Historic Deerfield Accepting Applications for 2026 Undergraduate Summer Fellowship Program

Tuition-free program gives college students the opportunity to explore history and material culture studies, conduct original research, and experience working at a museum

DEERFIELD, MA (12/12/2025) (readMedia)-- For Immediate Release

Contact: Danae DiNicola, Director of Marketing & Communications, (413) 559-1074

December 12, 2025

MEDIA ADVISORY

Historic Deerfield Now Accepting Applications for 2026 Undergraduate Summer Fellowship Program in Early American History and Material Culture

Tuition-free program gives college students the opportunity to explore history and material culture studies, conduct original research, and experience working at a museum

(Deerfield, MA) – Historic Deerfield invites applications from college juniors and seniors to take part in an intensive, nine-week Summer Fellowship Program in History and Material Culture, at the museum of early American life next summer.

College juniors (graduating in 2027), and seniors who expect to graduate in 2026 are eligible for 7 openings in the program, which is designed for undergraduate students in African American Studies, American Studies, Architecture, Archaeology, Art and Art History, Design, Historic Preservation, History, Material Culture, Native American Studies, and Museum Studies.

The program is immersive and academically rigorous (fellows will be engaged most nights and weekends), fun (fellows get to know cohort members from around the country and travel to regional museums and historic sites), and skill-building (fellows gain practical experience with guiding, interpretation of material culture, research, writing, and the formal presentation of research findings).

This unique residential living-and-learning opportunity takes place at Historic Deerfield, in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Each participant receives a full fellowship that covers all expenses associated with the program, including tuition, room and board, and field trips. A limited number of stipends are awarded to students with demonstrated need to help cover lost summer income. Financial aid awards are need-blind and application for assistance has no impact on the program application.

The 2026 program begins June 1 and ends August 4. Applications are now being accepted online at historic-deerfield.org/sfp. The application deadline is February 2, 2026. Notification of acceptances will be announced in March.

Interested parties may contact Dr. Erika Gasser, Director of Academic Programs, at SFP@historic-deerfield.org, and visit historic-deerfield.org/sfp.

To learn more about Historic Deerfield, visit historic-deerfield.org.

– 30 –

About Historic Deerfield. Historic Deerfield is a museum of early American life situated in an authentic 18th-century New England village in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts. Its historic houses and world-famous collection of early American decorative arts open doors to new perspectives that inspire people to seek a deeper understanding of themselves, their communities, and the world.