Facing a new bachelor’s degree and no offer yet? Among post graduate fellowships Philadelphia offers, the City’s paid Public Service Fellowship is a clear starting point for new bachelor’s graduates, at $20/hour for up to 30 hours a week.
- Bachelor’s degree only: start with the City fellowship, whose inaugural term runs September 8, 2026 through May 28, 2027, according to the City of Philadelphia.
- Planning graduate study: some fellowships bundle tuition with the stipend, so compare the whole package, not the headline figure.
- Doctoral candidate: research fellowships such as the McNeil Center’s are meant for dissertation-stage candidates, not new bachelor’s graduates.
This page sorts the options by what a new graduate needs to settle first: eligibility, pay against living costs, and where the year leads. For the wider field, see our overview of postgraduate fellowships philadelphia.
Starting with the City’s paid fellowship
The City of Philadelphia Public Service Fellowship places fellows inside City government and pays hourly wages rather than a flat living allowance. For a graduate with a bachelor’s degree and no graduate-school plans, it is the most direct route in this guide.
Term, pay and tracks
Applications opened Monday, May 4, 2026, for a term running from September 8, 2026 through May 28, 2027, as the City’s announcement sets out. Fellows earn $20/hour for up to 30 hours per week, up to $22,800 in total, and receive a $4,000 completion award. Placements begin in fall 2026 across City departments.
The work is organised into four tracks: Outreach and Engagement, Partnership and Resource Development, Program Coordination, and Research and Analysis. Pick the track by the tasks you want on your résumé, because the list describes types of work rather than academic subjects.
Read the $22,800 figure as a ceiling, not a guarantee. The wage is hourly and the hours are capped, so what you actually earn depends on the hours you work. The term also ends in late May, so plan how you will cover the months after it before you accept.
The City says it plans to grow the program over time. If you are reading after the first cohort began, check the City’s page for a later application window.
Support beyond the paycheck
The City describes a cohort-based experience with mentorship, individualized career coaching, professional development and training. The model builds on AmeriCorps VISTA outcomes and adds paid wages, structured mentorship and career navigation. That suits graduates who want guidance on what to do next, not only a place to work.
Matching a program to your degree stage
Eligibility in Philadelphia fellowships depends mostly on where you are in your education. Find the row below that describes you before you read any further program details.
| Your situation | Program | Length and pay | Planning use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree, wants paid public-sector experience | City of Philadelphia Public Service Fellowship | Term September 8, 2026 through May 28, 2027; $20/hour for up to 30 hours per week; $4,000 completion award | The main entry point for new graduates. Check for later cohorts if the first window has passed. |
| Doctoral candidate in the research or writing stage | McNeil Center nine-month fellowship | $25,000 stipend plus office space for nine-month fellows (2020-2021 appointments) | Not for bachelor’s-only applicants. Fellows are expected to be in residence in Philadelphia. |
| Predoctoral scholar | APS Native American Scholars fellowship | $25,000 stipend plus travel and research funds for twelve months | Shows how a flat stipend can be paired with research support over a full year. |
| Graduate student funded through a Mellon fellowship | Penn Mellon fellowship | 10-month stipend, tuition, fees and health insurance for the 2021-2022 academic year | Useful for judging what a complete package includes beyond the stipend. |
Figures come from the City of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania English department’s predoctoral funding page; the Penn-listed amounts belong to the appointment years shown, so confirm current terms.
Majors and degree timing
No major is named in the City fellowship’s track list, which is defined by type of work. Frame your coursework and campus roles around the tasks of the track you want, such as research and analysis, rather than the name of your degree.
Penn’s page says McNeil Center applications are encouraged from students of all relevant disciplines. Eligibility there turns on degree timing instead: doctoral candidates from any PhD-granting institution who are in the research or writing stage of the dissertation can apply. Confirm degree timing and any age limit on each program’s own page, since the rules differ from one program to the next.
Deadlines to plan around
Research fellowships can close in winter and decide in spring. The Library Company’s dissertation fellowship, for example, closed applications for its 2026-27 cycle on January 25, 2026, and said decisions would be announced no later than April 1, 2026, according to its application page. Work backward from the start of your intended term and do not assume last year’s dates repeat.
Relocating to Philadelphia for a fellowship
Many fellowships assume you will live in the city. The McNeil Center states that all fellows are expected to be in residence in Philadelphia during the terms of their appointments, per Penn’s funding page.
The City fellowship places fellows across City departments beginning in fall 2026, and its term starts on September 8, 2026, according to the City. If you are moving from elsewhere, treat the start date as your housing deadline. Ask each program whether it expects residence before you sign a lease.
Making a stipend cover rent and living costs
Whether a fellowship pays enough depends on your own rent and the package around the stipend. Use these checks before you accept an offer.
- Compare the whole package. The Penn-listed Mellon fellowship covers a stipend plus tuition, fees and health insurance. The McNeil nine-month stipend came with office space, and the APS scholars’ stipend adds travel and research funds. A stipend that includes tuition and insurance is a different offer from a stipend alone.
- Treat hourly caps as ceilings. The City fellowship pays $20/hour for up to 30 hours per week (up to $22,800 total). Budget from the hours you are confident of working, not from the maximum.
- Count the months covered. A nine-month or 10-month stipend leaves the rest of the year for you to fund, and the City term ends in May.
- Price rent yourself. Look at current listings near your placement and set monthly rent against your expected take-home pay before you commit. Local cost figures change faster than any fellowship page.
Fellowship or entry-level job
A fellowship trades some flexibility for structure. The City program wraps its wages in mentorship, career coaching and training, and ties part of the reward to finishing through the $4,000 completion award.
- Choose a fellowship if you want mentorship, a cohort of peers and help planning your next step. The City describes career navigation as part of the model, built on AmeriCorps VISTA outcomes.
- Choose a job if weekly income matters most. The City fellowship caps paid hours at 30 per week, so compare your total weekly earnings against any full-time offer you hold.
- Mix the two by treating the fellowship year as a defined stretch, then using coaching and your placement experience to target the next role.
If you would rather work at a community group than in City government, see nonprofit fellowship philadelphia for programs hosted by a nonprofit organization.
Troubleshooting a fellowship search
- No program fits your degree stage. With a bachelor’s degree only, doctoral fellowships are out of reach. Focus on the City fellowship and on programs that bundle tuition with a stipend.
- You missed the window. Look on the program page for the next opening instead of assuming dates repeat. The City has said it plans to grow its program.
- The offer looks thin. Ask what the package covers beyond the stipend, including insurance, tuition and professional development, then compare it with a job offer.
- You are unsure how to submit. Our guide on how to apply for postgraduate fellowship philadelphia walks through the application steps.
Frequently asked questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can a fellowship cover tuition as well as a stipend? | Some can. A master’s of education community engagement fellowship posted through PHENND covered full tuition for a one-year, 36-credit program, required a bachelor’s degree and was open to all academic majors in its 2014-2015 cohort. Check the current listing for present terms. |
| Is the City fellowship connected to AmeriCorps? | Yes. The City says its fellowship builds on AmeriCorps VISTA outcomes, and that the Serve Philadelphia VISTA Corps moved from a federally supported model to a locally designed and managed initiative, as described in the City’s announcement. |
| How big is the City’s first fellowship cohort? | The inaugural cohort includes 21 fellows, and the City plans to grow the program over time. |
