Program Information

Welcome to the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program and congratulations on being selected as a fellow at Boston University, we cannot wait for you to join us!

The Humphrey Fellowship brings talented professionals from designated countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Eurasia to the U.S. for a year of study and professional experience. Fellows are chosen based on their potential for national leadership and commitment to public service, in either the public or private sector. The central goal of the program is to recruit individuals who will have an impact on the national development of their country.

The program was initiated in 1978 to honor the memory and accomplishments of the late Senator and Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey. The first group of Humphrey Fellows, 27 mid-career professionals from 24 countries, were chosen to come to the United States in 1978 and studied at 11 different U.S. institutions. Since 1978, more than 4,600 Fellows from 157 countries have participated in the program at more than 40 universities.

Boston University, founded in 1839, has been honored to continuously serve as a host campus since the Program’s inception in 1978, and so far has hosted nearly 500 Fellows from over 120 countries.

Under the guidance of program coordinators and faculty advisors, Fellows pursue individualized programs of graduate-level coursework, independent research, special seminars and colloquia, and six-week, professional internships related to their respective fields of specialization in government agencies, academic institutions, private organizations, and corporations.

The program’s goal is to encourage leadership in fields critical to the engagement of the United States with countries around the world. It is through this that a fellow can establish ties with professional counterparts in the US and other countries, promoting an exchange of knowledge and mutual understanding throughout the world. With an emphasis on public policy, leadership, and management, the program provides Fellows professional learning opportunities with the purpose of achieving the following goals:

  • To provide academic training, professional expertise, and improved understanding of the United States to program participants;
  • To provide opportunities for the fellows to interact with American professional counterparts and the U.S. public at the local level, which provides the basis for long-term cooperation between U.S. citizens and professionals throughout the developing world; and
  • To provide leadership training to young and mid-career professionals from the developing world, equipping participants with skills to lead in public service when they return to their home countries.

Boston University will also try to fulfill the following goals, in addition to the goals of the program:

  • To provide an environment where the Fellows can grow, both personally and professionally, and prepare them properly for future leadership in his or her country;
  • To provide connections that enable exchange between Fellows, colleagues, Boston University staff and faculty, students and the community of Boston as a whole; and
  • To provide the Fellows the information and context to better understand the diversity and background of the U.S. in all realms from politics to culture.