Polymath Fellowship
Logistics & Details
Jump below to: Who Is This For? | Fellowship Details | Academic Calendar | Tuition
The headlines
Application
The application cycle for the 2025-26 cohort consists of 3 rounds. You can choose to apply in any of the 3.
Round 1 application due on/before 11:59pm EDT Tues. October 29
Round 2 application due on/before 11:59pm EST Tues. January 7
Round 3 application due on/before 11:59pm EST Tues. March 4
You can only apply once per cycle. Applicants will be notified of a decision no later than 2 months after the deadline of the round in which they applied.
The application asks for basic demographics and your answers to 3 essay questions. You should plan to spend at least 2 hours on the application – most of which will likely be spent on 2 essays – maybe more depending on your ability to succinctly and effectively respond to the essay prompts. You will also be asked to identify a specific problem you want to work on, and to name or describe people who you’d like to serve as your mentors.
This fellowship is for individuals who already have at least a bachelor’s degree. Selection committees will evaluate your application specifically for curiosity, impact, and fit.
Selection
All finalists will be interviewed virtually, and will be asked to submit financial information (if you wish to be considered for need-based financial aid) and references as a condition for interviewing.
Once Selected
The fellowship begins August 26, 2025 and you will be required to spend a 4 day orientation in Chicago from September 5-8, 2025. The rest of the program is remotely delivered on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
Tuition is $9,500 before financial aid. A $500 deposit is due two weeks after selection. Half of the remainder is paid before the first course in August 2025, and the final half is paid before courses start in January 2026. Please don’t let finances be a barrier to applying. We have a limited amout of need-based financial aid available.
For more specific questions, please consult our Frequently Asked Questions.
Who is this for?
Designed for early career professionals to develop their ability to operate across traditional silos and functions. Polymath Fellows likely work in roles that require them to think about systems and cause & effect for their team or organization, and are required to be skilled at project management and interpersonal communication.
When you’ve completed the fellowship, you will have significantly enhanced your ability to identify systems and design solutions that make those systems work better. You will be able to think critically, to solve complex problems, and understand how technology can be leveraged to generate positive impact for people without being the sole focus. Read more about the specific courses and learning outcomes of the fellowship curriculum.
The kinds of roles that Polymath Fellows will currently hold or aspire to serve in include Chief of Staff, Program Manager, Founder, or others – roles that position them to see across organizations and to think strategically about how people and projects drive outcomes. By the end of the fellowship, fellows will be more effective at creative and systems thinking, and will be better able to solve complex problems.
Fellowship details
Applicants will apply with a proposal for a “wicked problem”, a complex challenge for which a polymath approach is best suited (Read the science behind the value of polymaths). Polymath University will match each fellow with industry leaders serving as experts relevant to their challenge. For example, if a fellow wanted to work on removing contaminants from drinking water in Flint, Michigan, they may be matched with experts in chemistry, history, and public policy. Meet our mentors!
Fellows will then attend six courses designed to develop them as polymaths. Where being a polymath is about breadth, depth, and integration across disciplines, these courses will focus specifically on the skill of integration, a skill that can be applied in a wide range of contexts. Learn more about the curriculum.
Finally, Polymath Fellows will deliver their Impact Project, our version of a capstone project. Each project will be unique to the fellow. For some, it will be project presented to a senior leader within their organization, focused on a challenge that organization is working on. For others, it will be a project for an organization you don’t work for but for a cause that the fellow is passionate about. For others still, their impact project will be a moment of pivot, a launchpad to take your career in a direction toward more impact on a human-scale problem that keeps you awake at night.
Polymath Fellows will have developed the integration skill of being a polymath, and will benefit from an increased capacity for professional creativity and complex problem solving. Also benefit from the collaborative relationships among a cohort of polymathic oriented leaders and problem solvers across the country. Find some of the science behind the connection between these skills and increased performance.
“We have built a rigorous development program that empowers emerging leaders to make an impact on human-scale challenges.”
Academic Calendar
After the in-person orientation in Chicago where you will get to meet the cohort of Polymath Fellows along with mentors and professors, fellows will take part in courses remotely. Each class is delivered in 8 week blocks structured around a normal work week on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Learn more about the curriculum.
Block 1: August 26 - October 16, 2025
Introduction to Polymathy; Interdisciplinary Systems Thinking
Block 2: October 21 - December 11, 2025
Accelerating Impact with Technology
Block 3: January 6 - February 26, 2026
Leadership through Inquiry; Knowledge Translation
Block 4: March 10 - April 30, 2026
Human-Centered Design
Block 5: May 5 - June 23, 2026
Impact Project sprint (no courses, just check ins)
Tuition
$9,500 plus travel expenses to Chicago Sep 5-8, 2025 for orientation.
For Polymath Fellows that are supported by their employer, the tuition paid half in 2025 and half in 2026 qualifies for the educational assistance tax credit that has a limit of $5,250 annually under Section 127 of the IRS code. Learn more.
Financial aid and scholarships will be available on a limited basis. Please don’t let financial need prevent you from applying.
There is no cost to apply.
For more on tuition and financial aid, please read our Frequently Asked Questions.
