AT

Atlas Fellowship

Global

by Atlas Fellowship

The Atlas Fellowship gives $10,000 scholarships and an intensive two-week program to exceptional high school students who want to think rigorously about the world's most important problems.

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Funding

$10,000 scholarship + program

Duration

2-week program + ongoing community

Geography

Global

Eligibility

Open to high school students and early college students worldwide, typically aged 15–19. No academic prerequisites. Must demonstrate strong reasoning ability and curiosity about global priorities.

Application

Annual

Deadline

Typically early spring

AI & Machine LearningScience & ResearchEducationLeadershipAny Field

About This Fellowship

The Atlas Fellowship is a program for high school students (and occasionally early college students) who are deeply curious about the world and want to develop the skills to think clearly about the most important problems facing humanity. Each fellow receives a $10,000 scholarship and participates in an intensive two-week summer program focused on rigorous reasoning, calibrated forecasting, and effective problem-solving.

The fellowship grew out of the effective altruism and rationality communities, and the curriculum reflects those intellectual traditions. Sessions cover topics like Bayesian reasoning, expected value calculations, cognitive biases, AI safety, biosecurity, global health, and moral philosophy. The goal is not to indoctrinate fellows into any particular worldview, but to give them the conceptual tools to reason well about complex, high-stakes questions.

Beyond the summer program, Atlas fellows join a global community of intellectually ambitious young people. Many go on to attend top universities, start organizations, conduct research in AI safety or global health, or pursue other high-impact careers. The $10,000 scholarship is unrestricted and can be used for education, projects, or any other purpose.

What You Get

The Atlas Fellowship combines direct financial support with an intensive educational program and a lasting intellectual community.

  • $10,000 unrestricted scholarship paid directly to the fellow
  • An all-expenses-paid two-week summer program at a top university campus
  • Curriculum covering rigorous reasoning, forecasting, AI safety, global priorities, and moral philosophy
  • Mentorship from researchers and practitioners working on global catastrophic risks
  • A global community of Atlas fellows connected through events, retreats, and online forums
  • Opportunities for follow-on funding and support for projects that emerge from the fellowship

Selection Process

Atlas selects for intellectual curiosity and reasoning ability, not academic credentials or extracurricular achievements.

  • The application includes short essays and aptitude questions designed to test reasoning
  • Semifinalists complete additional assessments, which may include logic puzzles and calibration exercises
  • Finalists are invited to a virtual or in-person interview with the Atlas team
  • Selection emphasizes clarity of thought, intellectual honesty, and genuine curiosity
  • Typically 100–150 fellows are selected each year from thousands of applicants
  • No minimum GPA, test scores, or school prestige required

How to Apply

Applications open annually, usually in early spring. The process is entirely free and takes about 1–2 hours to complete.

  • Visit atlasfellowship.org when applications open (usually January–March)
  • Complete the online application, which includes essay questions and reasoning exercises
  • Applicants are typically high school students aged 15–19
  • No recommendation letters or transcripts are required in the initial application
  • Results are announced on a rolling basis, with the summer program typically in June or July
  • International students are welcome and travel costs are covered

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