Graduate Fellowship Information
There are many grants and fellowships that support graduate study in Anthropology. Some are internal to the University and some are external. Some are designed for those students in the first year or two of their graduate program. Others are designed for those who are engaged in dissertation research. Some of the most common fellowship opportunities are described below, along with their typical application deadlines. It is important to begin preparing your application well before the deadline. Most applications require several components.
Note that many of the internal fellowships require departmental nomination, including a letter of nomination from the Director of Graduate Studies. Such fellowships have two deadlines: a departmental deadline and a final deadline. The Director of Graduate Studies will send out emails informing you of the specific departmental and final deadlines of these awards. In most cases, for the departmental deadline you will need to prepare at least some of the materials required as part of the Department’s final nomination packet. The graduate studies committee then reviews the applications and decides on a nominee or nominees from among the applicants. If you are selected to be nominated by the Department for a particular fellowship, you will be contacted and given the opportunity to make final, usually minor revisions to your application.
Note also that a few of the external fellowships require application through particular University offices. Those fellowships also have two deadlines. You must submit your application to the appropriate University office by the University deadline.
If you see a fellowship for which you think you may be eligible, follow the link, read the instructions, and discuss it with your advisor. The application deadlines listed here are approximate. You must check the appropriate website to find the specific deadline, which typically varies from year to year.
Internal Fellowships
Graduate School Fellowship (GSF)
The GSF is offered to new students entering a graduate program at the University, who have demonstrated academic excellence. Recipients of the fellowship receive a stipend of at least $22,500 for the academic year, plus tuition and health insurance. To qualify for the GSF competition, candidates must have completed an on-line application to the Graduate School by the Department’s due date of December 1. A departmental nomination is required. The number of nominations the Department can submit varies from year to year. The Graduate Studies Committee, in consultation with the faculty, chooses nominees in late December or early January. Applicants selected for nomination will be contacted by the Director of Graduate Studies. The Committee then prepares the GSF nomination packet with material from the student’s application for admission. The nomination packets are submitted to the Graduate School in late January.
Foreign Language and Areas Studies Fellowships (FLAS)
These fellowships are administered by the Institute for Global studies and are open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents whose degree plan requires the study of less commonly taught foreign languages (including Arabic, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Hmong, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Modern Greek, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Turkish, Urdu, and Vietnamese). There are FLAS fellowships for both the summer and the academic year, and a student may apply for both. A departmental nomination is required. The Department can typically nominate up to four students. The departmental deadline for applications is usually in early February.
William Stout/Thomas Wallace Fellowship
These fellowships are for graduate students who are in the intermediate years of the Ph.D. (normally students currently in their second or third year of graduate study). The fellowships offer at least $22,000 stipend, plus tuition and health insurance. A departmental nomination is required. A successful application will include a well-articulated plan for dissertation research. The departmental application deadline is usually in late October. These are privately endowed fellowships that are not offered every year.
Graduate Research Partnership Program (GRPP)
This award is administered by the Department and made possible by funds from the College of Liberal Arts. It offers a $4000 stipend plus $1000 for expenses to support collaborative summer research conducted by a graduate student in partnership with a member of the faculty. Applications are reviewed by the Graduate Studies Committee. The number of awards the Department can offer varies from year to year. The deadline for applications is usually in late March.
Thesis Research Grants
Thesis Research Grants are awarded by the Graduate School to support expenses of up to $2500 related to thesis research located within the U.S. Allowable expenses include domestic travel, fieldwork expenses, postage, and photocopying. No departmental nomination is required. These grants are open to PhD students and Masters students at all levels. The application deadlines are at the beginning of October and again at the beginning of March.
International Thesis Research Grants
International Thesis Research Grants are awarded by the Graduate School to support expenses of up to $5000 related to international research for a period of from six weeks to six months. Allowable expenses include travel, fieldwork expenses, postage, and photocopying. No departmental nomination is required. These grants are open to PhD students and Masters students at all levels. The application deadlines are at the beginning of October and again at the beginning of March.
Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (DDF)
The purpose of the Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (DDF) program is to give outstanding final-year Ph.D. candidates who are making timely progress toward the degree, an opportunity to complete the dissertation within the upcoming academic year by devoting full-time effort to research and writing. DDF recipients receive a stipend of at least $22,500 plus tuition for thesis credits and health insurance. A departmental nomination is required. The number of nominations the Department can submit varies from year to year. The departmental deadline for application materials is in early December. The nomination packets are submitted to the Graduate School in early spring.
External Fellowships
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) provides three years of support for graduate study including a $30,000 stipend plus tuition and fees. The GRF is intended for students who are in the early stages of their graduate study and who have excellent academic records. These fellowships are open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who have not yet entered the graduate program or who are in the first or second year of the program. Applicants must have completed no more than 12 months total of graduate education. The application deadline is in early November.
Jacob Javits Fellowship
These fellowships are open to PhD students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who can demonstrate both academic excellence and financial need. The Javits Fellowship provides a stipend of $30,000 per year plus tuition and fees for up to 48 months of a student’s graduate study. Students who have not yet entered the graduate program or are in their first year of the program are eligible to apply. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required as part of the application for a Javits fellowship in order to complete the financial need calculation. The application deadline is in early October.
Boren Fellowship (NSEP)
Boren Fellowships provide up to $30,000 to U.S. citizens for language and area study/research in areas of the world that are defined as critical to U.S. interests, including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded. Boren Fellowships are administered by the University’s Office of International Programs (OIP). The application deadline is in January.
Social Science Research Council
International Dissertation Research Fellowship
The International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF) offers nine to twelve months of support to PhD students who are conducting dissertation research outside of the United States. This fellowship is open to all PhD students regardless of citizenship. IDRF promotes research that is situated in a specific discipline and geographical region but is also informed by interdisciplinary and cross-regional perspectives. The application deadline is in early November.
Fulbright
Fulbright Fellowships are open to U.S. citizens for conducting study or research abroad in any country in which they have not previously resided for more than six months. Applicants must demonstrate a level of proficiency in a foreign language necessary to the proposed research. Fulbright fellowships include travel expenses and a stipend for one year of study/research. Applications must be submitted through the University’s Graduate Fellowship office. The University deadline for applications is in early September but prospective applicants must notify the Graduate School Fellowship office of their intention to apply by the August date specified on the University’s Fulbright website.
Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad
Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowships are open to U.S. citizens for conducting dissertation research abroad. As with Fulbright, applicants must demonstrate a level of proficiency in a foreign language necessary to the proposed research. Fulbright-Hays is administered by the University’s Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) office. The application is prepared by the applicant and submitted through an on-line process which includes approval by the designated Fulbright-Hays Project Director at the University’s SPA office. Prospective applicants should contact the Project Director well before the application due date to discuss their intention to apply. The application deadline is in November.
National Science Foundation Doctoral
Dissertation Research Improvement Grants
NSF DDRI Grants are awarded to PhD students for dissertation research. These grants provide funds for up to 24 months of field research or data-gathering activities not supported by other resources. The dissertation advisor serves as nominal PI (Principal Investigator). NSF DDRI Grants are administered through the University’s Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) office. The application is submitted through an on-line process which includes approval by the SPA office. Prospective applicants should contact SPA well before the application due date to discuss their intention to apply. Budgetary limits and application deadlines vary according to the program for which the application is submitted. For example, the deadlines for applications to the Cultural Anthropology program fall in January and August, while the deadlines for applications to the Biological Anthropology fall in February and August as do deadlines for applications to the Science, Technology, and Society Program. Applications to the Archaeology program can be submitted any time.
Wenner-Gren Anthropological Foundation
Dissertation Fieldwork Grants
Grants of up to $15,000 are awarded to support dissertation fieldwork. These grants are open to all PhD students regardless of citizenship. Applicants for a Dissertation Fieldwork Grant may also apply for supplemental grants of up to $5000 through the Osmundson Initiative. Application deadlines are May 1 and November 1.