Recent college graduates face a difficult job market across the board as companies slow their hiring in an uncertain economy. It can be daunting to throw your application into the ring alongside more experienced workers rejoining the labor market after tech layoffs. But there is an alternative to scrolling job boards! Technology fellowships can be a great resource to help you gain further experience and mentorship and help college grads land a tech job.
The following tech fellowships are designed to help boost early-career technologists as they enter the industry. Whether you’re interested in product management, UI/UX design, software development, data analysis, tech journalism, cyber security, tech entrepreneurship, or science and technology policy, there is an opportunity on this list for you.
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Venture for America Fellows
Venture for America is a two-year fellowship program designed for recent college graduates keen on entrepreneurship and dynamic startup environments. VFA Fellows undergo a rigorous selection process to secure full-time, salaried positions with vetted company partners across U.S. cities featuring burgeoning startup ecosystems. Post-placement, Fellows receive intensive training from business leaders and entrepreneurs to build essential skills for success in a startup setting and as potential founders. Throughout their fellowship, they gain mentorship, ongoing training, and access to the nationwide VFA community.
Want to learn more about being a Venture For America Fellow? Read about Fellow Jack Fritzinger’s experience here.
Blue Ridge Labs Fellowship
The Blue Ridge Labs Fellowship is an immersive 18-week program dedicated to improving the lives of New Yorkers experiencing poverty. Candidates can apply to four key roles: expert, engineer, product manager, or UI/UX designer. This opportunity is open to those with a background in technology, development, expertise in poverty-related issues, or lived experience combined with a passion for addressing the real challenges confronting impoverished communities. Fellows spend two months doing in-depth, community-centered research to define potential solutions. Subsequently, they have an additional two months to develop, test, and launch their ideas. The program offers a full-time stipend of $25,000, health insurance coverage, and a dedicated research budget.
Civic Digital Fellowship
The Civic Digital Fellowship is a 10-week, paid summer program designed for early-career technologists. Fellows actively engage in software engineering, data analysis, design, and product management to shape policies, enhance systems, and fortify products in service to the American people. This fellowship places technologists in remote positions within the federal government, with an orientation held in Washington, D.C., and the potential for host office visits during the program’s first week.
Google News Initiative Student Fellowship
The Google News Initiative Student Fellowship is a platform for students intrigued by the intersection of journalism and technology. It offers a 10-week summer opportunity to work with relevant organizations worldwide, gain valuable experience, and establish lasting connections. Fellows receive a stipend and a travel budget to support their participation in the program, which runs from June to August. This fellowship is available in multiple countries, including the U.S., U.K., South Korea, Germany, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Ireland, with deadlines and eligibility criteria varying by location.
Hack.Diversity Technology Fellowship for Minorities
The Hack.Diversity Technology Fellowship is an 8-month career development initiative aimed at empowering Black, Latinx, and underrepresented tech talent to enter and advance in roles such as software engineering, IT, and data analysis within the Boston innovation economy. Hack.Diversity Fellows receive a range of benefits, including hands-on technical project experience, job application and technical interview skills, industry exposure, mentorship from seasoned professionals, and access to interviews for paid summer internship opportunities, among other valuable offerings.
Judicial Innovation Fellowship (JIF)
The Judicial Innovation Fellowship (JIF) is an 11-month program inviting technology leaders to pioneer justice reform across state, local, territorial, and tribal courts. Each fellowship placement is unique, with a different project and in a different court. Ideal candidates are mission-driven technologists, designers, data scientists, and product experts with at least two years of experience in a relevant field. Fellows can expect salary bands ranging from $85,000 to $100,000, alongside other benefits.
Code2040 Fellows Program
The Code2040 Fellows Program offers a dynamic 9-week summer career accelerator for students spanning June to August. During this intensive experience, participants intern at top-tier tech companies, partake in career-building sessions and engage in racial equity advocacy work. Applicants must be undergraduate or graduate students preparing to return to school in the fall, have coding experience, attend a U.S. college or university, demonstrate leadership potential, self-identify as Black and/or Latinx, and advocate for racial equity in the tech industry.
Kapor Fellows Venture Capital Program
The Kapor Fellows Venture Capital Program is dedicated to accelerating the entry of underrepresented individuals into tech companies, venture capital, and tech-driven entrepreneurship. This cohort-based model brings together professionals from various career stages and industries, fostering mutual learning and mentorship. Fellows have the opportunity to participate in industry events throughout the summer and are provided with a living wage during the 10-week program, including essential tech equipment as needed.
National Security Institute Technologist Fellowship
The NSI Technologist Fellowship is a recruitment program that assembles technologists nationwide, equipping them with essential tools for effective engagement with policymakers in both legislative and executive branches on cyber issues. Fellows engage with leading cyber experts and national security policymakers during this year-long program, featuring 4 multi-day sessions held in Washington, D.C., and another major city. Fellows receive coverage for travel and accommodation expenses.
STPI’s Policy Fellowship Program
The STPI’s Policy Fellowship Program is a two-year fellowship that offers recipients a unique opportunity to leverage their critical thinking and analytical skills to address diverse challenges in science and technology (S&T) policy areas. Fellows collaborate on research for critical entities like the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) within the President’s Executive Office and other federal government organizations. Applicants who have recently earned a bachelor’s degree are eligible for this paid, benefits-inclusive position.
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