PhD students who matriculate in Summer 2020 and after will be guaranteed to have funding support from the University of Chicago, external sources, or a combination of the two for the duration of their program to include the following:
- Full tuition coverage
- Annual stipend
- Fully paid individual annual premiums for UChicago's student health insurance (U-SHIP, the University Student Health Insurance Plan)
- Student Services Fee (beginning in Autumn 2022)
For more information about financial support for current PhD students, see the Humanities Division’s website.
The goal of the University’s commitment to ensuring that students are supported is to allow students to prioritize their studies and prepare for rewarding careers. We expect students to remain in good academic standing and to be making progress toward completing degree requirements.
Students in the Division of the Humanities who entered their PhD program in Summer 2016 or later, and who are still enrolled in 2022-2023 will be fully incorporated into this new funding model, and will receive at least the guaranteed stipend level (subject to applicable taxes), full tuition coverage, Student Services Fee beginning in Autumn 2022, and fully paid health insurance premiums for the duration of their program.
Students who matriculated before Summer 2016 will receive at least the funding they were offered at the time of admission and may be eligible for additional funding, such as dissertation completion fellowships.
The information given below lists the most common additional 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:
GRAD Fellowships
970 E. 58th Street, 3rd Floor (Campus Bookstore building)
grad-fellowships@uchicago.edu
Humanities Dean of Students Office
Walker Museum, Ste. 111
humdos@uchicago.edu
Funding During Coursework
University-based Support
University funds are awarded and administered by the Humanities Division. There is no separate application for these funds beyond the initial application to the Department. The amount and duration of University-based support varies based on year of matriculation. Questions concerning University-based support should be directed to the departmental Director of Graduate Studies and/or the Humanities Dean of Students.
External Fellowships
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-Madison or the University of Texas at Austin, at some time in their graduate career.
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. Funding is available for this purpose from the Committee on Southern Asian Studies (COSAS) at the University (see below). UC-Berkeley funds special fellowships for the AIIS Urdu program.
The American Institute of Sri Lankan Studies (AISLS) offers funding for language study in Sri Lanka.
The Committee on Southern Asian Studies (COSAS) offers support for summer language study, especially for students who do not have funding from their division for this purpose. For application information contact the Committee Office: Kelly 104, southasia@uchicago.edu, 773.702.8637. 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) offers a Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship. This fellowship is open to humanistic as well as social-scientific projects.
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) offers limited fellowship support for pre-dissertation research. For application information contact the Committee Office: Kelly 104, southasia@uchicago.edu, 773. 702.8637. 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 GRAD Fellowships 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 GRAD Fellowships.
Fulbright U.S. Student Program (through IEE). This program funds U.S. citizens conducting research abroad. Students apply through GRAD Fellowships. Contact grad-fellowships@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) offers fellowships to students doing research and writing for their dissertations.
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.
Internal Fellowships
Dissertation Completion Fellowships
Please consult the Humanities Dean of Students Office for information about fellowships for dissertation completion.
The University offers several fellowships for dissertation completion, which our students have received in recent years. Some of these are residential fellowships, which require presence on campus, others are not. The Department nominates students for these fellowships, and the competitions are administered by the Humanities Dean of Students Office.
The Martin Marty Center at the Divinity School offers a dissertation fellowship that may also 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. Please see the Division's website for more information.