Qualifications to Apply

What qualifications do I need to apply?

If you are interested in pursuing a career in the aerospace industry, looking to find an on-ramp (or launch pad, if you will), and you identify as a member of a historically excluded community and have a desire to give back to that community, then you are qualified to apply for a Zed Factor Fellowship.  

The Zed Factor Fellowship Program is for any student who:

• Hails from an historically excluded community or background.

• Has a passion for aerospace.

• Shows leadership potential.

• Demonstrates technical or non-technical skills.

• Is a full-time undergraduate student and has completed 30+ college credit hours by the time of application. Eligibility extends to all students enrolled in higher education including Community Colleges and Universities who will attain a bachelor’s degree no earlier than Fall 2024.

Relatives of founders, directors, officers, and employees of the Zed Factor Fellowship are not eligible to apply. You may determine your eligibility by visiting the Founders Team Page.

What is a historically excluded community?

Historical exclusion refers to communities who have experienced historical discrimination in the aerospace sector, including but not limited to Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), women and gender minorities, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQIA+ community.

Do I need to be a US citizen to apply?

At this point, we cannot guarantee a spot for a non-US citizen, but will do our best to place any selected ZFF candidate who is not a US citizen with an appropriate fellowship. Historically we have been able to place students studying full-time in the U.S. and eligible for optional practical training, but it is rare that our host companies are able to host students not currently enrolled in a U.S. institution.

What is ITAR and why does it matter for non-US citizens?

ITAR, or International Traffic in Arms Regulations, is a series of rules that US companies are obliged to follow.  The details are complicated, but in general, the US government requires that US companies, including aerospace companies, limit access to their defense and military-related technology to US citizens.  Much aerospace technology falls under ITAR restrictions, which can make it really difficult for US companies to hire non-US citizens or anyone not approved to work in the US.  

There are resources you can review to learn more and we encourage you to do so if you have any questions.  Please note, we are not attorneys and cannot provide legal or work permit advice to you.

What grade do I have to be in to qualify?

ZFF accepts applicants who are full-time undergraduate students and have completed 30+ college credit hours by the time of application. Eligibility extends to all students seeking a bachelor’s or associate’s degree in the season in which they are applying (Fall 2024), including those graduating prior to the internship. We encourage students to look at www.spaceinterns.org for more opportunities and resources in aerospace.

Is there a GPA cutoff?

We perform a holistic assessment of a student's application.  While some of our students have high GPAs, we recognize that GPA does not necessarily correlate with ability to succeed in the workplace. We take into account additional experience and leadership skills. 

Can I submit letters of recommendation?

Zed is opting out of letters of recommendation in an attempt to remove bias from letter writers and access to letter writers from the application process. For more background on why this is important, please see this article.

Can I apply if I already participated in an aerospace fellowship?

Yes you can! However, preference will be given to students who have not previously been placed in an aerospace internship through a fellowship program.

Do I have to be available for a Summer or Fall Internship in 2025 to apply?

Yes you do. A requirement of the Zed Factor Fellowship program is a minimum 10 week internship at a Zed Factor Host Company. You are not able to be a Zed Factor Fellow if you are unable to conduct an internship in either the Summer of Fall. We ask that all applicants email us immediately if their availability changes for an internship changes.

For potential host companies

How does my organization become a host company?

For the Zed Factor Fellowship to succeed in its mission to expand inclusivity and diversity in the aerospace sector, the Fellowship will bring together the most renowned aerospace companies in the world to host internships for students of historically excluded backgrounds, improving the opportunities and experiences for students, and the outcomes of young professionals’ contributions in a time-limited program. Your organization will be directly involved in the application process of the fellows to ensure the best possible students are selected for your organization. 

If you represent an organization that would like to become a Zed Factor Fellowship host company, please reach out to us at info@zedfactorfellowship.org and a member of the ZFF program will be in touch.

What is a Curriculum Vitae (CV)?

A curriculum vitae, often shortened to CV, is a Latin term meaning “course of life.” A CV is a detailed professional document highlighting a person’s experience and accomplishments. Employers often require a CV when considering applications. This document shares an overview of your career history, education, relevant awards and honors, scholarships, grants, research, projects and publications.

A CV may also include professional references, as well as coursework, fieldwork, hobbies and interests relevant to your profession.

What’s the difference between a CV and a Resume?

A CV and resume are similar in that they’re both documents that summarize your professional history, education, skills and achievements. You may provide either your Resume or your CV for the Fellowship application.

It is important to note that in the United States and most of Europe, resumes and CVs are not interchangeable. A resume is a shorter-form document that provides a concise overview of your previous roles, skills and details about your education. (The French word résumé translates to “abstract” or “summary.”) A CV, on the other hand, is typically a longer, more detailed document focused largely on academic coursework and research.

Here are some tips when creating your Resume and or CV:

Before you start, make a list of your past experiences:

Make sure you block out an 1 hour or 2 hours in your favorite location on campus or home like a corner in the library, coffee shop or even your desk at home. When it comes to your resume/cv the descriptions should require precise and concise language that sound professional, while at the same time represent your personality. Getting to that tone could be difficult for a student with little experience in writing a resume/cv. You should approach this in small steps and make a list of significant experiences you have gone through thus far. You should list any achievements in your academics, internships, jobs, athletics, community service, and school activities. This way you can distinguish your experiences that propelled and motivated you the most.

1. Highlighting your most relevant experiences and skills:

   Now let’s go back to that list you made earlier in step one. The most effective resumes/cvs are those that aim towards the requirements for this specific fellowship.

2. Making yourself be shown as a dynamic person:

   When you’re describing these experiences for the fellowship application or for a future job, you want to show you have an active persona. You should include use action verbs that will represent your skills, such as developed, curated, organized, wrote, presented, oriented, researched, led, evaluated, etc.

3. Showcasing your successes and achievements in a certain role:

   Try to portray any accomplishment or success you’ve achieved in any particular role. We want to see candidates who are able to achieve positive results for our host companies, so these aspects of your resume/cv will be greatly appreciated and focused on. An example might be if you were involved in a certain organization, think about how your impact contributed to that organization and its mission.

4. Engaged learner:

   As a student in college, learning is the most important thing you have to show employers. We want to see what you have achieved while studying your respective majors. This is a chance to describe any serious academic projects you’ve taken part in, which includes any independent studies or senior theses. This gives us insight into how you are as an active learner with skills such as research, writing, and presentation.

5. Showcasing your leadership skills:

   We value student leadership skills, this can take many forms so be sure to include experiences in projects where you were motivating, training, teaching, leading, recruiting, and organizing your peers when involved in certain co-curricular activities.

6. Community service:

   We will appreciate any community service projects that you have been involved in. Having community service engagement indicates that you are a person who is socially responsibility and you’re willing to give without expecting anything in return. It shows us that you volunteer because you believe that you are capable of inciting change and making progress in some way, whether it be large or small, you are capable of doing good.

Lastly, make sure to review and revise.

Your resume/cv will make a great impression just remember to take your time to complete it and make sure to follow all the above mentioned steps if you get stuck. Please make sure to follow the naming conventions outlined on the application page before submitting your online application.

Here are eight steps for writing a simple CV:

Include your contact information. This includes your full name, phone number and email address. Including your physical address is optional.

1. Detail your academic history in reverse-chronological order. This should include your transition from high school to community college/university or even if you studied aboard. Please include dates attended.

2. Record your professional experience. List the company or organization, job title and dates employed starting with your most recent job. List your job duties, experience gained and achievements. Use numbers to measure your impact when possible.

3. Include relevant skills and qualifications.  Go over your past internship/research experience to highlight the most important skills you think we are looking for. These can include both hard and soft skills that make you the best candidate for the Zed fellowship.

4. List honors and awards. Use this section to outline your achievements in the field related to your application. Start with the award name followed by year awarded, the organization that gave you the award and details about the award. Include Grants and fellowships in this section.

5. Include relevant publications and presentations. Include relevant citations of presentations, papers, studies, books or other publications important to your professional history. For publications, include authors, date published, summary, volume, page and DOI number. For presentations, include the title, date and location of presentation.

6. List your professional associations and affiliations. This should include the name of the organization (i.e. AIAA, NSBE, SEDS, SHPE) geographic location or chapter and dates of active membership. In this section include your volunteer work, start with and write about a title, and date range in which you volunteered. Describe your role in the program and your main contributions or achievements.

7. Hobbies and interests (optional)

Do you have to be a Zed fellow to contribute to #MyAerospaceStory?

No. We collect these stories from all students and professionals across the United States. So if you have a story that you want to share with the community please email us at myaerospacestory@zedfactorfellowship.org