Policy Fellowship

The Policy Fellowship Program began in 2014 to engage current college students in the decisions that impact their ability to go to college. Each year, the policy fellows pursue the following goals: 

  • Design a policy agenda which advances educational equity for students who are most disadvantaged by the current system; 
  • Teach and inform policy makers using research, data, and analysis;
  • Train and lead board and staff to a deeper understanding of systemic inequity; and 
  • Partner with like-minded organizations to further policy agenda and improve outcomes. 

Since 2014, Policy Fellows have researched and advocated at the state level for increased need-based aid, divestment from merit-based aid, and scholarship/tuition equity for undocumented students. In 2015, The League of Student Advocates (then the Active Advocacy Coalition) was created and lived through 2022, to build upon and mobilize the efforts of college students. During the 2020 annual student meeting, Policy Fellows and student advocates laid the groundwork for a campus policy agenda. The Scholarship Foundation continues to pioneer student-led advocacy as a strategy to close the equity gaps that exist in higher education. 

Policy Fellows