interfolio. Ask early, send them your research statement so their letters point at the same project, and check the portal before the deadline rather than after it.
  • ✓
    An Interfolio account
    The whole application is filed at apply.interfolio.com. Nothing is accepted by email, and the system stops taking files at 11:59pm EST on 1 December 2026, so upload with a day or two in hand.
Step by step

How to apply

Your doctorate must be completed, or on course to be completed, between June 2024 and June 2027. If a family or medical leave in the past two years pushes you outside that range, you can still apply, but flag it in the cover letter so the committee reads your file correctly.
Eight units recruit for 2027-2029 and each hires one fellow. Read the department pages, look at who is on the faculty, and name in your cover letter the people you want to work alongside. A generic letter that could go to any of the eight is the easiest kind to set aside.
Five double-spaced pages that lay out the two-year project, the argument, the archives or materials, and what gets published at the end. Draft this before the cover letter, because the letter is really a short case for why Notre Dame is where that project happens.
Up to 10,000 words. A revised chapter or a published article usually works better than a raw excerpt, since the reader has no dissertation around it for context. Trim to the cap rather than submitting something that runs over.
Give them at least four weeks, send them the research statement, and tell them which department you are applying into. Letters go straight into Interfolio, so confirm all three have landed before the deadline closes.
The portal closes at 11:59pm EST on 1 December 2026. Late files are not read. Questions before you submit go to [email protected], and the College answers most of the recurring ones on its application and FAQ page.
Departments interview finalists as their schedules allow across the winter. Every applicant hears the outcome by 1 March 2027, which leaves you the spring to arrange the move and, for international fellows, the visa.
When

Deadline and timeline

Application deadline
1 December 2026, 11:59pm EST, for the 2027-2029 cohort
102 days left
Autumn 2026
The Interfolio posting for the 2027-2029 cohort goes live and the eight hosting units are confirmed. Start on the research statement and ask your referees now.
1 December 2026
Applications close at 11:59pm EST. Cover letter, CV, research statement, writing sample and three letters must all be in Interfolio by then.
Dec 2026 - Feb 2027
Each hosting department reads its own pool and interviews finalists as time allows. Interviews are scheduled department by department, not centrally.
By 1 March 2027
Decisions are made and every applicant is notified. Offers are made one per unit across the eight participating departments and programmes.
Spring 2027
Successful fellows accept, sort out housing in South Bend, and start visa paperwork if they are coming from outside the United States.
Autumn 2027
The two-year appointment begins on campus, running through the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 academic years.
Questions

FAQ

What is the Notre Dame Provost Fellowship?

The Notre Dame Provost Fellowship, formally the Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, is a two-year postdoctoral appointment at the University of Notre Dame for early-career scholars. The College of Arts and Letters version places eight fellows for 2027-2029, one in each participating department or programme, with a salary, research funds, office space and an assigned faculty mentor. The idea is to give you two years to build an independent research profile before you go on the permanent academic market.

How much does the Notre Dame Provost Fellowship pay?

Fellows receive an annual salary of $75,000 for each of the two years, plus an additional $15,000 to spend on research costs and further training. On top of that you get office space in your host department, professional development programming, and a mentor who meets with you at least monthly. Relocation and housing allowances are not advertised as part of the package, so budget for the move yourself.

When is the Notre Dame Provost Fellowship 2027 deadline?

Applications for the 2027-2029 cohort close on 1 December 2026 at 11:59pm EST through Interfolio. Decisions are made by 1 March 2027 and every applicant is notified. The appointment then begins in the autumn of 2027 and runs for two academic years.

Who is eligible for the Notre Dame Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship?

You need a doctoral degree completed, or scheduled for completion, between June 2024 and June 2027. Applying while ABD is allowed as long as your defence is confirmed and finished by June 2027. Anyone who holds a Notre Dame doctorate, or is currently a Notre Dame student or postdoc, is ineligible. An earlier degree date can be considered if maternity, paternity or FMLA leave fell within the past two years.

Can international scholars apply for the Notre Dame Provost Fellowship?

Yes. There is no citizenship or residency restriction and applications are welcome from any country. Notre Dame sponsors the visa for international fellows who are selected. Because the decision comes by 1 March and the post starts in the autumn, you have roughly five months to complete immigration paperwork, which is workable but not generous.

How many Notre Dame Provost Fellows are selected each cohort?

The College of Arts and Letters appoints eight fellows for 2027-2029, one each in Art, Art History and Design; English; German, Slavic and Eurasian Studies; Philosophy; Romance Languages and Literatures; Theology; the Initiative on Race and Resilience; and the Program in History and Philosophy of Science. Because each unit takes a single fellow, you are competing inside one department's pool rather than against every applicant to the programme.

Do Notre Dame Provost Fellows have to teach?

Teaching is not required. The appointment is built around research, and how much classroom work is available depends on the hosting department. Fellows who want a course on their CV before hitting the job market can usually arrange one, which is how the College frames it: an opportunity to build a professional portfolio rather than a service obligation.

Is there a Notre Dame Provost Fellowship for engineering or the sciences?

Yes, the University runs the Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program across science, engineering and the liberal arts, and the College of Engineering advertises its own version with separate hosting units and its own timetable. The guide on this page covers the College of Arts and Letters competition. If your field is engineering or a natural science, check that college's programme page for its current deadline and departments rather than assuming the Arts and Letters dates apply.

Featured

Scholarship Union

More in-depth scholarship guides curated by experts.

Keep looking

Related guides

Fully Funded
Cullman Center Fellowship 2027 - $90,000 at the NYPL
The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers gives fifteen people a year an office inside the New York Public Library, a $90,000 stipend, and nine months to write. Fellows work at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue from September through May, five days a week, and the project has to genuinely need those collections rather than merely benefit from the address. Academics, independent scholars, novelists, playwrights, poets and visual artists working on a book project are all welcome, and the programme is international, though your application must be in English. Two exclusions end a lot of applications early: no academic projects from post-doctoral fellows, and no graduate-school dissertation research. Applications for 2027-2028 close on 25 September 2026 at 5pm EDT, with decisions in March 2027 and the term running 7 September 2027 to 26 May 2028.
Fully Funded
Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027 - $65,000/yr
The Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability funds up to four postdoctoral fellows a year on three-year appointments paying $65,000 annually, with full Cornell employee benefits and a further $12,000 a year for research and travel. Applications for the 2027 cohort close on 20 October 2026 at 5pm Eastern, notifications go out in January 2027, and fellowships start between 1 June and 1 September 2027. The structure is what makes this one unusual. Every application needs two mentors lined up before you apply: a PI-eligible Cornell faculty member who is a current Cornell Atkinson Faculty Fellow, and an advisor at an external governmental, non-governmental or private sector partner, which explicitly cannot be another university. Your doctorate must be recent, no earlier than 1 May 2025 for this cycle, and the programme is no longer open to Cornell PhD graduates or Cornell postdocs.
Fully Funded
Harvard Academy Scholars Program 2027 - $80,000/yr
The Harvard Academy Scholars Program appoints five or six early-career social scientists a year to a two-year, in-residence postdoctoral fellowship at The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, on $80,000 a year plus $6,000 a year in research support. The 2027-2028 season is open and closes 18 September 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT, with finalists interviewed on 4 December 2026 and the appointment starting 1 August 2027. Over 500 people apply each year. The Academy wants scholars whose work pairs disciplinary strength in the social sciences with a command of the language and expertise of countries or regions outside the United States and Canada. Applications are open to all countries and citizenships, but anyone who already holds or has completed another postdoctoral fellowship is out.
Partial Funding
AAUW Research Publication Grant 2027 - $8,000 Award
The AAUW Research Publication Grant 2027, formally the American Short-Term Research Publication Grant, pays women scholars $8,000 in a single tranche to get a research manuscript ready for publication. The money covers drafting, editing, replicating research and answering reviewers, and can also go on housing, food and dependent care while you write. All fields qualify, with STEM researchers and those working on gender issues especially encouraged. You need a doctoral or terminal degree already in hand, US citizenship or permanent residency, and sole or first authorship on the manuscript. Applications open 17 August 2026 and close 30 September 2026 at 5pm ET, with awards announced in April 2027.

Always verify scholarship details on the official source before applying. Information on this page may change.

Visit official website