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The entire process from pressing submit to landing your Fellowship offer can take up to 10 weeks. We appreciate the time and effort candidates devote to the process and work diligently to return the favor with careful consideration.

No. Fellows need to be able to attend Training Camp full-time in July. We require that all applicants expect to graduate by June at the latest. If you graduate after June please apply for our next Class.

Yes, as long as you’re still within three years of graduating from college. Our Fellowship is designed for recent graduates (meaning graduating seniors, those a year or two into their careers, or graduate students with a year or two of advanced schooling). Our training, mentorship, and job opportunities are targeted to entry-level talent, so if you have three or more years of professional experience or advanced schooling, this Fellowship might not be the best fit.

No. You don’t have to be a programmer or a business major to be a great Fellow. In fact, most Fellows work in non-technical roles.

All kinds of skills can translate into success at a startup job, as long as you’re ready to try new things and learn on the go. If you’ve been a leader on campus, gained skills at internships or jobs, and care about finding a career where you make an impact, we encourage you to apply!

All applicants must be a US Citizen, Permanent Resident, or DACA Recipient.

Our final round interviews, Selection Days, will be all-day virtual events for all of our deadlines.

If you are absolutely unable to attend a Selection Day due to study abroad, active military service, etc., please reach out to the Selection Team at selection@ventureforamerica.org for alternative interview options.

Our criteria remain the same for every deadline, but Fellows who join early will get the chance to begin interacting with other Fellows right away.

They’re also able to immediately start connecting with our Team and start preparing for Connect – the process through which they’ll find their jobs. Regardless of the deadline, we’re there to support Fellows in their preparation for this experience.

The different deadlines exist because people find out about the program and are ready to apply at different times; we want to accommodate the early birds and the latecomers!

It should also be noted that the admissions process is identical for each deadline.

Each application is carefully reviewed by a Venture For America Team Member, Fellow, and/or Alumni. As we care deeply about ensuring equity in our process, a committee of expert interviewers review all decisions at each stage. As candidates move forward in the process, we collectively weigh in on each decision so that your candidacy may be considered from as many perspectives as possible.

Though Venture For America has traditionally been highly selective, candidates who apply earlier have a better chance of being selected into the program. There is no set number of expected Fellows per Class.

If you’re accepted, and have a reasonable need for an extension, VFA is generally able to offer decision extensions within a reasonable time frame. You may request an extension from a member of the Talent Team.

Venture For America allows one-year deferrals for unique and extenuating circumstances (ie. a 2023 Fellow requests to become a 2024 Fellow). Approved requests for deferral would grant re-entry into the Fellowship the following year, but we may not approve all deferral requests.

You may only apply for the Fellowship once during the same season. Our season runs from July of the current year to March of the following year.

However, if you remain interested, we welcome you to reapply the following year. We know that you may have grown personally and professionally in that time and would love to hear from you again.

Unlike many Fellowship programs, we don’t place Fellows in specific roles. Instead, we help Fellows find the right fit based on their skill sets and career goals. Connect is our online community and private job portal for incoming Fellows to connect with startups, who we call Company Partners. Through Connect, we simplify the startup job search process, but make no mistake – it is still a job search. Fellows are responsible for driving their search, with us to support them along the way.

Support includes sourcing Company Partners for hundreds of opportunities across our cities, providing feedback on resumes and cover letters, connecting Fellows with companies, and more.

Our focus is for Fellows to develop an entrepreneurial mindset based on our five Credos. This mindset is exercised and developed through our programming pillars of ideate, validate, and demonstrate.

Learning how to identify ideas, test solutions, and solve problems is critical to driving growth and innovation whether you’re leading or supporting that business idea. These programs also provide a training ground for Fellows to sharpen competencies such as spotting opportunities, mobilizing resources, planning and management, and learning through experience.

As they navigate their experience, we continue to support Fellows through coaching sessions tailored to assist them in effectively leveraging our programming, resources, and connections for their Fellowship journey.

After two years on the job, Fellows have the opportunity to continue working at their startup and grow into a leadership role. While many Fellows stay at their startup, others depart to work at another company or start their own business. Alumni have access to a network of mentors, our Accelerator program, fundraising opportunities, professional development, and other support resources.