A one-year program for graduate students from any university and discipline who are interested in public policy.
Applications are currently closed. Applications for the 2026-2027 academic year will open in the Fall of 2025.
Application review will begin after the deadline, and decisions will begin to be announced twelve or more weeks after the deadline.
The Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship is a one-year, competitive fellowship program awarded to graduate students attending master’s, juris doctoral, and doctoral programs in a variety of fields including economics, law, political science, and public policy.
The aim of this fellowship is to introduce students to the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy as academic foundations for contemporary policy analysis, policy-relevant academic research, and other applied topics. Fellows will explore how this framework is utilized for a variety of topics (including entrepreneurship, technological innovation, public health, regulation, immigration, natural disasters and military conflicts, and federal and state fiscal policy) during a series of colloquia where they will interact with Mercatus scholars that work on policy analysis and policy-relevant academic research. Fellows will join a network of Mercatus students, alumni, and scholars who are conducting and engaging with cutting edge research in contemporary political economy.
Students who meet all of the following 3 criteria are strongly encouraged to apply:
Yes. Acceptance to the program is conditional on enrollment in an accredited graduate program during the year of participation in the Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship.
To apply to the Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship, click the "Apply" button above or below, and complete the online application, including:
A 1-2 page cover letter explaining:
your graduate school career to date,
your research interests and current projects,
your familiarity with Mercatus scholars and their research, and
what you hope to get out of the program.
A current resume/CV
A few short answer questions
Application review will begin after the deadline, and decisions will begin to be announced twelve or more weeks after the deadline.
Yes. It is the responsibility of the applicant to determine whether work related to completing a dissertation, thesis, or going on the job market will interfere with full involvement in the program. Applicants who can commit to full participation in the program are strongly encouraged to apply.
Students that are enrolled in an accredited graduate program, including master’s, juris doctoral, and doctoral programs are strongly encouraged to apply. That includes, but is not limited to, MA, MPP, LLM, JD, and PhD degree programs.
Yes. Graduate students from any discipline who have an interest in the program are strongly encouraged to apply.
Any student of any nationality enrolled in any degree-seeking graduate program at any university, in the US or abroad, is eligible to apply for the Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship. The program will arrange and cover airfare, as well as lodging and meals associated with the fellowship.
Each fellow is responsible for making the appropriate verifications of their eligibility to receive funding from the Mercatus Center. Fellows should check with their home departments, international student offices, or private foundations (as appropriate) to verify their eligibility. Fellows are responsible for any applicable taxes on the honoraria provided through the Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship.
Frédéric Bastiat fellows are required to remain enrolled as a degree seeking graduate student throughout their participation in the Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship Program, attend and actively participate in all aspects of the scheduled program of events (i.e., four weekend colloquia) including meals, organized social activities, and online components; arrive on time and prepared for each colloquia session having carefully read the assigned reading in advance; and be honest, responsible, fair, and civil in all activities of the Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship Program.
The terms of the Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship carry with them the expectation that fellows will be substantially involved in the entirety of the formal colloquium schedule as well as the activities, including meals and hospitality that are scheduled as part of the conference program. This expectation exists because conversations about the readings and the discussions in the colloquium sessions invariably continue beyond the time allotted by the program schedule. We also strongly encourage the fellows to interact with each other and scholar participants, and to discuss their own and each other’s work and how it relates to the themes discussed in session. Consequently, in order to ensure that every fellow gets the most out of the experience, all fellows are required to lodge at the conference site and to be present for the entirety of the scheduled program.
Colloquium dates are subject to some variability. Exact dates will be confirmed during the summer preceding participation in the program.
For in-person weekend colloquia, fellows should plan to arrive at the conference hotel prior to 5pm on the Friday that commences the colloquium; fellows are free to leave at their convenience on Saturday afternoon when the colloquium adjourns.
Fellows are responsible for making sure the program has up to date contact information, including email and valid postal address. Readings will be distributed both by email and by post two months in advance of each colloquium.
Fellows may submit for reimbursement any conventional expenses associated with travel. These expenses include cab fare and mileage incurred by the fellow to and from home and the conference site, parking, and hotel accommodation in the event of travel delays. The program will arrange and cover airfare, as well as lodging and meals associated with the program.
Yes.
Yes. Fellowship recipients are eligible to re-apply to the Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship program each year of their studies. Doctoral students may also be eligible for the Adam Smith Fellowship, Oskar Morgenstern Fellowship, Elinor Ostrom Fellowship, and Don Lavoie Fellowship. Non-doctoral students may also be eligible for the Don Lavoie Fellowship.
Email [email protected] regarding general questions about the fellowship or questions about you application materials or application status.
