The Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) welcomes applications from pre-doctoral students at the write-up stage and post-doctoral scholars working in any of the four program areas: democracy, development, evaluating the efficacy of democracy promotion, and rule of law. The application cycle for the 2026-2027 academic year opened on Monday, September 22, 2025.
Application Deadline: Thursday, December 4, 2025
Fellowship Details
CDDRL pre-/postdoctoral fellowships run for 9 months (September-June). The Center offers 2-4 fully funded residential fellowships each academic year. These fellowships are intended to support writing and research while in residence at Stanford; fieldwork or extended travel cannot be accommodated.
Stipends and Benefits
Pre-doctoral fellows receive stipends comparable to those awarded by the Stanford Graduate Fellowships program. The Center also covers non-matriculated student tuition for pre-doctoral fellows as required by Stanford University.
Post-doctoral fellows receive stipends/salaries commensurate with experience and with consideration given to university-established minimums for a term period of 9 months.
Healthcare and other benefits are provided as required by Stanford University for both pre- and post-doctoral fellows.
Fellowship Experience
Fellows spend the academic year at Stanford University completing their projects, participating in seminars, and interacting with each other and the resident faculty and research staff. The Center facilities on the Stanford campus include offices and cubicles. Fellows have access to Stanford libraries as well as exercise facilities.
Housing is not provided; however, fellows can be referred to Stanford’s housing information resources.
Program Requirements
Application Materials
Applicants must submit:
- Completed application form
- Letter of application (no more than 3 typed pages)
- Current curriculum vitae (CV)
- Statement of proposed research (5-10 pages)
- Complete set of transcripts (undergraduate and graduate)
- Three confidential letters of recommendation
- Official Ph.D. transcript
All application materials, including recommendations, must be in English. Electronic transcripts must originate from the university registrar’s office via a secure site formally linked to the sending institution and should be sent to [email protected].
Note: If attending a university that does not issue transcripts to doctoral students, have the university send a certificate to [email protected] stating doctoral candidacy status.
Eligibility
Pre-doctoral fellows must be currently enrolled in a doctoral program or equivalent through the time of intended residency at Stanford, and must be at the dissertation write-up (post-coursework) phase of their doctoral program.
Post-doctoral fellows must have earned their Ph.D. within 3 years of the start of the fellowship, or plan to have successfully defended their Ph.D. dissertations by July 31, 2026.
Gerhard Casper Fellow in Rule of Law for 2026-27
The Center welcomes applications for the Gerhard Casper Fellow in Rule of Law as part of the general fellowship competition. Applicants interested in this fellowship should indicate their focus on rule of law research in their application materials.
Application Details
Important Dates
- Application Opens: Monday, September 22, 2025
- Application Deadline: Thursday, December 4, 2025 at 5:00 PM PST
- Notification: Mid-February 2026
All application materials, including three letters of recommendation, must be received by the deadline.
Online Submission System
Applications are submitted through SlideRoom. Once a request for recommendation has been submitted via SlideRoom, recommenders will receive an email notification with a unique link to upload their letters directly to the system.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all materials, including letters of reference, are received by Thursday, December 4, 2025.
Important: Once the application form has been submitted, no changes can be made. Applicants should review all information carefully before submitting.
Contact Us
For questions about the fellowship program, please contact:
Email: [email protected]
Applicants will be notified regarding the status of their applications in mid-February 2026.
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