NCAF in 2027: A More Connected Leadership Community
Beginning in 2027, the National Council on Administrative Fellowships (NCAF) will become a dedicated community within NCHL’s Leadership Excellence Networks (LENS).
NCAF’s commitment to administrative fellowship excellence continues. This next chapter brings fellowship sites and graduate programs into closer connection with healthcare leaders across career stages through shared learning, research, and collaboration.
Explore the 2027 LENS Membership Prospectus to learn about membership options and benefits. Whether you are a current member or considering joining, our team is here to help you understand what this means for your organization.
NCAF creates an industry-standard in the recruitment of administrative fellows. With more than 60 hospitals and health systems, along with over 35 graduate health management programs in the membership, NCAF helps organizations access a national pipeline of the next generation of healthcare industry leaders, and brings fellowship sites and graduate health management programs together to share ideas and best practices.
NCAF provides administrative fellowship sites and graduate programs with the tools to help their students when applying for administrative fellowships by creating a uniform, coordinated recruitment process, providing access to national industry data, and providing opportunities for fellowship sites to share ideas, best practices, and expectations that allow for the preparation of students for administrative fellowships. Membership cycles run from January through December, but organizations can join at any time throughout the year.
A Brief Overview From Our Team
Coming soon: a short video explaining NCAF’s transition into LENS, what continues, and how to explore your organization’s options for 2027.
Question:
Is NCAF going away?
Answer:
No. NCAF will retain its name and dedicated focus on administrative fellowship excellence as a community within LENS.
Why is NCAF becoming part of
LENS?
Answer:
Healthcare leadership development connects graduate education, fellowship experiences, and leadership practice. Bringing NCAF into LENS strengthens relationships among educators, fellowship programs, and healthcare organizations across that continuum.
Question:
Will NCAF’s fellowship-focused activities continue?
Answer:
Yes. Fellowship education, peer exchange, fellowship fairs, and benchmarking remain part of NCAF’s work. The 2027 LENS Membership Prospectus outlines participation and benefit details.
Question:
Is NAFCAS being replaced?
Answer:
No. NAFCAS continues as the fellowship application service. A separate NAFCAS Only subscription remains available for organizations seeking recruitment platform access without broader LENS membership.
Question:
What does this mean for our organization’s membership?
Answer:
Your options depend on your organization type, current participation, and desired level of engagement. Review the 2027 LENS Membership Prospectus, then connect with our team for guidance. Current members will receive individualized renewal information.
Question:
Where should students and prospective fellows find application information?
Answer:
Continue to use the Student and Prospective Fellow Resources page and the instructions provided by individual fellowship sites for application requirements and deadlines. The transition described here concerns organizational membership.
The National Council on Administrative Fellowships began on October 1, 2014. As of January 2026, NCAF is made up of 109 member organizations including both fellowship sites and graduate health management programs. These organizations work collaboratively to continuously improve early-career development opportunities for our next-generation healthcare leaders.
The National Council on Administrative Fellowships brings tremendous value and impact to the healthcare industry, full of opportunities for collaboration, education, and research. Cornerstones of the program include:
Dates for NCAF’s 2026 Recruitment Cycle are informed by NCHL research, common deadlines across the administrative fellowship site community, and feedback from fellowship sites, former applicants, and graduate program faculty.
While fellowship sites that participate in NCAF are encouraged to use uniform application dates, fellowship sites who participate in the membership can use independent timelines to recruit with any deadlines they choose.
NCAF’s Uniform Application Administrative Fellowship Recruitment dates for 2026 are as follows:
– Application Opens: June 5, 2026
– Preliminary and First-Round Interviews can begin: August 24, 2026
– Application Deadline: Site’s Choice: All Applications should close by September 10, 2026. With student timelines and priorities in mind, NCAF recommends administrative fellowship programs to close their application no sooner than September 1, 2026.
– On-site and Final Interview Period: September 14 – October 1
– National Administrative Offer Week: October 2 – October 9**
– Final Offer Acceptance Deadline for Applicants: October 11
– Opt-in Recruitment Cycle 2 (Rolling): November 2 – January 29, 2027
**Applicants must respond within 48 hours of receiving an offer. During Offer Week (Oct 2 – Oct 9), responses from candidates are due 48 hours from receipt (e.g., an offer received Oct 9 → due Oct 11). No responses from candidates may extend beyond Oct 11 for Cycle 1.
In 2026, NCAF members, comprised of fellowship programs, current fellows, and graduate program faculty, will meet for Quarterly calls designed to build camaraderie, share best practices, and support professional development.
On request, the NCAF network also facilitates and schedules ad hoc connection and networking calls between members.
NCAF believes that the healthcare industry will benefit from better coordination across the field in the development and operation of fellowship programs. All members agree to abide by the guidelines of the NCAF Code of Good Practice, which includes upholding uniform application dates.
NCHL conducts four annual benchmarking surveys to assess trends, impact, and challenges that exist in the graduate healthcare administrative fellowship area. NCHL reports aggregated responses back to participants and to the broader graduate healthcare management community. Responses provide everyone with important knowledge on the current state of fellowships and help our program members navigate the future of administrative fellowships. 2024 – 2025 results of the NCAF benchmarking surveys have been released to members. You can purchase the report here.
NCAF Fellowship Programs get exclusive access to a centralized application service (NAFCAS) to simplify the application process for fellowship applicants and administrative fellowship sites. NAFCAS is a one-stop shop for administrative fellowship sites, applicants/students, and faculty/staff.
NCAF All-Member Calls
In 2026, fellowship sites and graduate programs have the opportunity to meet with other sites and fellows to discuss best practices, ask questions, and learn from each other.
Fellows-Only Calls
Calls for fellowship sites will be held quarterly. Fellows of member organizations will have quarterly calls for networking and professional development, with the opportunity to meet and network with mid-career and executive former fellows to learn about post-fellowship trajectory and professional development.
NCAF member organizations include organizations that offer administrative fellowships, leadership training programs, and graduate health programs (MPH, MHA, MBA, etc.). Members join as an organization, not on an individual basis. To inquire about NCAF and meet with program leadership, please email ncaf@nchl.
Onboarding and Implementation for Fellowship Programs and Graduate Programs are tailored based on need, interest, and engagement goals. NCAF recommends 1-2 meetings with staff during the first months of your membership to get acclimated to membership, directly ask questions, and touch base on organizational needs.
CAHME accreditation is not required for graduate program membership.
Built from surveys of the administrative fellowship community, external factors that affect applicants, and the needs of graduate program faculty, NCAF’s standardized recruitment dates are crafted to support all participants in the recruitment process. While participation in National Offer Week is highly encouraged, earlier application deadlines are allowed on a case-by-case basis.
No. Administrative Fellowship sites in NCAF membership are welcome to use NAFCAS, their own organization’s internal job site, or a combination of both, depending on organizational recruitment needs.
Volunteer opportunities for students and fellows appear throughout the year. Historically, students and current fellows with NCHL organization affiliation have had opportunities to serve as volunteers at our NCHL events and join the NCHL Board for a fellowship term.
Sponsorship opportunities for NAFCAS applicants in 2026 will be available. More to come soon.
For 2026, NCAF has developed specific sponsorship opportunities for training organizations, hospital and health systems, graduate programs, fellowship applicants, and fellowship sites. These opportunities for sponsorship are geared toward organizations looking to connect with students, early careerists, and current interns and fellows. Click below to see the full sponsorship packet. Questions about sponsorship can be directed to ncaf@nchl.org.
NCAF membership cycles run from January through December. Membership consists of $1,750 for fellowship sites and $1,250 graduate programs. With an affiliation membership to NCHL’s LENS program, NCAF membership is discounted to $1,500 for fellowship site membership and $1,000 for graduate program membership.
NCAF members include administrative fellowship sites and graduate health management programs. Members join as an organization, not on an individual basis.
The implementation guide for fellowship sites was updated to reflect changes in the field over the last five years. The updated version can be found on the NCHL online store.
Listen in as various healthcare leaders discuss personal branding, certifications, career planning, and more.
