Coursework | Pre-Dissertation | Dissertation | Conferences | External
The information given below lists the most common sources of fellowships and grants for graduate students in the Department. Students may also be eligible for other funding administered by the University, private foundations, or other agencies. For information on the full range of sources of support, contact the following:
UChicagoGRAD
Levi Hall, 5801 S. Ellis Avenue, 2nd Floor North
graduate-affairs@uchicago.edu
grad.uchicago.edu
Humanities Dean of Students Office
Walker Museum, Ste. 111
org_hdos@uchicago.edu
Click here for information regarding financial aid for prospective students and for the Division of Humanities' overview.
Funding During Coursework
University-based Support
University funds are awarded and administered by the Humanities Division. The Department faculty makes its recommendations to the Division based upon the student’s record. There is no separate application for these funds beyond the initial application to the Department, except for the summer stipends for GAI students. The amount and duration of University-based support varies. As of 2007-08, many students will also have teaching service included in their funding packages. Questions concerning University-based support should be directed to the Departmental Graduate Student Advisor and/or the Humanities Dean of Students.
FLAS Fellowships
FLAS Fellowships (Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships) are another important source of funding. Recipients must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, enrolled in at least one language course in the language of the award per quarter, and enroll in at least one course in an appropriate area or international studies subject during the academic year in which they hold a FLAS. Additional details regarding FLAS Fellowships may be found at the Office of Graduate Affairs web site. Qualifying languages taught in the Department are Bengali, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Tibetan, Urdu, and when offered, Khowar and Panjabi. These fellowships currently cover tuition, health clinic fees, student activities fees, and carry a stipend of $15,000 for three quarters. A competition for Summer FLAS fellowships for language study takes place concurrently; summer fellowships currently cover program tuition up to $4000 and provide a stipend of $2500. Summer FLAS fellowships may be used for eligible programs in the United States and abroad.
Contact Irving Birkner (ibirkner@uchicago.edu) Associate Director, South Asia Language and Area Center (SALAC) & Committee on Southern Asian Studies (COSAS), for information. Note that Summer FLAS Fellowships also may be available from the institution offering instruction (e.g., SASLI at UW, see below). Contact the institution sponsoring the program for information. Winter Quarter deadline.
Summer Stipends for GAI Students
Students admitted into the program under the Graduate Aid Initiative are eligible to receive up to four summer stipends of $ 3,000 each to be disbursed in the summers prior to Advanced Residence and in accordance with guidelines set by the Division and the Department. The fourth summer stipend is contingent on the student being admitted to candidacy by the end of the fourth year of their program. To access these stipends, students must submit a written application, detailing how they plan to use the funds, to the Director of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the Department no later than 10 May.
Language Study Fellowships
We strongly encourage all SALC students to participate in a language study program in South Asia, and/or in the summer at the South Asian Summer Language Institute (SASLI) at the University of Wisconsin, at some time in their graduate career. Receipt of a fellowship for participation in a language program does not affect the total amount of your University funding; rather, the University postpones the funding until you return from your language study fellowship year or summer.
The American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) offers fellowships for its intensive nine-month language programs in India. See the AIIS website for details and a current list of the languages offered. AIIS summer language programs offer no funding for participants; students often obtain a summer FLAS fellowship through their home university. COSAS funding is also available for this purpose (see below). UC-Berkeley funds special fellowships for the AIIS Urdu program.
The American Institute of Sri Lankan Studies (AISLS) offers some minimal funding for language study in Sri Lanka.
The Committee on Southern Asian Studies (COSAS). Although primarily awarded for dissertation write-up (see below), COSAS fellowship support is also available for summer language study. For application information contact the Committee Office (Kelly 104, tel. 702-8637, ibirkner@uchicago.edu). Spring Quarter deadline.
Critical Language Scholarships are available for summer intensive language study with AIIS (see above) and the American Institute of Bangladesh Studies, for U.S. citizens.
The South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison offers FLAS fellowships through UW, with the usual FLAS citizenship restrictions, and Fee Remission Scholarships for which all students are eligible.
Pre-Dissertation Research Support
The Social Science Research Council (SSRC), despite its name, funds humanities projects as well, and offers a Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship.
The American Institute of Bangladesh Studies (AIBS) offers a pre-dissertation fellowship for U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
The American Institute of Sri Lankan Studies (AISLS) offers a dissertation planning grant.
The Committee on Southern Asian Studies (COSAS). Although primarily awarded for dissertation write-up (see below), COSAS fellowship support is also available for pre-dissertation research. For application information contact the Committee Office (Kelly 104, tel. 702-8637, so-asian@uchicago.edu). Spring Quarter deadline.
Funding for Overseas Dissertation Research
These fellowships are for students admitted to Ph.D. candidacy. The following are the most common fellowships received by our students, and some South Asia-specific fellowships (as well as one Southeast Asia fellowship). There are several other fellowships for which graduate students in SALC are possibly eligible; see the Office of Graduate Affairs and the Humanities Dean of Students Office for complete databases and application information. Students should apply to as many relevant funding sources as possible.
The American Institute of Bangladesh Studies (AIBS) funds dissertation research in Bangladesh.
The American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) funds dissertation research in India. Note that the July 1 application deadline is approximately one year to one-and-a-half years prior to the time when a grant recipient would begin residence in India.
The American Institute of Pakistan Studies (AIPS) offers a fellowship for research on materials related to the history and culture of Pakistan in any country EXCEPT Pakistan and the U.S.
The Center for Khmer Studies (CKS) offers a Ph.D. Dissertation Research Fellowship for work in Cambodia and neighboring countries.
The Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) offers a Multi-Country Research Fellowship for research of regional or trans-regional significance. Fellowships require scholars to conduct research in more than one country, at least one of which hosts a participating American overseas research center.
Fulbright-Hays Dissertation Fellowship for research in non-Western countries. Students apply through the University Office of Graduate Affairs.
Fulbright U.S. Student Program (through IEE). This program funds U.S. citizens conducting research abroad. Students apply through the University Office of Graduate Affairs. Contact Advisor Brooke Noonan, brookec@uchicago.edu.
The Nicholson Center for British Studies, University of Chicago. This Center offers a short-term graduate fellowship for UC graduate student research in the British Isles and Ireland, generally for three months or fewer. Those who research the former British Empire are eligible. Applicants have to demonstrate their need to conduct research in the British Isles and/or Ireland.
The Social Science Research Council (SSRC), despite its name, funds humanities research and offers an International Dissertation Research Fellowship.
Dissertation Write-Up Fellowships
Please consult the Office of Graduate Affairs and the Humanities Dean of Students Office for information about external fellowships for the dissertation write-up period.
The University offers several fellowships for dissertation write-up which our students have received in recent years, namely, the Franke Institute, the William Rainey Harper, the Mellon Foundation, and the Whiting dissertation-year fellowships. These are residential fellowships which require presence on campus. The Department nominates students for these fellowships, and the competitions are administered by the Humanities Dean of Students Office. Note that students are not eligible for the Franke, Harper, and Whiting Fellowships beyond the tenth year of their program. For the Mellon, students beyond their sixth year are ineligible.
The Martin Marty Center at the Divinity School offers a dissertation fellowship that may interest SALC students.
Conference Grants
SALC students are encouraged to organize panels and present papers at annual conferences such as the University of Wisconsin Annual Conference on South Asia, the annual meetings of the Association of Asian Studies, the American Academy of Religion, the American Historical Association, and the Modern Language Association, and their regional conferences, and conferences abroad, if possible. The following are some funding sources for travel to conferences for students presenting papers.
The American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies offers travel stipends for two annual conferences.
The Division of the Humanities offers a Conference Grant.
The Office of Graduate Affairs offers the Harrison-Doolittle Conference Grant.
External Fellowships
Please consult the Office of Graduate Affairs and the Humanities Dean of Students Office for information about external fellowships for the dissertation write-up period. In recent years some SALC students have received the following fellowship:
The American Association of University Women Dissertation Fellowship. Available to U.S. citizen/permanent resident women who will complete their dissertation writing during the fellowship period. Scholars engaged in researching gender issues are encouraged to apply.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships. Awardees can generally hold this Fellowship no later than their seventh year.