Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours per week should I dedicate to the programme?

The fellowship is divided into two phases. During the first phase (3 months), you will be expected to dedicate one evening a week to meeting with the fellows, and there will be readings which take approximately 1 or 2 hours a day to complete. The second phase of the programme is your opportunity to pursue ambitious work. Apart from a fortnightly meeting, the time is yours to spend wisely.

Is this a recognised programme I can include on my CV/LinkedIn?

Although your work during the programme should speak for itself, we welcome you to include your position as a ‘Polaris Fellow’ on your CV and LinkedIn if you feel it helps you pursue your life’s work.

Polaris is a new programme, so if you want to maximise legibility, you should feel free to reference the fact that this is a programme organised by Entrepreneur First.

Will the programme run according to term dates and will it continue over summer?

Yes. The first phase of the programme will run during term time, and will be organised around the holidays. Over the summer, you will be working on your own projects - you can decide when and how you manage this alongside your studies.

How does the financial support work?

The books for the first phase of the programme will be provided to you. The second phase of the programme is your opportunity to pursue ambitions and potentially hard-to-justify work. We will support this with the purchase of materials (quite broadly defined) that you feel this work requires. We have a very high risk tolerance, and take our responsibility of not dampening your exploration through process or delays very seriously.

For 2024, we are not able to fund travel or accommodation for fellows to participate in the fellowship.

Can my friends at other universities join Polaris?

Polaris is running in Oxford, Cambridge and London. It is not limited to students studying at universities in these places, however participants must be able to attend weekly cohort meetings in-person.

Am I eligible for Polaris if I am not in the UK?

We do not support people to relocate for the fellowship.

What if I can’t attend an in-person session?

We require all fellows to attend weekly sessions in-person. Polaris isn’t a university class, we won’t be taking attendance, however it is up to the Community Leader’s discretion whether a frequently absent participant remains on the programme. All participants will have access to a Slack channel and will be expected to flag if they cannot attend a specific session.

I don’t attend university, can I still apply?

The programme is open to talented people, from high school dropouts to final year PhDs. We are happy to welcome undergraduates, recent graduates, Masters and PhD students and external applicants onto the Polaris programme.

When will I hear back about my application?

We will be reviewing applications and conducting interviews on a rolling basis starting from the 5th October. The main application window for London and Cambridge closes on November 17th, and for Oxford on January 2nd (though it is still possible to submit a late application). We are reviewing applications and interviewing in batches, and so during busy periods, you might not hear from us for one to two weeks.