Graduate Fellowship Toolkit: Humanities and Social Sciences

Fellowships and Scholarships

What kind of funding do you need to accomplish your goals? Are you looking for money to cover tuition and fees? Are you seeking to conduct research abroad? Do you need to cover your living expenses while you finish your dissertation? How far along are you in your degree program? What is your specific field (or subfield)? Answers to questions like these can determine what kind of funding – if any – you may be eligible for. The first step is to understand the lingo. The terms fellowship and scholarship are often interchangeable. Although the word “scholarship” is used more frequently to describe undergraduate funding and the word “fellowship” more often refers to graduate or professional funding, there are many exceptions to this tendency. In either case, fellowships and scholarships fund people, students and early career professionals. Grants, on the other hand, typically fund projects. In other words, a fellowship or scholarship is an investment in you as a scholar, while a grant supports specifically the work you propose to do. In your career as a graduate student, you might find yourself applying for both kinds of awards. This toolkit is designed mainly to address applicants for fellowships and scholarships, although some of our advice might apply to grant applications, particularly those to which an individual (as opposed to an institution) might apply.

Grants

Big institutional grant applications at the University of Connecticut are handled by the Sponsored Program Services (SPS) in the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR, located in Whetten Bldg. on the Storrs campus). SPS manages applications for limited submission, government and private grant competitions, external sources that fund millions of dollars of research at UConn. They also ensure that strict regulations and institutional practices are followed in securing and utilizing grant resources. These resources may be used to support studies, labs and even graduate or undergraduate assistants working for the Principal Investigator (PI) of a particular project. As a graduate student, you may be the mastermind of your own project but may not qualify as a PI for a government grant, in which case, your faculty mentor might serve in that role for you, if your project qualifies for such an award.

A great way to learn about grants in your field is through your faculty and their experiences applying for grants. You may find that scholars in the humanities and social sciences quickly bemoan the fact that the kind of large multi-million-dollar government grants sometimes available in the sciences are quite scarce (if non-existent) in other disciplines. You are more likely to find funding through private foundations and other non-profit organizations. SPS hosts useful search tools, like the PIVOT Database that includes grant funding (as well as fellowship opportunities) for graduate students.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ Business Services Center (in the Austin Bldg. on the Storrs Campus) also provides Grants Management Services at both pre-award and post-award stage. CLAS grants managers assist faculty, postdocs and graduate students who are applying for and receiving grant funding for their research. They can offer advice of preparing applications and help navigate the submission process. They work with SPS as necessary to ensure compliance. If you’re not sure where to start, we can point you in the right direction!

Internal and External Funding

Another distinction to be aware of is between internal and external funding sources. Internal funding refers to UConn money. The Graduate School, departments, colleges and programs may receive money from the University budget, from the Foundation or other private donors to disburse in the form of scholarships, fellowships or grants. They may hold their own competitions to determine the recipients of these funds or have a standard procedure for distributing the money. Always check with your Department Head or Director of Graduate Studies to learn about what additional funding might be available to you. UConn’s Humanities Institute and Human Rights Institute also support graduate students in the humanities and social sciences; be sure to check out their fellowships and awards, deadlines and procedures. This toolkit will focus mostly on “external” funding. External funding refers to money outside of the University that can be applied to scholarly endeavors. Sometimes this money can be applied to your work on site in graduate school, but sometimes the funding is attached to an off-site residential program or research at a specific archive or location.

More than Financial Aid

Fellowships and scholarships provide funds for your education, but they are not the same as financial aid. Indeed, your everyday expenses will more likely be covered by a teaching, research, or graduate assistantship with a tuition waver. This is especially the case at the master’s level, where very few external awards exist for the humanities and social sciences. In these disciplines, the funding tends to be reserved for later-career graduate students, usually ABD (“all but dissertation”) doctoral candidates. Thus, the fellowships and scholarships that are available are extremely competitive, which means that you will need to be a very strong candidate in order to become a recipient.

Selection criteria vary from award to award, but generally, strong candidates have high GPAs and test scores, a rigorous academic plan, strong letters of support, publications and/or presentations and sometimes teaching and/or research experience, language training, mentoring experience and other involvement. If you are uncertain about your qualifications, you should seek advice from your faculty, ONSF or other professionals in your field. You may find you need to bolster some credentials before you apply, but don’t self-eliminate too early. Some competitions allow you to apply multiple times. A first shot can sometimes hit the mark or, at the very least, offer experience on how to do better next time.

Although external fellowships are not equivalent to institutional aid, sometimes they can be combined to provide full support for a graduate career. In certain cases (see the details on the University Policies site), UConn will cover the difference between what an external fellowship, like the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, provides and the total cost of tuition, health care, and other expenses associated with pursuing a graduate degree.

Why Bother?

Academics in the humanities and social sciences need a thick skin in a culture that undervalues their contributions to society. Philosophically, facing the politics and economics of academic research can be an important lesson in humility and integrity. You might find that your specific degree program, thesis, dissertation project, or field of study is not eligible for an award. Or you may need to make a deliberate case as to why your interest is, in fact, in alignment with the award’s mission. Ultimately, the application process can assist you in your thinking as a scholar, demanding that you articulate your ideas with care and precision in ways that a wide audience can appreciate your vision and potential. If you are not awarded a fellowship, you have still gained insight into your own topic and purpose, which can be enormously helpful as you look ahead to your career. Moreover, you have zero chance of winning what could be a career-defining award if you don’t apply.

Foundations

Foundations are a key source of funding for scholarships in the humanities and social sciences. Below is a list of some of the major players in this arena. Knowing the foundations that support your field can be especially valuable as new opportunities arise or as you get more involved in your profession.

  • American Anthropological Association
  • American Council of Learned Societies
  • American Historical Association
  • American Philosophical Society
  • American Political Science Association
  • American Psychological Association
  • American Sociological Association
  • Boren Awards (US Department of Defense)
  • Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation
  • Council for European Studies
  • Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), the German Academic Exchange Service.
  • Folger Shakespeare Library
  • Ford Foundation
  • Fulbright US Student Program (US Department of State)
  • Henry Luce Foundation
  • Josephine de Karman Trust
  • Mellon Foundation
  • National Science Foundation
  • Paul & Daisy Soros
  • Smith Richardson Foundation
  • Smithsonian Institute
  • Social Science Research Council
  • US Office of Personnel Management
  • Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research
  • UNESCO

Working with Foundations

When you apply for a fellowship, you are bound to have questions. We and your faculty mentors can help with some of these questions, but the best resource is the foundation itself. They are the ultimate arbiters when it comes to competition rules and procedures. Do not hesitate to contact a helpline or foundation directly if you are unclear about any part of the application process. Remember, the people answering the phone are rarely part of a review committee. And they are always eager to help candidates submit their applications correctly and in full – it makes their job easier! Pick up the phone, if there is a number; otherwise, email response rates vary by foundation. Don’t be afraid to reach out multiple times if you need to.

The Fellowship Search

Googling the major foundations is one way to discover prominent awards. There are also a variety of lists and databases out there that can help you identify which awards might be right for you. This website includes major awards with upcoming deadlines and other resources. We also post regularly on the Grad School email announcements, which can alert you when deadlines approach. As mentioned earlier, the Pivot Database, hosted at UConn by SPS, contains graduate fellowships. One of the most active current databases for fellowships is www.profellow.com. We also highly recommend the graduate fellowship database compiled by the University of Illinois. Some awards have been “defunded” in recent years, and others have emerged, so always follow-up on a database or list by checking the foundation website for accuracy.

International Students

International students are often discouraged when they engage in a fellowship search, because much of the funding in STEM fields comes from government agencies that limit competitions to U.S. citizens. Since awards in the humanities and social sciences are often from private foundations, you may find fewer citizenship restrictions. Be sure to check eligibility criteria first, though, so that you don’t waste your time on an award for which you are not eligible.

Major Awards

Below is information about some of the major awards in the humanities and social sciences:

  • Abe Fellowship. The Abe Fellowship is designed to encourage international multidisciplinary research on topics of pressing global concern. The program seeks to foster the development of a new generation of researchers who are interested in policy-relevant topics of long-range importance and who are willing to become key members of a bilateral and global research network built around such topics. It strives to promote a new level of intellectual cooperation between the Japanese and American academic and professional communities committed to and trained for advancing global understanding and problem solving. Eligibility: U.S. and Japanese citizens as well as to nationals of other countries who can demonstrate strong and serious long-term affiliations with research communities in Japan or the United States. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. or the terminal degree in their field or have attained an equivalent level of professional experience at the time of application. Sponsor: The Social Science Research Council (SSRC), the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP), and the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). Website.
  • American Antiquarian Society: Hench Post-Dissertation Fellowship. Year-long, residential post-doc at the American Antiquarian Society (Worcester, MA) to revise dissertation for publication. Eligibility: No more than three years beyond dissertation. Amount: $35,000. Sponsor: American Antiquarian Society & Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Website.
  • American Antiquarian Society: Short-Term Visiting Academic Research Fellowships. 1-2 months visiting research at the American Antiquarian Society (Worchester, MA). Eligibility: doctoral candidates engaged in dissertation research. Candidates holding a recognized terminal degree appropriate to the area of proposed research, such as the master’s degree in library science or M.F.A., are also eligible to apply. Amount: $1,850 per month or $1,350 per month including housing in the Society’s Scholars Housing. Sponsor: American Antiquarian Society. Website.
  • American Jewish Archives Fellowships. The Marcus Center’s Fellowship Program provides recipients with month-long fellowships for research and writing at the center, which is located on the Cincinnati campus of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Eligibility: Post-docs & Ph.D. candidates who are completing dissertations. Amount: Fellowship stipends will be sufficient to cover transportation and living expenses while in residence in Cincinnati. Sponsor: The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives. Website.
  • Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship. The Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships are designed to encourage original and significant study of ethical or religious values in all fields of the humanities and social science. Eligibility: Ph.D. & Th.D. candidates (ABD). Amount: $25,000. Sponsor: Woodrow Wilson Foundation. Website.
  • Drugs, Security and Democracy Fellowship. DSD funded research must address the theme of drugs and at least one of the other two themes of security and democracy in Latin America or the Caribbean. These topics may include, but should not be limited to, the following issues and areas of study: political economy, anti-democratic strategies used by communities or states, legal frameworks and analyses, the impact on vulnerable groups, and the role of elites. Eligibility: Ph.D. candidates who have an approved dissertation prospectus, or postdocs. Amount: 3-12 months of research expenses. Fellowship amounts vary depending on the research plan; however, support will be provided for travel and living expenses as well as associated research costs based on a budget reviewed by the SSRC. Sponsor: The DSD Program is funded by the Open Society Foundations and the International Development Research Centre. The program is a partnership between OSF, IDRC, the SSRC, Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, and Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas in Mexico. Website.
  • Ford Foundation Fellowships. Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships are designed to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, to maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and to increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students. Ford sponsors fellowships at the predoctoral, dissertation and postdoctoral levels. Eligibility: All citizens, nationals, and permanent residents. Amount: Annual stipend: $28,000-$50,000, depending on level. Expenses paid to attend at least one Conference of Ford Fellows. Website: http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/FordFellowships/PGA_047958. Deadline Month: December.
  • Huntington Library. Various long and short-term residential fellowships available for Ph.D. candidates, postdocs and faculty to research the library’s collections (San Marino, CA). Website: https://www.huntington.org/fellowships. Deadline Month: November.
  • Institute of Historical Research Fellowships. The Institute of Historical Research (IHR) runs an extensive program of fellowships which support historians at all career stages. Fellows play an important role in the Institute’s intellectual and academic life – as researchers, teachers and supervisors, and organizers of conferences and other events. The Institute also offers a number of annual awards, bursaries and prizes to enable and reward high-quality research. Eligibility: For most of their junior fellowship programs, applicants may be of any nationality and are expected to be advanced (dissertation stage) graduate students or early career historians. Those who have previously held another postdoctoral research fellowship will not be eligible. Approximately 20 junior fellowships are awarded each year, for periods of between 6 and 24 months. Amount: Varies by program (e.g., the Institute’s Past and Present Fellowship is currently valued at £36,028 per year for up to two years). Sponsor: Institute of Historical Research. Website: https://www.history.ac.uk/join-ihr/fellowships. Deadline Month: Varies by program.
  • Institute for Humane Studies Fellowships. The Institute, housed at George Mason University, awards graduate funding to “individuals who have a clearly demonstrated research interest in the intellectual and institutional foundations of a free society.” Eligibility: Full-time graduate students. International students are eligible; however, preference is given to applicants who live or study in the United States, Canada, and/or the United Kingdom. Qualifying fields of study include economics, political science, philosophy, law, history, sociology, and similar disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. Amount: $2,000-$15,000/yr (renewable). Larger awards of $6,000 – $15,000 are highly competitive and generally reserved for late-stage graduate students who have demonstrated academic excellence and publication success with highly relevant research that “advances the classical liberal tradition.” Sponsor: Institute for Humane Studies. Website: http://www.theihs.org/humane-studies-fellowships. Deadline Months: August, December, April.
  • International Doctoral Scholarship for Studies Specializing in Jewish Fields. The purpose of the Foundation’s Doctoral Scholarship Program is to help train qualified individuals for careers in Jewish scholarship and research, and to help Jewish educational, religious, and communal workers obtain advanced training for leadership positions. Eligibility: Ph.D. students specializing in a Jewish field; dissertation proposal already approved. Non-U.S. citizens are eligible. Amount: up to $10,000/yr. (renewable). Sponsor: Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture. Website: http://www.mfjc.org/support/howto.html. Deadline Month: October.
  • International Fellowship in Jewish Studies and Jewish Culture – MFJC. The purpose of the Foundation’s Fellowship Program is to assist well-qualified individuals in carrying out an independent scholarly, literary or art project, in a field of Jewish specialization, which makes a significant contribution to the understanding, preservation, enhancement or transmission of Jewish culture. The MFJC also administers a separate Doctoral Scholarship Program. Eligibility: “Any qualified scholar…” Non-U.S. Citizens are eligible. Amount: up to $10,000/yr. (renewable). Sponsor: Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture. Website. Deadline Month: March.
  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Fellowship. The SSRC/JSPS Fellowship Program for ABDs and Recent PhDs provides promising and highly qualified researchers with opportunities to conduct research at leading universities and other research institutions in Japan. Projects need not be explicitly related to the study of Japan but must propose work with colleagues and resources in Japan. The program especially encourages proposals for cooperative research with colleagues in Japan under the guidance of a senior host researcher. Eligibility: Recent Ph.D. recipients and ABDs. Candidates must possess U.S. citizenship or permanent residency status. Permanent residents must provide a copy of a permanent resident card (“green card”). Researchers of Japanese nationality are ineligible. Amount: Varies. Sponsor: Fellows are selected by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) based on nominations made by the SSRC Japan Advisory Board. The SSRC Japan Advisory Board recommends to JSPS up to 20 candidates annually from the social sciences and humanities. Website: http://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/jsps-fellowship/. Deadline Month: January.
  • Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships. Eligibility: Ph.D. candidates (ABD) in a humanities or social science. Amount: Stipend: $25,000, plus funds for research costs of up to $3,000 and for university fees of up to $5,000. Sponsor: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation & American Council of Learned Societies. Website: http://www.acls.org/programs/dcf/. Deadline Month: October.
  • Mellon/CES Dissertation Completion Fellowships. Eligibility: Ph.D. candidates in European studies who are ABD w/no more than one year left. Amount: $25,000 stipend + up to $3,500 health care waivers. Sponsor: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Council for European Studies Website: http://councilforeuropeanstudies.org/grants-and-awards/dissertation-completion. Deadline Month: February.
  • Mellon/CLIR Fellowships for Dissertation Research in Original Sources. Eligibility: Ph.D. candidates in humanities or social sciences (ABD); plan to do dissertation research primarily in original source material in the holdings of archives, libraries, historical societies, museums, related repositories, or a combination. Amount: Up to $25,000. Sponsor: Council on Library and Information Resources & the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Website: http://www.clir.org/fellowships/mellon. Deadline Month: November.
  • Mellon/IHR Pre-dissertation Fellowships. Seven Pre-dissertation Fellowships in the humanities are offered to candidates who wish to spend time in the UK for preliminary examinations of primary sources and archival material in order to draw up and refine a dissertation proposal. They are intended for the preliminary investigation of archives, and not for short-term research projects. Eligibility: Doctoral candidates (ABD) in the humanities. Amount: $5,000. Sponsor: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation & Institute of Historical Research. Website: http://www.history.ac.uk/fellowships/ihr-mellon-pre-dissertation-fellowships. Deadline Month: January.
  • Mellon/IHR Dissertation Fellowships. Five Dissertation Fellowships in the humanities are offered to candidates, who wish to spend time in the UK carrying out archival research for their dissertations. Eligibility: Doctoral candidates (ABD) in the humanities. Amount: $25,000. Sponsor: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation & Institute of Historical Research. Website: http://www.history.ac.uk/fellowships/ihr-mellon-pre-dissertation-fellowships. Deadline Month: January.
  • Newberry Library Fellowships. Fellowships at the Newberry Library (Chicago, IL) provide support for researchers who wish to use the library’s collection.
    Eligibility: Long-term fellowships are restricted to postdoctoral scholars; most short-term fellowships are open to Ph.D. candidates (w/approved dissertation topic) and postdoctoral scholars. Amount: $4,200/month (long term); $2,000/month (short term) stipends. Sponsor: Newberry Library. Website: http://www.newberry.org/fellowships. Deadline Month(s): Long-term: December; Short-term: January.
  • Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Dissertation Grants Eligibility: Ph.D. candidates with an approved dissertation topic whose research requires use of the Schlesinger Library’s collections (Cambridge, MA). Non-US citizens are eligible but should contact the library regarding visas and other required paperwork prior to applying.
    Amount: up to $3,000. Sponsor: Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University. Website: http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library/grants/dissertation-grants. Deadline Month: March.
  • Smithson Postdoc Fellowship. The James Smithson Fellowship Program offers an early career opportunity for scholars interested in gaining experience in both scholarship and policy through a Smithsonian lens. Eligibility: U.S. citizens; postdocs not more than 5 years beyond Ph.D. Amount: varies. Sponsor: Smithsonian Institute
    Website: http://www.smithsonianofi.com/fellowship-opportunities/james-smithson-fellowship-program/. Deadline Month: January.
  • Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program. Awarded to conduct research in association with members of the Smithsonian professional research staff, and to utilize the resources of the Institution (Washington D.C.). Eligibility: Applicants must propose to conduct research at the Smithsonian in one of its areas of research as outlined in the publication, Smithsonian Opportunities for Research and Study, for a period of three to twelve months, or ten weeks for the Graduate Student Fellowship. Graduate Student Fellowship: Graduate students must have completed at least one full time semester or have completed the graduate program within the past four months. Graduate Student Fellowships are usually intended for students who have not yet been advanced to candidacy if in a doctoral program. Predoctoral Fellowships: Students enrolled in a university as candidates for the Ph.D. (ABD). The university must approve the undertaking of dissertation research at the Smithsonian Institution. Postdoctoral Fellowships: Applicants are eligible to apply for postdoctoral fellowships who have or will have received the Ph.D. Amount: $6,500 for Graduate Students (10 weeks); $30,000 for predoc (year); $45,000 for postdoc (year). Sponsor: Smithsonian Institute. Website: http://www.si.edu/ofg/Applications/SIFELL/SIFELLapp.htm. Deadline Month: January.
  • Smithsonian Institution Latino Studies Fellowship Program. Awarded to conduct research related to U.S. Latino history, art and culture in association with members of the Smithsonian professional research staff and utilizing the resources of the Institution. Eligibility: Ph.D. candidates (ABD) and postdoc Amount: $30,000 (predoc/yr); $45,000 (postdoc/yr) Sponsor: Smithsonian Institute Website: http://www.si.edu/ofg/Applications/LSFELL/LSFELLapp.htm Deadline Month: January.
  • Smithsonian Lemelson Center Fellowships. Supports projects that present creative approaches to the study of invention and innovation in American society. The programs provide access to the expertise of the Institution’s research staff and the vast invention and technology collections of the National Museum of American History (NMAH) Eligibility: Graduate Student; Postdoc; recent Graduate of M.A., or M.S. or equivalent; Ph.D. Candidate (ABD) Amount: Pre-doctoral: $575/week; postdoctoral and professional: $870/week. Sponsor: Smithsonian Institute. Website: http://www.smithsonianofi.com/fellowship-opportunities/lemelson-center-fellowships/. Deadline Month: January.
  • Smithsonian Peter Buck Fellowships. 1-3 years funding to work in area of study related to the National Museum of Natural History’s research staff, collections and facilities. Eligibility: Graduate students; Ph.D. candidates; postdocs Amount: Equal to other predoc and postdoc SI fellowships Sponsor: Smithsonian Institute Website: http://www.smithsonianofi.com/fellowship-opportunities/peter-buck-fellowship/ Deadline Month: January.
  • Spencer Foundation/National Academy of Education (NAEd) – Dissertation Fellowship Program. The Program encourages scholars from a wide range of disciplines to undertake research relevant to the improvement of education. Fellowships support individuals whose dissertations show potential for bringing fresh and constructive perspectives to the history, theory, or practice of formal or informal education anywhere in the world. The Fellowship is for one year. Eligibility: Applicants need not be citizens of the United States; however, they must be candidates for the doctoral degree (ABD) at a graduate school within the United States. Applicants should have a demonstrated record of research experience in education. Amount: $25,000 stipend. Website: http://www.naeducation.org/NAED_080200.htm. Deadline: Late Sept./Early October.
  • SSRC Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship (DPDF). The Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship (DPDF) Student Fellowship Competition is organized to help mid-stage graduate students in the humanities and social sciences formulate effective research proposals through scholarly exchange within interdisciplinary areas of study. Each year, the program offers dissertation proposal development workshops led by pairs of tenured senior faculty in the US and abroad who define emerging or reinvigorated multidisciplinary research fields. Eligibility: Ph.D. students in social science or humanities disciplines who have completed their major course requirements and are beginning to design research proposals. Non-U.S. citizens may apply. Amount: Travel and lodging expenses to attend spring and fall workshops; up to $5,000 to support direct summer research expenses. Sponsor: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation & the Social Science Research Council. Website: http://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/dpdf-fellowship/. Deadline Month: January.
  • SSRC International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF). The Mellon International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF) offers nine to twelve months of support to graduate students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who are enrolled in Ph.D. programs in the United States and conducting dissertation research on non-US topics. Eligibility: Ph.D. students in the humanities and social sciences — regardless of citizenship. Applicants must complete all Ph.D. requirements except on-site research by the time the fellowship begins. Amount: $20,000 (average). Sponsor: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation & the Social Science Research Council. Website: http://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/idrf-fellowship/. Deadline Month: November.
  • Woodrow Wilson Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship in Women’s Studies. Eligibility: Ph.D. candidates (ABD) writing on issues related to women, gender, women’s studies or feminist/gender/LGBTQ theory. Sponsor: Woodrow Wilson Foundation. Website: http://www.woodrow.org/higher-education-fellowships/women_gender/application.php
    Deadline Month: Fall.

Build Your Support Team

Before you even begin an application process, you need to think about who is in your corner. While fellowships are awarded to individuals, it often takes a team effort to win one. Faculty and other academic professionals are here to support students and postdocs. Yes, they also have other things to worry about, like research, grading, departmental politics and parking. That said, the vast majority of academics are excited to help a budding scholar and can provide useful advice, letters of recommendation (LORs), feedback on application materials, as well as encouragement and moral support.
Your ability to organize your application process (see Application Timeline, section 5) can greatly assist your faculty and ensure that they can offer the best possible support. No one appreciates last minute requests.

Letter Writers

Every fellowship requires letters of recommendation (LORs). If you are in the very early stages of your graduate career, you may need to rely on faculty from your undergraduate institution to provide some of these letters. You should, however, always have a writer at your current institution who can attest to the promise you possessed when they admitted you. You should also identify which faculty can address the disciplinary nuances of your proposed scholarly work. It can be helpful to have well-regarded “senior” faculty members or full professors writing for you. Sometimes, however, a substantive letter from a “junior” faculty member is more valuable than a pro-forma letter from an established expert who doesn’t know you well. If you have a thesis advisor or dissertation director, that person should always write one of your letters. (If they don’t, a foundation will wonder why).

Spend enough time with your letter writers in the course of your graduate studies to enable them to see your intellectual potential and strengths. Go to office hours, ask questions, seek advice. When it’s time to ask for a letter of recommendation, share your CV and any relevant scholarly work. Tell them who else is writing for you and why they are an important part of your application.

Finally, give them enough TIME to draft a substantive letter. A month is good. Be sure they know the deadline and be sure to follow-up repeatedly. (Seriously, they will need reminders and will be grateful for them!) Explain how the letter should be submitted (usually online) and that you will register them with the application site. Confirm that you are using the correct email address when you register them.

FYI, ONSF is happy to offer advice and guidance to faculty who are writing letters of recommendation. We can review of a draft or just proofread. Interested faculty can contact: vin.moscardelli@uconn.edu.

Outside Readers

In addition to faculty letter writers, who might also provide feedback on your application materials, it can be a good idea to have an “outside reader” who is not in your exact field or subfield but who can grasp the general purpose and value of your work. Outside readers might able to provide feedback on a personal statement, or they are in a related field, perhaps even a proposal. Many times application reviewers will come from a variety of disciplines and you will need to make yourself clear to a wider audience than usual. Learn the make-up of review panels from the foundation and seek out readers who might mirror their level of expertise. In some cases, advisors at ONSF can be useful outside readers for proposals and are always happy to provide feedback on personal statements. Vin Moscardelli is a political scientist by training and Dr. Cunningham has bachelor’s degree in engineering and a PhD in history. Both have advising hours on Nexus. Or contact Vin directly via email or phone: vin.moscardelli@uconn.edu; 860-486-0087. The graduate tutors at the University Writing Center (located in Babbidge Library) are trained to respond to personal statements; often these tutors will have fellowship-writing experience themselves. Each semester, the Writing Center offers a variety of graduate student workshops and retreats, including personal statement writing workshops. These workshops/retreats are valuable not only for the feedback you receive, but for the dedicated time they provide for writing.

Application Tips

Applying for fellowships takes advanced planning and a degree of organization. You will need TIME to plan and prepare a competitive application. Last minute applications are rarely (if ever) successful. How much time? Between 6-8 weeks is ideal; perhaps you could get away with a month if you are able to concentrate your time. The point is that you will need to work your application process into your already busy schedule. Get used to it – this is what academics do! Consider applying for funding and sharing your proposals and work as an integral part of your job. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – apply to every available opportunity. With some organization, you can thoughtfully adapt your materials to suit the requirements of each application. You do need to address the purpose of each award, however, and you do need to be sure your letter writers are on board and keep LORs on file for you. YOU are in charge of your application, but you are not alone in the process. You may be relying on faculty to write letters of recommendation, provide feedback on proposals and other advisors to read and proofread your work. It is important to follow-up with all of your supporters well in advance of the deadline. Enter your application process into your calendar, along with your course assignments and teaching/research and writing responsibilities. Break it down into manageable steps. Fellowship applications should not be the big “extra” thing you don’t have time for; they should be scheduled into your academic career. Within this process, you will need time not only for writing and filling out application materials, but you will need to reflect and obtain feedback. You will also need to build-in time for unexpected delays and technical difficulties. Deadlines for these opportunities are firm. Even if a technical error is not your fault, you are still responsible for submitting your application on time. For this reason, aim to be done a week in advance, if possible. Sometimes even weather can be a factor, especially during hurricane season when major power outages always seem to collide with major fellowship deadlines. If you are working through to a precise deadline, be sure you know the exact TIME of day application is due. Sometimes it’s at the end of a business day and sometimes it’s midnight or 11:59pm. Also check the time zone. Most systems shut down at a precise time – one second late is too late!
“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sounds they make as they fly by.” – Douglas Adams

Here are some tips to consider during the process:

  • Consider applying for funding to be part of your work. Schedule it into your week.
  • It’s a process – break it down into steps.
  • Start early – at least two-three months before the deadline.
  • Get advice from your faculty & ONSF about competitions and funding agencies: build your team!
  • READ THE INSTRUCTIONS – read every word of the solicitation, every word of the website. Knowing the exact guidelines will make the process easier AND ensure that you don’t miss something vital. You can also get a good sense of “what they are looking for” in the way they map out instructions (e.g., if they mention “culture” forty times, you may want to address the cultural significance of your project).
  • Before drafting your statements, talk to previous applicants. Look at their materials. You can learn about previous winners on the websites and may even be able to contact them for advice. (ONSF may have copies of applications submitted by UConn students in previous years.)
  • Get advice from your faculty & ONSF about your statements and application materials.
  • Ask for letters of recommendation well before the deadline (at least 4 weeks).
  • Keep scanned copies of your official transcripts and test scores handy and up-to-date.
  • Keep an updated CV.
  • Use the helpline or Email the foundation with questions. (Do check the website first, though, to see if you questions appear on an FAQ page or can be easily answered in the instructions!)
  • Use the University Writing Center. Not only can you take advantage of a personal statement workshop, but also you might find writing “bootcamps” a good way to carve out time for your applications.
  • Revise & proofread as if for publication. One reason that last-minute applications don’t fly is because they contain careless errors.
  • Make a PDF of your finished online application, if possible, before you submit it. You can’t always access your completed application after you’ve hit submit.
  • Keep copies of all your materials (for your records and for future applications).
  • Submit early – technical difficulties can occur close to the deadline.
  • If technical difficulties do occur, contact the foundation immediately for advice.
  • Don’t wait for results. Move on to the next opportunity! Some awards may be used simultaneously with other awards and sometimes, if you are lucky enough to receive two awards, you may have to choose between them. It’s better to make that choice than to face no options at all. FYI, if you are awarded a government fellowship or grant, you probably cannot accept another government award at the same time – check the rules. Always ask.

The information on this page was originally developed by Dr. Jill Deans, who directed UConn’s Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships from 2007-2016.