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The Hertz Fellowship, awarded by the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation, funds up to five years of doctoral study for students in the applied physical sciences, biological sciences, mathematics, and engineering, at a value of up to $250,000 per fellow. What distinguishes it administratively from most other national doctoral fellowships is not the funding structure but the selection process: where the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) and NIH F31 make award decisions primarily from written applications, the Hertz Fellowship runs two separate rounds of live interviews before any award is made. For research administrators and faculty advisors guiding a student toward this fellowship, that interview structure — not the essay — is the part of the process that most changes how a candidate should prepare. See also the Grants Management & Research Funding pillar and CASRAI’s guide to NIH F30/F31/F32/F33 fellowships for the federal comparison point referenced throughout this guide.
At a glance
| Sponsor | Fannie and John Hertz Foundation (private, non-federal) |
| Eligible fields | Applied physical sciences, biological sciences, mathematics, and engineering (PhD programs only — not terminal master’s or professional degrees) |
| Citizenship | US citizens or permanent residents (non-citizens must document proof of citizenship application or a permanent resident card by the interview stage) |
| Career stage | College seniors, first-year graduate students, or applicants in a gap year before PhD enrollment; exceptions considered case by case beyond first-year graduate status |
| Award value | Up to five years of funding, valued at up to $250,000 per fellow, plus the foundation’s “Freedom to Innovate” model, which lets fellows choose their advisor and research direction without the funding being tied to a specific grant |
| Fellows selected | Up to 25 new fellows per year, chosen through the process described below |
| Distinguishing feature | Two rounds of live interviews (virtual, then in-person) rather than a written-application-only decision |
| Unusual eligibility condition | Applicants must make a stated “moral commitment” to make their skills available to the United States in times of national emergency |
Last verified 2026-08-16 against the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation’s own published fellowship pages (hertzfoundation.org). Application cycle dates below reflect the 2026–2027 cycle as published at time of verification and should be reconfirmed each year, since fellowship timelines shift year to year.
Eligibility requirements
Before any interview stage is reached, an applicant must meet all of the following, as published by the Hertz Foundation:
- Citizenship or permanent residency in the United States. Applicants with a pending citizenship application or permanent resident status must be able to document that status by the interview stage.
- Enrollment stage: college seniors, first-year graduate students, or applicants taking a gap year before starting a PhD program are the intended pool; the foundation notes exceptional cases beyond first-year graduate status are considered individually.
- Field of study: the PhD program must be in the applied physical sciences, biological sciences, mathematics, or engineering — the foundation does not fund fellowships in the humanities, social sciences, or clinical/medical degree programs.
- The “moral commitment” clause: applicants must affirm a willingness to make their skills available to the United States in times of national emergency. This condition is distinctive to Hertz among major doctoral fellowships and traces to the foundation’s origin as a defense-industry-linked philanthropy; it is a values commitment stated in the application, not a service obligation with contractual terms attached to the award itself.
The interview-driven selection process
The Hertz Fellowship’s selection process runs through four stages, based on the foundation’s own published 2026–2027 cycle timeline:
| Stage | Timing (2026–2027 cycle) | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Application & references due | Late October 2026 (application); November 2026 (references) | Full written application submitted, including required references; this is the only stage most other fellowships stop at. |
| Preselection | November 2026 | The foundation reviews applications and references and selects applicants who advance to first-round interviews. |
| Round 1 interviews | December 2026 – January 2027 | Conducted virtually (via video call). The foundation’s public materials confirm the format is virtual but do not publish interviewer identities or a detailed rubric. |
| Round 2 interviews | February 2027 | In-person interviews for finalists who advance beyond round 1. Again, the foundation does not publish a detailed public rubric for this round. |
| Fellows notified | April 2027 | Final fellowship decisions communicated to applicants. |
Two things are worth flagging plainly for anyone advising a candidate through this process. First, the foundation’s own public-facing pages (application overview and FAQ) confirm the two-round, virtual-then-in-person structure and the broad monthly windows above, but do not publish specifics on interview length, panel composition, or scoring criteria — treat any account of exact interview content as informal, not official. Second, unlike a single admissions or review-panel interview, advancing to round 2 already means clearing both a written-application review and a full round of live technical interviews, which is a meaningfully higher bar than a single interview gate.
How this differs from NSF GRFP and NIH F31 selection
Research administrators comparing doctoral fellowship options for a student should weigh the selection mechanism, not just the award value, since it changes how a candidate spends their preparation time:
| Dimension | Hertz Fellowship | NSF GRFP | NIH F31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsor type | Private foundation | Federal (NSF) | Federal (NIH) |
| Core selection instrument | Written application plus two rounds of live interviews | Written application and reference letters only — no interview | Written application, reviewed by an NIH study section — no interview |
| Eligible fields | Applied physical/biological sciences, math, engineering PhD only | Broad STEM and some social/behavioral science fields | Biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research aligned with an NIH institute’s mission |
| Citizenship | US citizen or permanent resident | US citizen, national, or permanent resident | US citizen or permanent resident |
| Typical value | Up to $250,000 over up to 5 years | $37,000/year stipend + cost-of-education allowance, up to 3 years of support | Stipend + tuition/fees per NIH’s published F31 tables, up to 5 years depending on award |
See CASRAI’s NSF GRFP personal statement guide and NIH F30/F31/F32/F33 explainer for how those two written-application processes work end to end, and the F31 vs. F32 comparison for the predoctoral/postdoctoral distinction within the NIH fellowship series. Because Hertz is privately funded, it does not appear in NSF GRFP or F31 eligibility rules, and a student can generally hold a Hertz Fellowship alongside or in sequence with a federal fellowship offer, subject to each program’s own concurrent-support rules — confirm current stacking rules directly with each sponsor before assuming compatibility, since these rules change and are not something CASRAI can verify as a static fact.
Frequently asked questions
How many interview rounds does the Hertz Fellowship have?
Two. The Hertz Foundation’s published 2026–2027 cycle runs a virtual first round in December 2026–January 2027, followed by an in-person second round in February 2027 for finalists who advance beyond round 1.
Is the Hertz Fellowship interview virtual or in person?
Both, at different stages: round 1 is virtual (video call), and round 2, for finalists only, is in person.
Who is eligible for the Hertz Fellowship?
US citizens or permanent residents who are college seniors, first-year PhD students, or in a gap year before starting a PhD, in the applied physical sciences, biological sciences, mathematics, or engineering. Applicants must also affirm a moral commitment to make their skills available to the United States in times of national emergency.
How much funding does the Hertz Fellowship provide?
Up to five years of funding valued at up to $250,000 per fellow, awarded under the foundation’s “Freedom to Innovate” model, which lets the fellow choose their own advisor and research direction rather than tying funding to a specific grant or project.
How many Hertz Fellowships are awarded each year?
The foundation states it selects up to 25 new fellows annually. It does not publicly publish the total number of applicants or an acceptance rate, so treat any specific selectivity percentage you see elsewhere as unofficial unless it cites the foundation directly.
Does the Hertz Fellowship application require an interview like a job interview, or is it more like an oral exam?
The Hertz Foundation’s own materials confirm the two-round, virtual-then-in-person structure but do not publish a detailed rubric or describe interview content in official terms. Applicants should rely on the foundation’s own Application Help and FAQ resources, and current or former fellows’ firsthand accounts, for interview-preparation specifics rather than treating any secondhand description as official.
Sources: Fannie and John Hertz Foundation, hertzfoundation.org — fellowship overview, “Apply” timeline page, and Application Help FAQ (all verified 2026-08-16). Application cycle dates are specific to the 2026–2027 cycle as published by the foundation at verification time; confirm current-year dates directly with the foundation before relying on them for a live application.
