USA Scholarships
Stigler Fellowship 2028 - $14,000 Journalists in Residence
The Stigler Fellowship, run officially as the Journalists in Residence Program at the Stigler Center of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, brings a small group of working journalists to Chicago for about 12 weeks to audit Booth classes and study political economy. You get a $14,000 living stipend, reimbursed economy airfare and paid SEVIS and visa fees, and you can apply from any country and any medium, as a staff reporter, an editor or a freelancer. The Spring 2027 cohort (tentatively 15 March to 31 May 2027) closes at 11:59 pm Chicago time on 20 September 2026, with decisions by the end of December. If you cannot finish your application by then, you are aiming at the Spring 2028 cohort. Its dates have not been published, but they are expected to follow the annual pattern: a deadline in late September or early October 2027, decisions in December, and a residency from mid-March to late May 2028.
What is the Stigler Fellowship?
The Stigler Fellowship is the name most people search for when they mean the Journalists in Residence Program at the University of Chicago's Stigler Center. The Center is named after George J. Stigler, the Chicago economist who won the 1982 Nobel Prize in economics and is best known for showing how regulated industries often end up steering their own regulators. That idea, usually called regulatory capture, still runs through the program. Every spring a handful of journalists move to Hyde Park for about 12 weeks to learn how economists think about markets, competition and political power, and then take that thinking back to their newsrooms.
For most of the residency you are a student without the exams. You audit three Booth classes of your choosing, subject to the instructor's permission and seat space, and you are expected to keep up with the readings and assignments. On top of that come Stigler Center seminars, workshops and events, plus time with a cohort that usually numbers seven to nine journalists from different countries. You can pitch pieces to ProMarket, the Center's digital publication, though nobody makes you. You leave with a certificate of participation, which the Center asks you to list as the Journalists in Residence Program plus the year rather than as a degree.
The $14,000 stipend is meant to cover your living costs, and in Chicago it will if you budget carefully. Rent is on you: the Center helps with guidance on short-term housing but does not house participants. Health insurance is compulsory and comes out of the stipend unless you already have equivalent cover, and international participants can lose up to 14 percent to US tax withholding, depending on the treaty with their home country. The first payment can take a month to land, so bring $3,000 to $5,000 to get you through the opening weeks. Your airfare and visa costs come back to you as reimbursements.
On timing, the Spring 2027 cohort closes at 11:59 pm Chicago time on 20 September 2026. If your clips, statements and two referees are ready, you can still make it. If not, treat this guide as your plan for the Spring 2028 cohort. The deadline moved from 1 October in 2025 to 20 September in 2026, so expect the next one in late September or early October 2027, and confirm it on the official Stigler Center page when the call goes up. If you would rather have money for one ambitious story than a spring in Chicago, the Tech Journalism Fund backs US-based reporters project by project, and writers after a longer residency should look at the Cullman Center Fellowship at the New York Public Library.
Eligibility
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✓Working journalist in any mediumYou need to be a journalist, whether you write for print or online outlets, report for radio or television, or edit other people's copy. Staff reporters, editors and freelancers all qualify, and the Stigler Center says it regularly hosts freelancers.
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✓A few years of post-degree experienceThe Center's FAQ says strong applicants have at least a few years of working experience in journalism after their degree. Recent graduates whose experience is mostly internships are discouraged from applying.
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✓Proficient EnglishClasses, seminars and readings are all in English. If English is not your first language, you must prove proficiency, unless your undergraduate or graduate degree came from an institution that taught mainly in English.
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✓A real interest in political economyThe Stigler Fellowship is built around political economy: how markets, regulation, special interests and government shape each other. Your statements and clips should show that you cover this beat or want to. Economics training helps but is not required.
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✓Open to journalists worldwideJournalists from any country can apply, and US-based reporters are welcome too. The official pages set no citizenship restriction. International participants usually come to Chicago on a J-1 visa.
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✓In Chicago for the full 12 weeksYou live in Chicago and attend in person on the Hyde Park campus for the whole residency. The workload is heavy, with three audited classes plus required seminars, workshops and events, so plan any outside work around that.
Benefits
- Living stipend $14,000
- Economy airfare to and from Chicago Reimbursed
- SEVIS and visa application fees Reimbursed
- Audit three Chicago Booth classes Included
- Stigler Center seminars and events Included
- Certificate of participation On completion
- Housing Guidance only, you pay rent
- Health insurance Mandatory, paid from stipend
- US tax withholding (international) Up to 14% of stipend
- Partner or family costs Not covered
Document checklist
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✓Online application formSubmitted only through the Chicago Booth application portal. The Center does not accept materials sent by email or post.
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✓Curriculum vitaeA CV covering your journalism career: the outlets you have worked for, your beats, any awards, and your education.
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✓Personal statementsStatements describing your interest in the program and your goals for it. Tie them to the political economy stories you cover or plan to cover. The official page publishes no word limit, so keep them tight.
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✓Three published news articlesChoose pieces that show your best work, ideally on political economy or other Stigler-related topics. Articles in other languages need translations. TV and radio journalists send links plus English transcripts as PDF or Word files.
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✓Two recommendation lettersYour recommenders upload these through a separate link sent from the portal. Letters submitted by you are rejected, so ask early and check their email addresses.
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✓Proof of English proficiencyNeeded only if English is not your native language and your degree was not taught in English. Accepted proof includes TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, Cambridge, SAT or ACT scores, a language diploma, or an employer letter showing you work in English.
How to apply
Deadline and timeline
FAQ
What is the Stigler Fellowship?
The Stigler Fellowship is the name most people use for the Journalists in Residence Program at the George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State, part of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Since 2017 it has brought a small cohort of journalists to Chicago each spring to audit Booth classes, attend Stigler Center events and study how economic and political power interact.
How much is the Stigler Fellowship stipend?
Participants get $14,000 to cover living costs during the roughly 12-week residency, plus reimbursement for economy airfare to and from Chicago and for SEVIS and visa application fees. Mandatory health insurance comes out of the stipend unless you show equivalent cover, and international participants can have up to 14 percent withheld for US tax, depending on their country's tax treaty.
When is the Stigler Fellowship deadline?
The Spring 2027 cohort closes at 11:59 pm Chicago time on 20 September 2026, with decisions by the end of December. The previous round, for Spring 2026, closed on 1 October 2025, so the Spring 2028 deadline is expected in late September or early October 2027. Check the official page once the new call is posted.
Can international journalists apply for the Stigler Fellowship?
Yes. The program is designed for journalists from around the world, and past cohorts have included reporters from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and Australia as well as the United States. International participants usually travel on a J-1 visa, and the Center reimburses the SEVIS and visa application fees.
Can freelance journalists apply for the Stigler Fellowship?
Yes. The Stigler Center's FAQ says editors and freelancers are welcome and that it regularly hosts both. What counts is a solid record of published work and a few years of post-degree experience, not a staff job.
How many journalists are selected each year?
Very few. The Center's list of past participants shows seven to nine journalists in each cohort since the program began in 2017, with seven in the 2026 group. That small size is part of the appeal, because you get real time with Booth faculty and with the rest of your cohort.
Do I need an economics background for the Stigler Fellowship?
No. The FAQ says a basic grasp of economics and accounting is useful but not required. Expect the Booth classes to feel harder without it, so working through an introductory economics text before you arrive is a smart move.
Is the Stigler Fellowship the same as the Stigler Center Affiliate Fellowship?
No. The Affiliate Fellowship is a separate, non-resident three-year appointment for pre-tenure academics working on political economy, regulation and competition, and it requires a PhD or JD. The Journalists in Residence Program is the one for reporters and editors, with the $14,000 stipend and a spring residency in Chicago.
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