Knight-Bagehot Fellowship opens applications for 2026

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 7 January 2026 |  JP Global Monitoring Desk

The Knight-Bagehot Fellowship at Columbia Journalism School is accepting 2026 applications, offering journalists a year of full-time study in business, economics, finance and technology. The program covers tuition, health insurance and includes a stipend.

Summary

NEW YORK — The Knight-Bagehot Fellowship is accepting applications for its next cohort, offering experienced journalists an intensive opportunity to deepen their understanding of business, economics, finance, and technology through a year of full-time study at Columbia University.

Widely regarded as one of the most demanding programs in business journalism, the fellowship brings together a small group of mid-career journalists for two academic semesters at Columbia Journalism School, with most coursework taken at Columbia Business School.

Business and journalism training combined

Fellows enroll in core MBA-level classes, including corporate finance, accounting, and economics, while also selecting from advanced journalism courses such as investigative techniques, book writing, and data reporting. The curriculum is designed to strengthen both subject-matter expertise and reporting skills in complex economic and corporate fields.

In addition to classroom learning, fellows participate in weekly off-the-record seminars and dinners with leading journalists, entrepreneurs, and corporate executives, providing direct exposure to decision-makers and industry thinking.

Financial support and professional access

The program provides full tuition coverage, health insurance, and a monthly stipend of $7,800. Subsidized housing at Columbia is also available, reducing financial barriers for journalists who take time away from full-time newsroom roles.

Fellows also gain access to private weekly meetings with industry executives and can attend daily lectures and workshops featuring prominent journalists and business leaders across the university. Participation continues beyond the fellowship year through the Knight-Bagehot alumni network, which includes more than 400 former fellows working in news organizations worldwide.

The fellowship is named for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which established the program’s endowment, and Walter Bagehot, the 19th-century editor of The Economist. In addition to the endowment, the program relies on grants from charitable foundations, corporations, and publishing organizations for a significant portion of its annual budget.

The fellowship accepts up to 10 journalists each year. The application deadline for the 2026 cohort is January 31, 2026.

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ATTRIBUTION: Information based on publicly available materials from Columbia Journalism School and the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship program.

PHOTO: AI-generated; for illustrative purposes only

KEY POINTS:

• Applications open for the 2026 Knight-Bagehot Fellowship at Columbia.
• Year-long, full-time study combining Columbia Journalism School and Business School coursework.
• Core MBA-level classes include corporate finance, accounting and economics.
• Weekly off-the-record seminars and dinners with leading journalists, entrepreneurs and executives.
• The program provides full tuition, health insurance and a monthly stipend of $7,800.
• Subsidized housing and access to private industry meetings, lectures and workshops are available.