Divisional Fellowships

The Division of Humanities invites nominations from departments during the academic year for the following graduate student fellowships: 

UCLA/ Keck Humanistic Inquiry Research Awards

Humanistic inquiry at UCLA covers a breadth of fields, from philosophy to musicology to languages from every part of the world. Programs in the humanities, social sciences, and the arts teach students to articulate their thoughts with clarity and imagination, and to interpret the world of ideas with informed sensitivity in preparation for a culturally rich life as informed and humane citizens.

The UCLA/Keck Humanistic Inquiry Graduate Research Awards Program aims to offer summer support for individual or collaborative graduate student research and creative activity. This innovative new program will select a cohort of Keck Graduate Fellows on the cutting edge of their field with proposals that advance humanistic inquiry.

Keck Graduate Fellows will receive a stipend of $8,000, lump sum, for the duration of the summer quarter, to support their proposed research/creative activity. If a group of students is applying under one research proposal, an award would be shared equally among the recipients.  An important component of the program is supervision from a ladder faculty mentor who can provide the Fellow(s) intellectual support and constructive feedback during the term of the award. Faculty mentors who sponsor successful proposals will receive $1,000 in research funds for fulfilling this commitment.

Keck Graduate Fellows will be required to report on the research/creative activity completed during the award period and will also be expected to take part in professional opportunities to present their research. Fellows may be asked to present their research at UCLA.

This exciting new opportunity is thanks to the W.M. Keck Foundation. Established in 1954 in Los Angeles, the Keck Foundation is one of the nation’s largest philanthropic organizations. In recent years, the Foundation has focused on Science and Engineering Research; Medical Research; Undergraduate Education; and Southern California. Each of its grant programs invests in people and programs that are making a difference in the quality of life, now and for the future.

Eligibility: Enrolled graduate students, must be enrolled in Spring 2024, who will have completed at least one year of graduate study by the time of the award from any of the following programs on campus: the Division of Humanities; the Division of Social Sciences; the International Institute; Luskin School of Public Affairs; the School of Education and Information Studies; the School of Arts and Architecture; the School of Theater, Film, and Television; and the Herb Alpert School of Music. Students must be conducting humanistic research/ creative activity for this award. Students must be in good academic standing, 3.0 GPA or above. Must not be graduating Spring 2024; may graduate or be on filing fee in Fall 2024.

Deadline: March 1st, 2024 via the online submission form for students, SUBMISSIONS FOR 2024 CLOSED. Faculty will be sent an email to upload their letter to a secure BOX folder once applicant (s) submits, or can email letter to: bvannost@humnet.ucla.edu  and mwong@humnet.ucla.edu by March 8th, 2024

Announcement of Keck Graduate Fellow awardees for Summer 2024: May 13th  

Award Period: July 2024- September 2024

Submission Documents:

  1. Research Proposal with a timeline of work to be completed; no longer than four pages, double spaced, 12 pt, 1-inch margins. The research/creative activity can be related to dissertation or thesis work but does not have to be. Please also provide a short abstract of this proposal no longer then 250 words along with a title of the proposed research/ creative activity.
  2. CV; if a group project, provide CVs for all applicants.
  3. Statement of projected research costs (can be used for living expenses*); please include other forms of support that have been secured for the award period.
  4. Short Bio of applicant(s).
  5. Letter of recommendation from a faculty mentor who has agreed to mentor this research/ creative activity.

Please click here for applicant budget guidelines.

Publicizing Awardees: The name, home department, and a short bio of Keck Graduate Fellows may be published on the UCLA Humanities website, or in its publications. Awardees who do not want their information shared should indicate that on the online submission form.

Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Fellowship for Excellence in Persian Studies

The Division of Humanities invites nominations for the Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Fellowship for Excellence in Persian Studies. This fellowship is intended to support one graduate student each year from across the humanities or social sciences who has an approved dissertation topic focusing on Persian/Iranian studies.  The fellowship provides $25,000 in direct support and may not be used to cover fees or tuition. The fellowship recipient will be permitted to apply for a second year of support, but the second year is not guaranteed. The recipient will be required to provide a letter outlining progress during the fellowship year and  any notable accomplishments produced as a result of the fellowship. The eligibility criteria are as follows: enrolled  at UCLA full-time and having completed the course work for the Ph.D. program within the Humanities or Social Sciences, have an approved dissertation topic focusing on Persian/Iranian studies,  have maintained a minimum GPA of 3.0 throughout Ph.D. studies, and have demonstrated a strong interest and excellence in Persian/Iranian studies

Application Materials

  1. A Curriculum Vitae
  2. A two-page (maximum) description of the student’s dissertation work that also outlines how the fellowship year will support progress toward the Ph.D.
  3. A letter of recommendation from the student’s dissertation director or other suitable faculty member.
  4. A letter or email from your department student affairs officer/ admin confirming support of fees for the AY 24-25.

The call for nomination each academic year is sent through the department Student Affairs Officers. A committee comprised of faculty representatives from humanities and social sciences will review and rank applicants and award notifications will be sent to departments.

The deadline to submit nominations is March 1st, 2024. Please submit your self nomination to Barbara Van Nostrand at bvannost@humnet.ucla.edu. A committee comprised of faculty representatives from humanities and social sciences will review and rank applicants and award notifications will be sent to departments and candidates by no later then May 2024.

Carolyn Lew-Karon & Michael Karon Digital Research Graduate Fellowship

The Carolyn Lew-Karon & Michael Karon Digital Research Graduate Fellowship supports Humanities graduate student research that utilizes digital tools with a preference for interdisciplinary research in the Digital Humanities. This fellowship provides $6,000 for a student to conduct research during summer 2024. Research may or may not be related to a student’s dissertation. Award period covers three months, July – September. Applications should include the following in one PDF document:

  1. A Research proposal; no longer than four pages, double spaced, 12 pt., 1-inch margins. Please include short abstract of this proposal no longer than 250 words
  2. A CV
  3. A Budget, including (but not limited to) travel and living expenses
  4. A Letter of recommendation from a faculty mentor supporting the research project.

The deadline to submit nominations is March 1st, 2024. Please submit your self-nomination to Barbara Van Nostrand at bvannost@humnet.ucla.edu.

Mellon Foundation Pre-dissertation Fellowships

These fellowships are intended to support graduate students from across the humanities to advance their research during one quarter of their pre-dissertation year. To clarify, this is the year prior to their DYF year. These funds may be used for stipend support for one academic quarter and/or may provide support for legitimate research and travel expenses. Fellowships will be for UP TO $8,000. In normal circumstances, the quarter in question will fall during the regular academic year, since the intent of this program is to free students from the demands of working as a TA during a portion of the academic year preceding their dissertation year. Please note that the Division will allow recipients of the award to work up to 25% the quarter they are on this fellowship. Nevertheless, applications for summer support will be considered, though such applications should also include a note from the student’s advisor or department chair, explaining (a) why support for a summer fellowship is preferable, and (b) what the student’s support package will involve (TA-ship, RA-ship, fellowship, etc.) during AY 24-25.  Please note, the department will be responsible for the quarterly fees if the applicant is selected for the fellowship.

Each department may nominate one student. Applications should include the following in one PDF document:

  1. A CV
  2. A two-page (maximum) description of the student’s proposed use of the funding, to include a budget. Budget items may include any legitimate research expense, including (but not limited to) travel. Stipend support for up to one academic quarter is also allowable
  3. A letter of recommendation from the student’s dissertation director or other suitable faculty member

Please consult with your individual department Student Affairs Officer on the process for being nominated for this fellowship. Only open to students in the Division of Humanities.

 The application deadline for students to submit their materials to their department for AY 24-25 will be set by your department, please contact your department Student Affairs Advisor.  The Department deadline for submission to the Dean’s office on March 1st, 2024.

Harry and Yvonne Lenart Graduate Travel Fellowships

These fellowships provide funds for travel and living expenses for UCLA graduate students in the Humanities to conduct research in foreign countries. Awards typically range from $2,000 to $8,000 each, depending on the extent of the research proposed. Awards can cover a period ranging from about three months to one year. These fellowships are meant for research only and are not to be used for activities such as enrolling in foreign institutions.

Application Materials:

1) A CV
2) A two-page (maximum) description of the student’s proposed project including the following details: a budget breakdown that also specifies the length of time to be spent abroad, explanation of the need to travel abroad, information about the archival holdings and locations the student needs to visit, evidence substantiating that the project can be carried out, such as supporting letters from archives abroad.
3) A letter of recommendation from the student’s dissertation director or other suitable faculty member.

Please consult with your individual department Student Affairs Officer on the process for being nominated for this fellowship. Only open to students in the Division of Humanities.

The application deadline for students to submit their materials to their department for AY 24-25 will be set by your department, please contact your department Student Affairs Advisor.  The Department deadline for submission to the Dean’s office on March 1st, 2024.

The Richard and Gerrie Leeds International Graduate Travel Fellowships

These fellowships provide funds for travel and living expenses for UCLA graduate students in the Humanities to conduct research in foreign countries. Awards typically range from $2,000 to $6,000 each, depending on the extent of the research proposed. Awards can cover a period ranging from about three months to one year. These fellowships are meant for research only and are not to be used for activities such as enrolling in foreign institutions or paying tuition at UCLA.

Application Materials:

1) A CV
2) A two-page (maximum) description of the student’s proposed project including the following details: a budget breakdown that also specifies the length of time to be spent abroad, explanation of the need to travel abroad, information about the archival holdings and locations the student needs to visit, evidence substantiating that the project can be carried out, such as supporting letters from archives abroad.
3) A letter of recommendation from the student’s dissertation director or other suitable faculty member.

Please consult with your individual department Student Affairs Officer on the process for being nominated for this fellowship. Only open to students in the Division of Humanities.

The application deadline for students to submit their materials to their department for AY 24-25 will be set by your department, please contact your department Student Affairs Advisor.  The Department deadline for submission to the Dean’s office on March 1st, 2024.

Renata Landres Doctoral Completion Support Award

This award was created to address unforeseen hardships and financial constraints related to the completion of the doctoral degree. This award of up to $5,000 will be given annually to one recipient as stipend support in the final year of the student’s dissertation writing. A submitted UCLA Dissertation Year Fellowship is required for this application. The award is open to all departments in the Division of Humanities. Preference will be given to students enrolled in the Departments of English, and the Departments of European Languages and Transcultural Studies and Comparative Literature whose dissertation topic includes the study of Italy.

The application should include:

  1. The applicants UCLA Dissertation Year Fellowship (DYF) Application for AY 24-25
  2. Statement from applicant addressing demonstrated financial need along with report of any additional funding the applicant anticipates receiving for the AY 24-25 (no longer than 500 words).
  3. If more than one applicant from a single department for AY 24-25 cycle, please provide a ranked list of student applications from Department Committee/ Faculty Designee.

The application deadline for students to submit their materials to their department for AY 24-25 will be set by your department, please contact your department Student Affairs Advisor.  The Department deadline for submission to the Dean’s office on March 29th 2024.

The applications will be reviewed after UCLA’s DYF Awardees for 24-25 have been announced, end of May 2024.

The awardee will be given the funds in Winter quarter 2025.