Watson Fellowship: What to Know

Have you ever wanted to explore your passions for a year in multiple countries—and get paid for it?
Ursinus College is one of 41 different institutions eligible for the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. The fellowship, funded through the Watson Foundation, awards a stipend worth $40,000 to select graduating seniors. To be selected, students must propose a project and undergo an extensive interviewing process. The deadline for Ursinus juniors is April 14th. The Watson Fellowship was started in 1968. Per the Watson Foundation website, “fellows conceive original projects, execute them outside of the United States for one year and embrace the ensuing journey.” Barring extenuating circumstances, Watson Fellows will stay outside the U.S. for one consecutive year upon graduating from a participating undergraduate college.
During the year, students conduct their approved projects. Students must apply through their partnered institution first and, if selected within that institution, apply among the pool of students through all partnered colleges. For Ursinus, applicants must submit a personal and project statement—each in less than 1200 words—to detail their vision for the project. While there are specifics to consider logistically, the project ideas themselves are very open and do not have to be academic-related. Past projects included studying how yogurt is produced in various countries, bicycle culture, biodiversity, and more.
The deadline for this year’s class is April 14th. Dr. Talia Argondezzi, the Director for Center for Writing & Speaking, is Ursinus’s Watson Coordinator and can be contacted at targondezzi@ursinus.edu. Per their website, the Watson Fellowship includes a $40,000 stipend, health insurance, and twelve months payment (or equivalent) toward certain student loans. Additional benefits for specific candidate demographics are available on their website at watson.foundation.
Ursinus College has produced a number of Watson Fellows in recent years. In the past four years, four Watson Fellows were selected from Ursinus: Paige Bristow ‘23, Joey Nolan ‘24, Bryson Bugdon ‘25 and, most recently, Lucy Bamford ‘26.