U.S. visa rules push Ivorian applicants to online UC Berkeley fellowship

The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) has opened applications for its 2027/2028 Fellowship Program, a 16-week programme for African researchers and practitioners who want to build skills in impact evaluation. Fellows spend the period either in residence at the University of California, Berkeley, or participating online, and applications close on 17 January 2027 at 5 PM GMT.

U.S. visa rules shape who can take which format. Applicants from Côte d'Ivoire and 15 other countries currently subject to U.S. visa restrictions are given priority for the non-resident, online track, while the in-person residency is open only to nationalities eligible for a J-1 visa.

Key facts

• Deadline: 17 January 2027, 5 PM GMT.
• Duration: 16 weeks, in person at UC Berkeley or online.
• Timing: Fall 2027 (August to December) or Spring 2028 (January to May).
• Places: 7 fellows in the Practitioner Track and 4 in the Academic Track.
• Support: a stipend for all fellows; resident fellows also receive flights, accommodation, meals, visa fees and health insurance.
• Basic eligibility: nationals of East or West African countries with at least a Master's degree.

What does the fellowship offer?

Selected fellows audit tailored coursework, develop skills in quantitative development research, work with a faculty mentor and a PhD peer partner, and expand their research networks. Both tracks accept work in any area of economic development, including agriculture, financial inclusion, gender, technology for development, and energy and climate change.

All fellows receive a monetary stipend for miscellaneous expenses, but CEGA does not provide a salary for their time. Resident fellows additionally get roundtrip flights, accommodation, meals, visa fees and health insurance for the fellowship period, and may be sponsored to visit other university campuses. Fellows must arrange leave, with or without pay, from their university or organisation. The amount of the stipend is not stated.

How do U.S. visa rules affect applicants?

Resident fellows must be from a country eligible for a J-1 visa under current U.S. visa requirements: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles and Uganda. CEGA notes that this list may change based on U.S. regulations.

For non-resident fellows, priority is given to applicants from countries currently subject to U.S. visa restrictions: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Who can apply?

Applicants must be fluent in English, written and spoken, and be strong communicators. They must be from an East or West African country and have completed at least up to secondary school education in an African institution. They must also hold at least a Master's degree, be currently enrolled in a PhD, or have completed a PhD within the last 8 years in economics, political science, statistics, epidemiology or public health, or another social science discipline.

Fellows must plan to return to an institution in East or West Africa after the programme. Those currently enrolled in a PhD outside the African continent may complete the doctorate before returning.

The Practitioner Track is aimed at professionals working for an NGO, think tank or government ministry in East or West Africa who want to progress to more senior roles and who use or promote evidence to improve economic and social well-being. The Academic Track is for early-career scholars: doctoral students or holders of a staff position at a university or research institution, preferably one supporting policy-relevant quantitative social science research, who are ready to develop their own research proposal or join a faculty research project.

How do I apply?

Applicants select one preferred track in the application and state whether they wish to be a Resident fellow, in person at UC Berkeley, or a Non-Resident fellow, online, along with their preferred term. CEGA's Request for Applications sets out the programme details.

What this means for travellers

Researchers from Côte d'Ivoire and the other countries listed as subject to U.S. visa restrictions should plan for the online format, since the in-person residency is reserved for J-1 visa-eligible nationalities. Anyone considering the residency should check whether their country appears on the J-1 list before applying, and keep in mind CEGA's warning that the list may change with U.S. regulations.

Applications must be submitted by 5 PM GMT on 17 January 2027. The fellowship terms run from August to December 2027 or from January to May 2028.