Job Description

Are you an undergraduate student journalist at a California college or university? Do you want to gain valuable experience covering higher education, work with other student journalists from around the state and see your stories published by CalMatters?

The CalMatters College Journalism Network is hiring fellows for our 2026-2027 cohort, which begins mid-August and runs through May.

We’re leading a new kind of higher education reporting, with student voices at the center. You will take part in joint reporting projects with other fellows, as well as cover stories on your own. And you’ll receive training in reporting, higher education policy and navigating the journalism industry.

Fellows devote an average of 10-12 hours per week to the remote fellowship, with a flexible schedule and a stipend of $1,200 per month. Expect to attend weekly, virtual newsroom meetings with the rest of the CJN team, and one in-depth, expenses-paid training in Sacramento at the beginning of the program.

Applications are due by Sunday, April 19, 2026. Want to learn more? Our editors will host Application Open Houses to answer your questions. Find the schedule below. RSVP here. 

• Noon-1 p.m. Wednesday, March 18
• 6-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 25
• 4-5 p.m. Friday, April 10

The selection process involves two rounds. First, submit an application below. For the second round, selected applicants advance to interviews and a deadline-driven writing exercise.

In lieu of a formal cover letter, please answer the following questions and attach your responses as part of your application.

• Why do you want to be part of the CalMatters College Journalism Network? Tell us about your passion for journalism and how this position will help you with your career goals.
• What is one issue affecting students that you think hasn’t been reported enough? Why do you think it’s important? Pitch us a higher education story with a brief plan of how you’d cover it. For example, who would be your sources? What research or data would you include?
• The College Journalism Network seeks to recruit a team of student journalists that reflects the diversity of California. What we mean by diversity includes, but is not limited to: communities that you identify with, background, life experience, abilities, skill sets, geographic location and type of college. How would you contribute to that diversity?
• Keeping in mind that the majority of your reporting work will happen during business hours, briefly explain how you’d juggle your academic, work and personal responsibilities with our 10-12 hour weekly expectation. Also, what activities are you involved with outside of journalism?
• Is there anything else you would like us to know?

How to Apply

Submit via the portal below.

If you have trouble with this form or have any questions, write to cjn@calmatters.org with the job title in the subject line.

About CalMatters

CalMatters, now in its eleventh year, is an award-winningnonprofit, nonpartisan news venture dedicated to explaining the policy and politics of America’s biggest state and the world’s fifth largest economy. We produce vivid, original multimedia journalism, data-driven news analyses and watchdog accountability reporting on calmatters.org, and freely distribute our work to more than 270media partners.Our success metric isn’t clicks — it’s impact. We’ve received the EPPY for Best News Site in the Nation, the American Journalism Online Award for Best Nonprofit News Source in the U.S., and consecutive first-place awards for general excellence among all digital news sources from the California News Publishers Association. 

We also have the most diverse major newsroom in the state. Here you’ll be working alongside 50+ experienced journalists in a supportive, collaborative atmosphere.

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