Funding

Salary

Program dates

TBA

Fellowship•USA · Rosslyn

AJI Reporting Fellowship

Allbritton Journalism Institute

Application Deadline

Closed · February 18, 2026

Reopens ~Feb 2027

Official Page

The AJI Reporting Fellowship is a two-year salaried training programme run by the Allbritton Journalism Institute, a nonprofit founded with support from Robert Allbritton, the founding publisher of Politico. Fellows spend the programme doing two things at once: taking classes at the institute in Rosslyn, Virginia, just across the river from Washington, and working as reporters for NOTUS, AJI’s sister newsroom covering politics, policy and government. A new class starts every September and is paid US$60,000 a year for two years. The class of 2026-2028, announced in June 2026, took twelve fellows from more than 600 applicants and is the fourth class since the institute launched in May 2023. Prior journalism experience is not required — the institute says it wants applicants of all backgrounds who want to work in journalism and have a keen interest in policy and politics.

Benefits & funding

  • Salary of US$60,000 a year for two years.
  • Health insurance and other benefits, including paid time off.
  • US$1,500 relocation allowance to help with moving costs.
  • Tuition is covered by philanthropic donors; fellows pay nothing for the training.
  • A four-week immersion course at the start, covering the practical craft from ethics and newsgathering to writing and distribution.
  • After that, classwork alongside full reporting duties: seminars, weekly group critiques and mentorship from NOTUS editors and reporters. Instructors have included Tim Alberta of The Atlantic, DeNeen L. Brown and Josh Dawsey of The Washington Post, and Wesley Lowery.
  • Published bylines at NOTUS on politics, policy and government.
  • The formal programme runs 18 months; fellows are then invited to stay a further six months with support finding their next job. Recent fellows have gone on to Bloomberg, Politico, The Hill, the Miami Herald and The Baltimore Sun.

Eligibility

  • Open to applicants of all backgrounds who want to work in journalism and have a keen interest in policy and politics.
  • Prior journalistic experience is not required; recent graduates, career-changers and early-career journalists are all in scope.
  • No degree, age or nationality requirement is published.
  • The fellowship is strictly in person. Fellows must be in the Washington area for the whole programme and arrange their own housing and commute; the relocation allowance is the only help with moving.
  • The institute publishes no work-authorisation or visa-sponsorship policy. Because this is a salaried job in the United States, anyone who would need sponsorship should ask admissions@aji.org before applying.

Can you apply?

Open to all applicants

No nationality, residency, education, or experience limits are listed.

We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.

Application process

  1. 1
    Check the status first: the application for the class of 2026-2028 has closed, and the institute says it will reopen for the class of 2027-2029 later in 2026 without yet publishing the dates.
  2. 2
    Join the admissions notification list on AJI’s application page, which is the only way the institute announces key dates for the next cycle. Questions go to admissions@aji.org.
  3. 3
    Apply through AJI’s online application once the window opens. Past windows have run into late winter: the class of 2024-2026 closed at 11:59 p.m. ET on 4 March, with a Zoom information session two weeks earlier.
  4. 4
    Selection is competitive — the class of 2026-2028 took twelve places from more than 600 applications.
  5. 5
    The new class is announced in spring; the third class was named on 7 May 2025 and the fourth on 8 June 2026.
  6. 6
    The class begins that September with the four-week immersion course.

Program timeline

  1. 22 February 2024

    Zoom information session for the class of 2024-2026

  2. 4 March 2024

    application deadline for the class of 2024-2026, 11:59 p.m. ET

  3. 7 May 2025

    class of 2025-2027 announced, ten fellows

  4. 18 February 2026

    application deadline for the class of 2026-2028, the most recent round (aji.org no longer publishes this date)

  5. 8 June 2026

    class of 2026-2028 announced, twelve fellows

  6. September 2026

    class of 2026-2028 begins with the four-week immersion course

  7. Later in 2026

    applications open for the class of 2027-2029, exact date not yet published

  8. September 2027

    the class of 2027-2029 is expected to begin, as every class starts in September