Last updated September 15, 2023
Dissertation research fellowships provide financial support to doctoral students who are in the stages of conducting research and writing their dissertation. Funding can be used to support travel, field work, supplies, language training, and even living expenses. Often these fellowships have “no strings attached” – their intention is simply to support scholars completing original research in a particular field of study. Discover these 30 unique dissertation research fellowships for domestic and international doctoral students enrolled in U.S. universities. If any of these opportunities interest you, be sure to bookmark them to your ProFellow account.
AHRQ Grants for Health Services Research Dissertation Program
The AHRQ Grants for Health Services Research Dissertation Program (R36) provides dissertation grants for doctoral candidates. This program supports dissertation research that addresses AHRQ’s mission and priorities and welcomes any areas of health services research as dissertation project topics. Candidates must be U.S. citizens and full-time academic students in good standing, who are enrolled in an accredited research doctoral program in such fields as behavioral sciences, health services research, nursing, social sciences, epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy, health informatics, engineering, and mathematics. The award project period minimum of 9 months up to 17 months and the award budget is up to $40,000 in direct costs.
World Politics and Statecraft Fellowship
The World Politics and Statecraft Fellowship program is an annual grant competition to support Ph.D. dissertation research on American foreign policy, international relations, international security, strategic studies, area studies, and diplomatic and military history. The fellowship’s objective is to support the research and writing of policy-relevant dissertations through funding of fieldwork, archival research, and language training. In evaluating applications, the Foundation will accord preference to those projects that could directly inform U.S. policy debates and thinking. The Foundation will award up to twenty grants of $7,500 each.
AAUW American Dissertation Fellowships
Dissertation Fellowships provides $20,0000 to offset a woman scholar’s living expenses while she completes her dissertation. The fellowship must be used for the final year of writing the dissertation. Candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Open to applicants in all fields of study.
Jennings Randolph (JR) Peace Scholarship Dissertation Program
Each year, the United States Institute of Peace awards approximately 10 Peace Scholar Fellowships to students enrolled in U.S. universities who are researching and writing doctoral dissertations on topics related to international conflict management and peace building. Proposals from all disciplines are welcome. Fellowships last for 10 months, starting in September. Peace Scholar Awards are currently set at $20,000 for 10 months and are paid directly to the individual.
American Educational Research Association (AERA) Dissertation Grant
The program seeks to stimulate research on U.S. education issues using data from the large-scale, national and international data sets supported by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), NSF, and other federal agencies. Grants of up to $20,000 are available for advanced doctoral students in education, sociology, economics, psychology, demography, statistics, and psychometrics. Applicants may be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents enrolled in a doctoral program. Non-U.S. citizens enrolled in a doctoral program at a U.S. institution are also eligible to apply.
Gilliam Fellows Program
The Gilliam Fellows Program provides awards to pairs of dissertation advisers and their graduate students based on what HHMI values and considers essential components of the environment, particularly the institution and adviser’s commitment to creating a healthy academic ecosystem and the student’s potential for scientific leadership. Adviser-student pairs must be studying scientific problems and nominated by the HHMI-designated nominator. Fellows are supported for up to three years of dissertation research, typically in years 3–5 of PhD study. The award amount is $53,000 per year. All Advisers participate in a year-long, culturally responsive mentorship development course, which is a hallmark of the Gilliam program.
Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships
The Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships support the final year of dissertation writing on ethical and religious values in all fields of the humanities and social sciences. Awards are based on a rigorous national competition, with at least 22 winners who receive a stipend of $25,000. These fellowships are supported by the Newcombe Foundation and are administered by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.
The Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellowships in Women’s Studies
The Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellowships in Women’s Studies support the final year of dissertation writing for Ph.D. candidates in the humanities and social sciences whose work addresses topics of women and gender in interdisciplinary and original ways. In each round, ten Fellows will receive $5,000 to be used for expenses connected with completing their dissertations, such as research-related travel, data work/collection, and supplies.
ASA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (ASA DDRIG)
The ASA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (ASA DDRIG) program supports theoretically grounded empirical investigations to advance understanding of fundamental social processes. Up to 25 awards of a maximum of $16,000 will be given each year. Any doctoral student at an institution accredited and having a campus in the U.S. who is working on a scientifically rigorous project that is grounded in sociology and will help advance sociology is eligible to apply. Proposals must be submitted by a research scholar with support from a research sponsor. Grant funds can be used for costs directly associated with conducting research including living expenses and dependent care.
Geography and Spatial Sciences Program Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Awards (GSS-DDRI)
The Geography and Spatial Sciences (GSS) Program sponsors research on the geographic distributions and interactions of human, physical, and biotic systems on Earth. Investigators are encouraged to propose plans for research about the nature, causes, and consequences of human activity and natural environmental processes across a range of scales. GSS provides support to improve the conduct of doctoral dissertation projects undertaken by doctoral students enrolled in U.S. universities. GSS gives 30-40 awards each year. Awards may not exceed $16,000. An advisor or another faculty member must serve as the principal investigator (PI) of the proposal.
Lowell Harriss Dissertation Fellowship Program
The annual C. Lowell Harriss Dissertation Fellowship Program invites applications from doctoral students, mainly at U.S. universities, who are writing theses in fields that address the Institute’s primary interest areas in valuation and taxation, planning, and related topics. Fellowships of $10,000 each support development of a thesis proposal and/or completion of thesis research.
National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program
The Dissertation Fellowship Program seeks to encourage a new generation of scholars from a wide range of disciplines and professional fields to undertake research relevant to the improvement of education. These $27,500 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. Applicants need not be citizens of the United States; however, they must be candidates for the doctoral degree at a graduate school within the United States.
Henry Luce Foundation/ACLS Dissertation Fellowships in American Art
These fellowships are designated for graduate students in any stage of Ph.D. dissertation research or writing in a department of art history in the United States. Fellowships are for one year and provide a $25,000 stipend and $2,000 travel allowance. The fellowships may be carried out in residence at the Fellow’s home institution, abroad, or at another appropriate site for the research. The fellowships, however, may not be used to defray tuition costs or be held concurrently with any other major fellowship or grant.
John G. Bene Fellowship
The Bene fellowship is offered annually to Canadians and permanent residents of Canada pursuing master’s or doctoral studies at a Canadian university. Candidates should have an academic background that combines an interest in forests with social sciences. This fellowship offered to facilitate field research on the relationship between forest resources and the social, economic, cultural, and environmental welfare of people in developing countries, particularly in the face of changing climate conditions. The award will cover the costs of field research conducted for a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation in one or more countries of the Global South.
Mellon Fellowships for Dissertation Research in Original Sources
These fellowships are for dissertation research in the humanities or related social sciences in original sources. Applicants may be of any nationality but must be enrolled in a U.S. doctoral program and be studying in the U.S. Proposed research may be conducted at a single or multiple sites abroad, in the U.S., or both. Fellowships are for 9-12 months and provide an annual stipend of up to $25,000.
DAAD Research Grant
Research grants are awarded primarily to highly qualified PhD candidates who would like to conduct research in Germany. This grant is open to applicants in all fields. However, there are restrictions for those in healthcare related fields, including dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine; please contact the DAAD New York office if your academic pursuits are in these fields. Applications accepted in November for 10-month and short-term grants, and in May for short-term grants.
Chateaubriand Fellowship – Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM)
The Chateaubriand Fellowship – Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) provides funding for PhD candidates currently enrolled in a U.S. university to conduct research in France at a French university, a school of engineering, a national laboratory or a private enterprise, with a link to a Doctoral School. The fellowship is for 4-10 months, provides travel, health insurance and a monthly stipend of 1,400 Euros. Non-U.S. nationals are eligible to apply for a Chateaubriand Fellowship as long as they are currently enrolled in an American university.
Chateaubriand Fellowship – Humanities & Social Sciences (HSS)
The Chateaubriand Fellowship – Humanities & Social Sciences (HSS) provides PhD candidates currently enrolled at a U.S. university the opportunity to conduct research in France in any discipline of the Humanities and Social Sciences. The fellowship lasts for 4-8 months and provides travel, health insurance and a monthly stipend of 1,500 Euros. Candidates do not have to be U.S. citizens, but they must be enrolled in an American university.
American Sociological Association Minority Fellowship
The ASA Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) is designed for underrepresented minority students enrolled in a program that grants a PhD in sociology and be advanced in their program by the time of application. ASA provides a stipend of $20,000 for each annual award and works with departments to try to arrange for the payment of tuition for the academic year. Fellows must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, or be eligible under DACA. MFP Fellows are selected on the basis of their commitment to research, the focus of their research experience, academic achievement, scholarship, writing ability, research potential, financial need, and racial/ethnic minority background.
Title VIII Research Scholar Program
The program offers support for graduate students, faculty, Ph.D. candidates, post-doctorate, and independent scholars to conduct policy-relevant research for 3-9 months in Central Asia, Russia, the South Caucasus, Ukraine, Southeast Europe and Moldova. The total value of Title VIII Research Scholar fellowships ranges from $5K to $25K each. Typical awards include: international roundtrip airfare from the scholar’s home city to his/her host city overseas, academic affiliation at a leading local university, visa(s), opportunity for housing with a local host family and a living stipend. Scholars in the social sciences and humanities are eligible.
Doris Duke Fellowships for the Promotion of Child Well-Being
The fellowships, which include an annual stipend of up to $30,000, are designed to identify and develop a new generation of leaders interested in and capable of creating practice and policy initiatives that will enhance child development and improve the nation’s ability to prevent all forms of child maltreatment. Fellows can be doctoral students based at any academic institution in the United States and will be selected from a range of academic disciplines. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
Kim Foundation Fellowships
The D. Kim Foundation provides fellowships and grants to support graduate students and young scholars who are working in the history of science and technology in East Asia from the beginning of the 20th century, regardless of their nationality, origins, or gender. Comparative studies of East Asia and the West as well as studies in related fields (mathematics, medicine and public health) are also welcome. Fellowships up to $25,000 each will be awarded to PhD candidates who are writing their dissertations. Travel grants ($2,500) are also available.
Goizueta Foundation Graduate Fellowship Program
Goizueta Foundation Graduate Fellowship Program aims to expand the scholarship of Cuban, American, Latin, hemispheric, and international studies by providing funding to doctoral students interested in using the resources available at the University of Miami Cuban Heritage Collection (CHC) for dissertation research. Two fellowship types are offered, Graduate Pre-Prospectus Summer Fellowships, which provide one month residence and $1,500, and Graduate Research Fellowships, which provide $3,000/month for 1-3 months in residence.
History of Science Fellowships
The Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry at the Chemical Heritage Foundation, an independent research library in Philadelphia, accepts applications for short- and long-term fellowships in the history of science, technology, medicine, and industry. The center provides dissertation fellowships of $26,000 for work that is in some way tied to the history of materials and materiality, chemistry, and related sciences. Applications come from a wide range of disciplines across the humanities and social sciences.
ASF Fellowships for Americans in the Nordic Countries
The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) offers year-long fellowships of up to $23,000 and short-term (1-3 months) fellowships of up to $5,000 to graduate students (preferably conducting dissertation research) and academic professionals interested in pursuing research or creative-arts projects in the Nordic region (Denmark, Greenland, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sámpi, and Sweden). ASF’s award program for study and research abroad has been the Foundation’s most long-standing commitment to educational exchange. Awards are made in all fields.
CJH Graduate Research Fellows
The Center for Jewish History in New York City offers 10-month fellowships to PhD candidates supporting original research using the collections at the Center. Preference is given to those candidates who draw on the library and archival resources of more than one partner. It is required that each fellow spend a minimum of 3 days per week in residence in the Lillian Goldman Reading Room using the archival and library resources. Full fellowships carry a stipend of up to $17,500 for one academic year. It is expected that applicants will have completed all requirements for the doctoral degree except for the dissertation.
Josephine De Karman Fellowships
DeKarman fellowships are open to students in any discipline, including international students, who are currently enrolled in a university or college located within the United States. A minimum of ten (10) fellowships, $22,000 for doctoral students and $14,000 for undergraduate students, will be awarded for the regular academic year. Only doctoral students and undergraduate students about to enter their final year of study/dissertation are eligible. The fellowship is for one academic year and may not be renewed or postponed. Special consideration will be given to applicants in the Humanities.
Yale LGBT Studies Research Fellowship
The one-month fellowship is offered annually, and is designed to provide access to Yale resources in LGBT Studies for scholars who live outside the greater New Haven area. This fellowship supports scholars from any field pursuing research in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer studies at Yale University, utilizing the vast faculty resources, manuscript archives, and library collections available at Yale. Graduate students conducting dissertation research, independent scholars, and all faculty are invited to apply. The fellowship provides an award of $4,000, which is intended to pay for travel to and from New Haven and act as a living allowance. The fellowship must take place between September and April.
Health Policy Research Scholars
Health Policy Research Scholars is a national change leadership development opportunity for full-time doctoral students from underrepresented populations or historically disadvantaged backgrounds, entering the first or second year of their doctoral program, from any academic discipline who are training to be researchers and are interested in health policy research. The program is led by Johns Hopkins University, with participants completing their doctoral programs at their home institutions across the U.S. Participants will attend at least one annual gathering (travel funded by the program), participate in leadership development trainings, coursework and mentoring, and receive an annual stipend of up to $30,000 for up to four years. Participants are also eligible for a competitive dissertation grant of up to $10,000.
Cohen-Tucker Dissertation Research Fellowship
The Stephen F. Cohen–Robert C. Tucker Dissertation Research Fellowship (CTDRF) Program for Russian Historical Studies supports the next generation of US scholars to conduct their doctoral dissertation research in Russia. The program will provide up to six annual fellowships, with a maximum stipend of $22,000, for doctoral students at US universities, who are citizens or permanent residents of the US, to conduct dissertation research in Russia. The Program is open to students in any discipline whose dissertation topics are within 19th – early 21st century Russian historical studies.
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