Why the Fellows program?

Because we want to close the gap. The Urban Land Institute (ULI) is a global, member-driven organization comprising more than 46,000 real estate and urban development professionals dedicated to shaping the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide.

Women currently make up only 30% of ULI members, neither indicative of the greater female population, nor the potential for leadership in our land use industry or beyond. Because of this, our local Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) group was established almost 10 years ago within our ULI New York District Council. Our group works to support WLI’s overall goal of closing the gender gap in real estate and inspiring younger future leaders by enhancing access to career growth across all avenues of diversity.

What’s included?

ULI New York’s WLI Foundations Fellows will each receive:

• ULI Associate-level membership for 2 years;
• Free access to ULI New York local events (required to attend a minimum of 5 local events annually);
• Opportunities to participate in invaluable networking events to build your professional career;
• Priority access to volunteer leadership opportunities within WLI;
• Access to ULI Learning, with gratis admission to leading industry courses such as Foundations of Real Estate. ULI Learning’s broad array of offerings benefit professionals, students, and entrepreneurs at any phase of their career!

Fellowship benefits equate to a total estimated value of over $2,000.

What’s needed to apply?

Candidates will be evaluated based on their application, including:

• Strong academic performance at a local/regional college or university within the greater NYC metro region*;
• Strong interest in establishing a career in commercial real estate and/or the built environment in NYC;
• Must be currently enrolled and at least a third year (junior) undergraduate or graduate student at time of application
• Quality of the application with an emphasis on the portion explaining interest in real estate/land use careers

*Preference will be given to candidates within the immediate NYC metro region*

Interviews will take place with select candidates in January 2026, with Fellowships to begin in February 2026