Financial aid for graduate students newly entering the Department is awarded on a competitive basis and is typically very limited. In a given year, the Department may give one Top Scholar Award (three years of full funding) to recruit an exceptionally promising incoming graduate student. With the exception of the Top Scholar Award, application for admission to the Department’s graduate program does not automatically constitute an application for financial aid. You must separately apply for financial aid. Please see below for resources for funding.
Quick Links:
Departmental Funding University of Washington Funding External Funding Summer and Research Travel Grants Useful Links
Departmental Funding
Teaching Assistant Appointments
- TA appointments are one of the primary methods by which Asian L&L graduate students are funded. All current and prospective students with suitable language ability are strongly encouraged to apply. It is a competitive application process, so please consider this early on in your application process. Students may apply for TA positions concurrently with their graduate admissions application, but the applications are separate, with different deadlines and review committees.
Graduate School and AL&L Departmental Travel Funding
- The Graduate School provides limited support for graduate students to present papers at academic conferences, symposiums and workshops. In addition, there are some departmental funds available. In order to request these funds, please visit the Graduate Student Travel and Conference Support web page.
Asian L&L Graduate Student Association (GSA) Travel Funding
- Our graduate students have a limited amount of travel funds from the annual book sale and other donations. Please contact this year’s GSA President or Treasurer for more information.
University of Washington Funding
Many of these fellowships require you to be nominated by the department; you cannot apply directly. Please keep an eye out for departmental emails regarding these opportunities or mention them to your academic advisor if you believe that you may be eligible.
Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS)
- FLAS fellowships are one of the most popular options for funding among AL&L graduate students. FLAS Fellowships support graduate and professional students in acquiring modern foreign languages and area or international studies competencies. However, only US citizens or permanent residents are eligible. FLAS fellowships are awarded for either a full academic year (tuition and stipend) or a summer (tuition and stipend). Applications are handled by the Jackson School of International Studies (JSIS). Please see the link above for eligibility, deadlines, and application instructions.
Society of Scholars Fellowship, Walter Chapin Simpson Center for the Humanities
- These Graduate Fellowships support dissertating doctoral students in writing up and sharing their individual research in the multidisciplinary, bi-weekly forum of the Society of Scholars. Students receive two quarters of support (stipend, benefits, tuition waiver.) Residency required.
GSEE Graduate Fellowships and other Funding
- The Graduate School Presidential Dissertation award is intended to assist Ph.D. candidates in the final stages of writing and completing their dissertations. The Dissertation Fellowship is a one-quarter award established with support of the University President. Students must be nominated by department.
The "Group" of Humanities Scholarships
- By faculty nomination only.
The Antoinette Wills Endowed Fund for Graduate Students
- By faculty nomination only.
UW Japan Scholarships and Fellowships
- Scholarships for Japan studies are available to AL&L students (unless otherwise noted) including international students.
External Funding
General Humanities
Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowships
Fulbright U.S. Student Program
Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships [currently defunded]
David L. Boren Graduate Fellowships
Area-Specific Fellowships and Scholarships
Blakemore Freeman Fellowships for Advanced Asian Language Study
UW Japan Studies links to Scholarships and Funding
Japan Foundation - Japanese Studies Fellowship Program
Japan Foundation – Program for Specialists in Cultural and Academic Fields
Inter-University Center for Japanese Studies: Fellowships
MEXT Research Student Scholarships
Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange - American Region
ACLS/The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation – Dissertation Fellowships in Buddhist Studies
- The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Dissertation Fellowships in Buddhist Studies provide one-year stipends to PhD candidates for full time preparation of dissertations. The fellowship period may be used for fieldwork, archival research, analysis of findings, or for writing after research is complete.
Berkeley-AIPS Urdu Language Program in Pakistan
- Funded language program, jointly administered by the America Institute of Pakistan Studies (AIPS) and the Berkeley Urdu Language Program in Pakistan (BULPIP) at ISAS in the University of California, Berkeley, this Urdu language program offers daily classroom instruction, five days a week, for approximately fifteen weeks. The program will award annual fellowships to up to ten students. Available to both US and non-US students.
American Institute of Indian Studies Junior Research Fellowships
- Junior Research Fellowships are available to doctoral candidates at U.S. universities in all fields of study. These grants are specifically designed to enable doctoral candidates to pursue their dissertation research in India. Junior Research Fellows establish formal affiliation with Indian universities and Indian research supervisors. Awards are available for up to 11 months.
American Institute of Indian Studies – Summer and Year Language Programs
- AIIS offers intensive, immersion-based training in modern and classical South Asian languages at multiple sites in India. Languages include Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Mughal Persian, Pali/Krakrit, Sanskrit, Urdu, and many more. AIIS awards full fellowships, funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Group Projects Abroad program, to qualified academic-year and semester program students on a competitive basis; summer program applicants should seek funding from their home institutions or through the Critical Language Scholarship program (for Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu), but may also be considered for financial assistance from AIIS.
Chinese Language Fellowship Program - The National Bureau of Asian Research
- Provides fellowships to American PhD students so that they can devote one year to intensive Chinese language training at an institution of the fellow’s choice, generally in China or Taiwan. The fellowship is intended to cover all expenses at a graduate student level, including tuition, housing living stipend, and other miscellaneous fees. Two types of fellowships offered, one for currently enrolled PhD students, and one for prospective PhDs, (current or recent MA students planning to pursue a PhD). Must be enrolled in MA program or possess an MA degree.
Conference and Research Funding
Graduate and Professional Student Senate Conference Travel Grant
- In an effort to help improve graduate and professional student life at the University of Washington, the GPSS Travel Grants Program contributes funds to qualifying individuals’ travel expenses for active conference participation in the US and abroad. Available up to $300 (domestic) or $500 (international).
International Research Fellowships
- Grants to support international research in the humanities and social sciences. These one-quarter grants provide support to UW graduate students doing international research or study. Successful applicants are awarded either a Chester Fritz Fellowship or a Boeing International Fellowship. The fellowships are available to fund research and/or study periods of one quarter (three full months) abroad during the academic year. These awards DO NOT support faculty-led UW study abroad programs. Awardees will receive a stipend of $2,700 per month, and paid health insurance (GAIP). During the quarter of their award, fellows are required to register for an independent learning program through UW Study Abroad. The program fee is covered by this fellowship. No extra money is included for airfare.
Bonderman Graduate Travel Fellowship
- Where would you go if you had eight months to travel solo? Which two continents and six countries would you visit? How would you get there? Where would you stay? What experiences would you seek out? How would you be transformed?
- Each year a handful of lucky University of Washington students get to make those decisions as they embark on the adventure of a lifetime. The Bonderman Travel Fellowship offers University of Washington graduate, professional, and select undergraduate students an opportunity to engage in independent exploration and travel abroad.
Digital Humanities Summer Fellowships, Simpson Center for the Humanities
- The Digital Humanities Summer Fellowships for Graduate Students support scholars whose projects use digital technologies in innovative and intensive ways and/or explore the historical, social, aesthetic, and cross-cultural implications of digital cultures.
Links for Further Research
International Students: Estimated Expenses
This link can help provide some guidance for international students (both graduate and undergraduate levels.)
Graduate Funding Information Service
- GFIS works with current and admitted UW graduate students, helping them identify and locate funding opportunities for graduate school-related expenses including tuition, research, conference and research travel. Students can visit GFIS during drop-in advising hours, schedule individual appointments, or request information by email. Students can also visit the GFIS Funding Resources Blog to learn about campus funding resources, databases, search strategies, and events. The blog is updated regularly and is a great source of info for funding – not just fellowships, but GSA and TA/RA positions throughout the university as well.
Graduate School Fellowships List
- Duplicates much of the information above, but serves as a good aggregator of information and deadlines.
- List of funding options specific to students studying international and language-based topics. Contains lists of JSIS fellowships, as well as external fellowships.
- List of South Asia specific funding opportunities.