Palantir Technologies, the data and AI software company, is accepting applications for the Meritocracy Fellowship. This paid programme takes graduating high school students straight into software engineering work at Palantir instead of university. Fellows earn an estimated $5,400 per month and spend fall 2027 (August–December) at Palantir in New York. Those who excel can receive full-time job offers.
Palantir describes it with the line: “Skip the debt. Get the real education. Earn the Palantir degree.”
About the Meritocracy Fellowship
Palantir says the fellowship exists to “find exceptionally talented individuals, forge them intellectually, give them responsibility, and judge them by their achievements alone.” Selection is based purely on merit and academic excellence. Graduating high school students are invited to interview, and selected applicants receive a fellowship.
Phase 1: Five-week curriculum
For the first five weeks, Fellows read great works, visit leading institutions, discuss big questions about Western civilisation, America and Palantir’s mission, and build things together. Past lecturers include Sara Seager (MIT), Bob McGrew (former Chief of Research at OpenAI), General (Ret.) Michael Kurilla, Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, and Palantir leaders including CEO Alex Karp.
Phase 2: Working as an engineer
Fellows then join Palantir’s development or forward-deployed engineering teams, where they are treated like any other Palantir software engineer. They join a team, work onsite with customers, build against real data and ship software. Palantir says Fellows get the responsibility of a full-time engineer, not internship projects.
Benefits
- Estimated pay of $5,400 per month (excluding benefits)
- A five-week intellectual curriculum with leading scholars, engineers and public figures
- Real engineering responsibility on Palantir teams
- A path to a full-time offer at Palantir for Fellows who excel
- No university tuition or student debt
Who Can Apply?
Requirements:
- A high school graduation certificate by the start of the programme
- Not enrolled in an accredited US university
- No previous undergraduate degree
- Able to spend fall 2027 (August–December) at Palantir full-time, with no university classes at the same time
What Palantir values:
- A high degree of agency, autonomy and maturity
- Ability to tackle open-ended, ambiguous problems
- Being adaptive and introspective, and willing to learn, guide, lead and follow
- Strong communication and collaboration skills
- Willingness to learn proactively, make decisions independently and ask questions when stuck
- Experience with programming, scripting or statistical tools (for example Python, R, Matlab or SQL)
Palantir’s page says the fellowship is for people who “would rather be challenged than comfortable”, have “built, learned, or solved something” on their own, and believe “the only factor that determines whether you advance here is outcomes.”
Programme Details
- Location: New York, NY (onsite)
- Dates: August–December 2027
- Type: paid fellowship (internship), with a possible full-time offer
Application Deadline
Palantir has not published a closing date. Applications appear to be open now, so apply as early as possible.
How to Apply
- Read about the programme on the official Meritocracy Fellowship page.
- Submit your application through Palantir’s official application portal.
- Shortlisted applicants are invited to interview.
Palantir warns that it will never ask for payment or financial information during its interview process.
More Tech Opportunities
- Anthropic STEM & Conceptual Reasoning Fellowships 2027: $100,000–$167,000 for Four Months (closes 28 October 2026)
- Y Combinator Winter 2027: Get US$500,000 for Your Startup (closes 2 November 2026)
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a university degree?
No. The fellowship is for high school graduates, and you cannot already have an undergraduate degree or be enrolled at a US university.
How much does the Palantir Meritocracy Fellowship pay?
Palantir estimates $5,400 per month, excluding benefits.
Where is it based?
New York, NY, onsite.
Is there a deadline?
No closing date has been published. Apply early.
