Prepare & Submit Fellowship Application

How to prepare

Information to Prepare

• Have the following information on-hand to submit as the application prompts: contact information; education; unofficial transcripts; post-graduate training and skills; work and volunteer experience; publications, presentations, and grants; honors and awards.
• Personal Statement: Respond to the personal statement prompts (300 word limit per prompt)

Materials to Prepare

Standardized Letters of Recommendation

Identify three people to complete the standardized letters of recommendation on your behalf following the guidelines in this section. You will be prompted to enter their email addresses and other contact information in the application system.

• All three standardized letters of recommendation are required from people familiar with your academic achievements, aspirations, personal qualities, and professional attributes.
• Two of the three standardized letters of recommendation must be completed by people who are not currently employed at the CDC.
• Applicants who are currently employed at CDC (including ORISE and other fellows) may submit a fourth standardized letter of recommendation from a current CDC employee, resulting in two forms from CDC employees and two from non-CDC employees.
• Recommenders should typically be current or former supervisors or professors. Do not request letters of recommendation from peers or friends.
• Recommendations must be written in English.
• Let recommenders know you are requesting a recommendation and tell them to expect an email with a link to the online form that they should use to complete the standardized letter of recommendation.
• Traditional narrative letters of recommendation and Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPE) (Dean's letter format) are not accepted.
• Please do not submit more than three letters (or 4 if you are a CDC employee).
• If recommenders have technical issues with the recommendation email or link, email eisapplication@cdc.gov.

Transcripts

Your application requires copies of unofficial transcripts for all earned degrees or qualifying degrees in progress.

• You will be prompted in the online application to enter your college/university education information, which will allow you to attach a PDF version of your unofficial transcripts.
• Transcripts must be in English or translated to English and must, state your degree of study, courses taken, earned grades, and graduation date if the degree has been conferred.
• If you earned your qualifying degree at a non-U.S. institution, you must also provide an academic credentialing evaluation. You may choose the evaluation agency of your choice. The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services includes many agencies available for this type of service.
• If any academic institutions you attended are unable to issue your transcripts, you must contact the EIS program via email at EISapplication@cdc.gov for further instructions.
• Transcripts and other proof of degree completion will not be returned to you.
• Do not upload high school transcripts.
• If your degree requires a completed thesis or dissertation, you must have defended your thesis or dissertation on or before March 31 of the year your EIS fellowship begins, and you will need to submit your transcripts with conferred degree as soon as they become available.
• If you are accepted into the program, CDC must receive your official transcript directly from the institution by January 31 of the year entering EIS. Official transcript(s)are required only for qualifying degrees as listed on the EIS eligibility) web page.

Active, Unrestricted U.S. Clinical License

• You will be prompted in the online application to enter your license information, which will allow you to attach a PDF version of your license copy.
• Veterinarians graduating between the application deadline and July 1st will be asked to provide their U.S. license by September 1 of the application year.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for Non-U.S. Citizens and Non-U.S. Permanent Residents

See the EIS TOEFL Requirement [216 KB, 2 Pages] to learn about the TOEFL criteria for scores and exemptions, as well as submission instructions.

• If you are not exempt from the TOEFL requirements, you will need to upload your TOEFL scores in the application system.
• If you believe that your exemption status is incorrect, please contact the EIS program via email at EISapplication@cdc.gov

How to apply

Submit your application and supporting materials by the deadline.

• Access the online application.
  • You may enter information in the online application before or at the same time as uploading supporting materials. Be sure to save your application if doing these steps separately.
• Enter email addresses of the people who will write standardized letters of recommendation.
  • Confirm that recommendation writers receive the system-generated email.
  • Follow-up to ensure letters are submitted by the deadline. You can use the "Remind" feature in the application system.
• Enter the required information for each college/university to upload unofficial transcripts.
• If you are applying in a clinical category, upload a copy of your active, unrestricted, U.S. license to practice a clinical specialty.
• Upload TOEFL scores as proof of English-language proficiency, unless exempt.
• Submit your application after completing the online application and uploading all required materials. You will not be able to make changes after submitting your application except to update your contact information.
  • You will receive emails confirming receipt of your application and providing updates on the status of your application.