Dunn Fellowship - Eligibility and Selection Process

Eligibility and Selection Process

Selection of each incoming class of Dunn Fellows is highly competitive. Applicants typically demonstrate strong performance in areas of academic achievement, community leadership and involvement, extracurricular activities, and career development. While there is no minimum GPA to apply, successful candidates normally appear in the upper percentiles of their graduating classes.

Minimum criteria for applying to the Dunn Fellowship Program are as follows:

• Have completed at least a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited university by the time of the start of the program (August 1 of each year).
• Be a recent college graduate (or have recently completed graduate school). While there is no time limit defining "recent," the program is designed for graduates who have recently finished their college education.
• Be legally allowed to work in the State of Illinois.
• Complete the application packet.

There are no preferences to academic majors or programs of study when considering candidates for fellowships. However, certain programs tend to offer training and experience in areas valuable to fellows. Successful candidates usually have participated in programs that encourage academic rigor, analytical analysis, public policy research, and critical thinking.

After the application deadline has passed, senior members of the Governor's Office and Illinois Department of Central Management Services, Personnel Division will review applications and select approximately 50 candidates for in-person interviews. Fellowships will be awarded shortly after interviews are completed. Approximately 19 fellowships are awarded each year.