Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Here are answers to the most common questions about the KulKul Fellowship program, application process, and technical requirements.
👥 General & Fellowship Questions
Section titled “👥 General & Fellowship Questions”Q: Do I need a letter of submission from my campus to join this fellowship?
Section titled “Q: Do I need a letter of submission from my campus to join this fellowship?”No. You do not need a university cover letter to apply. Simply follow the 10-Step AI Challenge and submit your Pull Request to get started.
Q: Which majors or backgrounds can join this fellowship?
Section titled “Q: Which majors or backgrounds can join this fellowship?”There are no specific degree, major, or university requirements. Anyone who is early in their software engineering journey can join. We welcome university students, self-taught developers, and career switchers alike.
Q: How many fellows are accepted in each cohort?
Section titled “Q: How many fellows are accepted in each cohort?”We do not have a fixed intake limit. If you complete the 10-step challenge, submit high-quality work, show solid git etiquette, and pass the final matching interview, you are welcome to join.
Q: What is the time commitment?
Section titled “Q: What is the time commitment?”This is an intensive learning experience. We expect fellows to commit to at least 3 months of collaboration, with a minimum of 20 hours per week of active study, coding, and peer reviews.
Q: Is this program a fellowship or an internship?
Section titled “Q: Is this program a fellowship or an internship?”This program is officially structured as a fellowship focused on peer-to-peer learning and community contribution, rather than a traditional corporate internship. However, because we facilitate the cohort with experienced engineering mentors, code reviews, and structured sandbox projects, it functions and provides the exact same hands-on value as a high-quality software engineering internship.
Q: What happened to the Kulkul Virtual Internship site (https://open-source.kulkul.tech/)?
Section titled “Q: What happened to the Kulkul Virtual Internship site (https://open-source.kulkul.tech/)?”The initial version of the Kulkul Virtual Internship (previously hosted at open-source.kulkul.tech) has been officially sunsetted. The Kulkul Fellowship program replaces it entirely, offering a modernized, AI-first structure that builds upon the core principles of the original internship.
Q: Is it paid or unpaid?
Section titled “Q: Is it paid or unpaid?”Unpaid. The fellowship is an educational, peer-to-peer learning program and is unpaid. The focus is on building real-world engineering experience, portfolio projects, and open-source contributions.
Q: When does the Fellowship start?
Section titled “Q: When does the Fellowship start?”There is no fixed start date. You can begin the 10-Step AI Challenge at any time, and once you’ve completed all requirements and passed the final interview, you’ll join the fellowship.
Q: Is the fellowship free?
Section titled “Q: Is the fellowship free?”Yes. The KulKul Fellowship is completely free. There are no registration fees or tuition costs. We invest our time in fellows who demonstrate commitment through the AI Challenge.
Q: What will I gain from completing the Fellowship?
Section titled “Q: What will I gain from completing the Fellowship?”Upon completing the KulKul Fellowship, you’ll have a strong portfolio of real-world projects and open-source contributions, practical experience building software with AI, stronger technical and collaboration skills, hands-on experience working in a peer-to-peer engineering environment, and a supportive network of fellow engineers and mentors—helping you become a more confident, AI-native software engineer.
💻 Git & Pull Request Questions
Section titled “💻 Git & Pull Request Questions”Q: Do my pull requests (PRs) need to be merged to count?
Section titled “Q: Do my pull requests (PRs) need to be merged to count?”Yes. Your PRs must pass the review of our core crew and be merged to count towards your challenge completion, except for temporary steps where we specify otherwise.
Q: How do I create a branch and open a Pull Request?
Section titled “Q: How do I create a branch and open a Pull Request?”The standard branch workflow is:
- Make sure you are on your
mainormasterbranch. - Pull the latest upstream changes.
- Create a descriptive branch (e.g.
feature/my-profile-page):Terminal window git checkout -b feature/your-branch-name - Make your edits, commit your changes:
Terminal window git commit -m "feat: your message" - Push to your origin fork:
Terminal window git push origin feature/your-branch-name - Visit your fork on GitHub and click the green Compare & pull request button to submit it.
Q: How many issues, comments, and pull requests do I need to complete the challenge?
Section titled “Q: How many issues, comments, and pull requests do I need to complete the challenge?”To complete the 10-Step AI Challenge, you need a minimum of:
- 4 issues created
- 4 comments
- 5 merged pull requests
Q: How can I keep track of 10-Step AI Challenge progress?
Section titled “Q: How can I keep track of 10-Step AI Challenge progress?”You can track your progress through the Progress Tracker, which reflects the status of your Pull Requests (PRs)