University Grants

Graduate Council Research & Personal Development Fund

The new Graduate Council Research & Personal Development Fund offers awards to graduate students to attend virtual conferences or to sponsor efforts and activities for personal development. Applications are reviewed by fellow graduate students and the grants are awarded competitively based on application quality and student need. If your event is time sensitive, you are able to apply up to 2 academic quarters in advance of an event date, but must be submitted at least 14 days before the event. Awards will be reviewed within 2-4 weeks of their submission. With questions or concerns not addressed within the policies and instructions document, please email travelfund@uchicago.edu.

Graduate Council Travel Fund

Research awards are intended to cover costs associated with registering for, virtually attending, or virtually presenting at conferences. In-person conferences can be funded provided their respective division/school allows travelling. There is a $600 maximum value if presenting to an in-person conference and $300 if they’re not presenting. There is a $300 maximum value if presenting to a virtual conference. If you receive this award and are presenting your work, you will be invited to the (tentative) Graduate Research Symposium hosted by GC. There is a $200 maximum value if you are not presenting your work but are still interested in attending a virtual conference. This fund (max $200) can also be used for publishing papers in peer-reviewed journals. For this, the applicant needs to justify well that there is little to no possibility of funding from their PI (maybe an MS student without a PI).

Graduate Council Personal Development Awards

Personal Development awards are intended to fund an online course, bootcamp, license, or other relevant endeavor that will enhance a student's personal or professional development. These awards carry a maximum value of $300. We encourage students to be creative about how they apply for these awards, as we are aware that continuing graduate studies during this pandemic has presented hurdles for everybody.

Center for East Asian Studies Small Grants for Conference Participation

Travel grants of up to $300 ($400 for international travel) to assist graduate students in offsetting expenses for conferences at which they will present papers. Reimbursement requires presentation of original receipts. For more information consult:

Center for East Asian Studies
1155 East 60th, Room 310, Chicago, IL 60637
(773) 702-8647; eastasia@uchicago.edu

Deadline: Rolling

COSAS Student Conference Travel Grants

Travel grants of up to $500 for graduate students who deliver who deliver papers on subjects related to South or Southeast Asia at a recognized conference. Expenses can include flights, hotel stays, registration fees, food, and taxis. It is strongly recommended that students have their travel reimbursement pre-approved by mailing the COSAS Associate Director at ibirkner@uchicago.edu

Committee on Southern Asian Studies

Kelly Hall 104, 5848 S. University, Chicago, IL 60637

Deadline: Rolling

Research Fellowships:

Nicholson Center Graduate Fellowships - For Research in the British Isles

Pre-Dissertation travel grants for up to 3 months to anywhere in the British Isles (including Ireland) for students in the Humanities or Social Sciences who, at the time of application, are post-qualifying exams & who “need not have yet had a dissertation proposal.” Research must be completed in the British Isles but need NOT have the British Isles as a primary focus (e.g., work on Africa, South Asia, East Asia, North America, or the West Indies that requires research in the British Isles qualifies).

Nicholson Center for British Studies, Classics Rm 112
773-834-3403; fitzsimmons@uchicago.edu

Deadline: mid-November and early April

Pozen Human Rights Program Internships

20 internships of $5000 to work with non-governmental organizations, governmental agencies, and international bodies around the world in human rights work. Application is open to graduate students and 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students in the College (graduating seniors are NOT eligible). Students apply in the fall; the Human Rights Program then helps them identify an ideal host organization and to plan an internship experience that satisfies both the student’s and the organization’s goals and expectations. Applicants are encouraged to work in organizations or regions that complement their academic interests, but the internships are NOT intended to fund research. During Winter break/Quarter interns develop a lost of potential host organizations of interest to them and begin making contacts. By the end of Winter quarter all interns should have a confirmed placement. Spring quarter is dedicated to the development of a concrete
work plan. In collaboration with their host organizations, interns identify tangible projects whose completion meets both students’ and organizations’ goals. Interns are required to take one of the three Human Rights core sequence courses prior to the start of their internship. 

Human Rights Program, 5720 S. Woodlawn
(773) 834-0957; human-rights@uchicago.edu

Deadline: early November. Applications available in late September

Pozen Human Rights Graduate Research Grants

Awards of up to $5000 for doctoral students in any year of their program. Can be used for travel or other expenses related to research projects such as books, software, copying costs, temporary lodging, costs of recording devices or cameras, etc; proposal should be for projects that can be carried out at some poing during the 5 quarters subsequent to the time of application (eg Summer 2014 thru Summer 2015) . Proposal related to faculty-directed human rights projects (The Crisis of Humanitarianism; Health and Human Rights; Human Rights at Home; and Rights and Duties) are particularly welcome.

Human Rights Program, 5720 S. Woodlawn
(773) 834-0957; human-rights@uchicago.edu

Deadline: late March

Center for the Study of Race, Politics & Culture Graduate Research and Travel Grants

(On the Website, scroll down to Graduate Research and Travel Grants) Research/Travel Grants of up to $2500 for research related to either the domestic or international aspects of the study of race and ethnicity. Preference is given to dissertation-related research, but other projects will be considered. Grants may be used to supplement other small grants, but cannot be combined to yield support of more than $5000. Application consists of a description of the proposed research, a detailed budget, a CV, and 1 letter of recommendation.

5733 S. University Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637
773-702-8063; kmoragne@gmail.com

Deadline: early April

Fuerstenberg Fellowships

Scholarships of $1500-$5000 for in-residence (in the first four years of study) University of Chicago doctoral students demonstrating financial need. Criteria: academic excellence, record of Jewish community involvement, studies/research in a variety of areas of Jewish studies, broadly defined.

Jessic Smith, Office of Graduate Affairs
Levi Hall (ADM) 222
773-834-7378; jessicsmith@uchicago.edu

Deadline: mid-April

COSAS (Committee on Southern Asian Studies)

Annual fellowship competition for students who have completed two years of course work in a program of graduate study directly relevant to Southern Asian Studies. COSAS fellowships are of four kinds: (1) dissertation support [applicants must have been admitted to candidacy; this category of award has priority over the other two; (2) summer language study support; (3) short-term pre-dissertation overseas travel; and (4) other. There is a 7-Quarter (at a maximum of $4800/quarter) career maximum of support by COSAS funds for each student, and all awards held during and after summer 1996 count toward this maximum; students are also limited to six quarters of support in category (1), and to a maximum of 3 quarters of support in any given year. Students must apply annually for funds for the coming year. Watch for the annual announcement of this competition. Applications are on line.

Committee on Southern Asian Studies
Kelly Hall 104; 5848 S. University Ave
(773) 834-9994; FAX (312) 702-1309; ibirkner@uchicago.edu

Deadline: mid-Spring

Center for East Asia Studies Pre-Dissertation Research Grants in Chinese, Japanese, & Korean Studies

Grants of up to $3000 each to support pre-dissertation research in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Studies. The grants are intended to enable students to lay the foundations for their research plans - - e.g., to survey archival holdings, to identify and meet with scholars or other advisers.

Center for East Asian Studies
1155 East 60th, Room 310, Chicago, IL 60637
(773) 702-8647; eastasia@uchicago.edu

Deadline: mid-April

Center for East Asian Studies - Japanese Studies Professional Training Grants/IUC Supplemental Grants

The professional training grant is intended to fund participation in organized courses and workshops that offer training in specific skills essential to the student’s dissertation research or professional profile and not available at the University of Chicago. This training may include but is not limited to: specialized language training courses and language pedagogy. (A frequent use is to supplement partial tuition awards and provide travel expenses to the Inter-University Center in Yokohama.)

1155 East 60th, Room 310, Chicago, IL 60637
(773) 702-8647; eastasia@uchicago.edu

Deadline: mid-April

France Chicago Center Fellowships

Summer Research Fellowship. One award of $5000 to a graduate student in the Humanities or Social Sciences whose research (dissertation or pre-field) focuses all or in part on France from 1600 to the present.

Francois Furet Travel Grants. Eight $2000 awards to defray expenses associated with a short-term research project or intensive language-study program in France. 

Sciences Po Exchange Fellowship One Dissertation Fellowship of $13,500 for research in France at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris.

Dan Bertsche, France Chicago Center
Harper West 401, 1116 East 59th Street, Chicago 60637
(773) 702-3662; FAX (773) 702-5848; fcc@uchicago.edu

Deadline: mid-April

College de France Exchange Fellowship

One $26,000 fellowship per year for a year-long affiliation with the Collège de France in Paris to support the fellow’s doctoral dissertation research. There is no citizenship requirement. Fellowmust be admitted to doctoral candidacy by the start of the award, must have a compelling reasons to conduct research in France and should be able to convincingly articulate why an affiliation with the Collège de France would be particularly beneficial at this stage of career. Fellows will be expected to be primarily based in Paris.

Jessica Smith, Office of Graduate Student Affairs
Levi Hall (ADM) 222
773-834-7378; jessicasmith@uchicago.edu

Deadline: mid-January

EHESS (ÉCOLE des Hautes Etudes ne Sciences Sociales/Social Science Division Exchange

Fellowship (airfare, tuition at the École and a monthly stipend) for Dissertation Research (up to 6 months) in Paris affiliated with the École and under the supervision of a member of the École faculty. Requires admission to doctoral candidacy by Autumn of the academic year of departure. Applications available from the Social Science Dean of Students (Foster 107) or on the SSDOS Website.

Information from Kelly Pollock, Associate Dean of Students
Foster 102, (773) 795-3238
Applicants should meet with Kelly Pollock prior to application. kpollock@uchicago.edu

Deadline: late April

Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS)/Tinker Field Research Grants

Travel grants for graduate students (MA or PhD level in all fields) to conduct preliminary field research of 4-12 weeks in Iberia or the Spanish or Portuguese-speaking countries of Latin America. Grants cover airfare and in-country travel only.

Center for Latin American Studies
Kelly Hall 109A (5848 S. University)
Chicago, IL 60637; (773) 702-8420
clas@uchicago.edu; Jamie Gentry jagentry@uchicago.edu

Deadline: March

Dissertation Fellowships:

Provost's Dissertation Completion Fellowships

Final-Dissertation-Year Fellowship awarded in the Division of the Social Sciences that provides $5,000 stipend supplement. Department is allowed to nominate two candidates. Fellows are expected to be in the last year of write up and to receive the PhD during the tenure of the award. Nominationsare due to the central administration each year in mid-April. Preliminary application will be requested each year in March. (The same application is used for consideration for Provost, Markovitz, and Watkins)

Deadline: mid-March

Markovitz Dissertation Fellowships

This is a Division of Social Sciences Dissertation-level fellowship (one per year) which provides a stipend supplement of $5,000. The dissertation must explore some aspect of the linkages and influences between social and economic behavior. The research should consider from a disciplinary perspective the connection between the social and commercial spheres of life. Each Department in the Division is allowed to nominate one candidate per year; nominees must be in a position to complete the dissertation by the end of the fellowship tenure. The Department considers its potential nominees along with the Provost nominations.

Deadline: mid-March

Benjamin Bloom Dissertation Fellowships

Another Division of Social Science Dissertation-level fellowship which provides a stipend supplement of $5,000. The dissertation must relate to the field of education. Bloom, Provost, Markovitz, and Watkins all use the same application, which is circulated via e-mail.

Deadline: mid-March

Pozen Human Rights Dissertation Completion Fellowship

$23,000 fellowship open to doctoral candidates in the Humanities or Social Sciences engaged in the study of human rights who have been formally admitted to candidacy and will have completed all field work for the Dissertation by September of the year in which the fellowship is to begin. Recipients of the fellowship are expected to participate in the intellectual life of the Human Rights Program.

Human Rights Program, 5720 S. Woodlawn
(773) 834-0957; human-rights@uchicago.edu

Deadline: mid-April

Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture and the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality Dissertation Fellowship

Dissertation write-up fellowship of $21,000 (+$1000 travel/research budget + office space at the Race Center). Application is open to PhD candidates from all disciplines who are working in the intersection of the topics of race and ethnicity AND gender and/or sexuality studies. Fellows are expected to be in residence at CSRPC/CSGS for the year of the fellowship and to participate in the intellectual life of the two centers.

5733 S. University Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637
773-702-8063; kmoragne@gmail.com

Deadline: early April

Center for East Asian Studies Disseration Writing Fellowships

Dissertation write-up fellowships (18K) for students in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean studies; research for the dissertation must be completed, and priority is given to those who have a chapter or two of the dissertation completed. Formal admission to candidacy is required.

1155 East 60th, Room 310, Chicago, IL 60637
(773) 702-8647; eastasia@uchicago.edu 

Deadline: mid-April