Apply
Applications for the 2027 cohort.
We seek exceptional candidates with intellectual seriousness, evidence of initiative and a clear account of how financial support, rigorous study and practical exposure would change what they are able to pursue.
Dates
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Applications open | September 1, 2026 |
| Applications close | January 15, 2027, 2:00 pm ET |
| Fellows announced | April 2027 |
| Fellowship begins | Fall 2027 |
Eligibility
The fellowship is for students whose ability is greater than circumstances have yet allowed them to demonstrate.
Candidates may include students returning after an interruption; community-college and transfer students; students balancing education with work or family responsibility; immigrants and first-generation students; self-taught programmers seeking stronger mathematical foundations; and intellectually ambitious students moving between the humanities, mathematics and computational work. The full description is on the Fellowship page.
Difficulty alone is not a qualification. The fellowship looks for intellectual ability, seriousness, resilience, curiosity and evidence that the candidate will use the opportunity fully.
minimum-ageinternational-eligibility-counselenrollment-statusWhether Ramsey Theory Group employees and their relatives are excluded, and whether previous applicants may reapply.What the application includes
- Personal and educational history
- A statement of intellectual interests
- An explanation of the applicant's non-linear path or access gap
- Evidence of work: writing, code, research, models, projects or other artifacts
- A proposed use of the $60,000 allocation
- A description of what the applicant wants to study and build
- One academic or professional reference
- An optional contextual statement
Finalists are additionally invited to a short interview and to a working session or problem discussion.
Applicants are not expected to fit a single educational profile, and may demonstrate ability through varied evidence.
How applications are reviewed
- Eligibility and completeness review
- Independent substantive review by two readers
- Structured scoring against published criteria
- Finalist interview
- A practical or intellectual working session
- Conflict-of-interest review
- Final selection committee
- Written award and individualized support plan
Selection considers intellectual ability, discipline, evidence of initiative, the candidate's access gap, fit with the program and capacity to contribute. Candidates are not ranked by hardship: reviewers evaluate the relationship between demonstrated potential, objective constraints and what the fellowship can realistically change.
selection-committeeBegin an application
Applications open September 1, 2026.
The application is submitted through a secure platform. Applicants receive written confirmation on submission, and finalists are contacted directly.