Financial Support
Financial Support
Overview
Graduate students in good standing receive financial support in the form of a Teaching Assistantship. But the Department also encourages students to seek out external funding in the form of competitive Graduate School and national fellowships, particularly during the dissertation years.
Resources for finding appropriate funding include:
- UNC Graduate School Funding
- UNC Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid
- Graduate Funding Information Center (GFIC)
- Funding Information Portal
Graduate students are also encouraged to seek feedback on their fellowship applications to make them more competitive. Dissertation advisors, graduate advisors, peers (in GRA Working Groups), and departmental fellowship workshops are all excellent sources of advice.
Other resources include:
Internal Funding
Department of Romance Studies Funding Opportunities
Enrolled graduate students are eligible for the following departmental travel and research awards.
The awardees will be determined by a committee of three members of the Spanish graduate faculty, appointed by the Chair, Dr. Ellen Welch.
Submissions will be ranked according to the following (in no particular order):
1) Theme and originality of the article
2) Depth and quality of the research
3) Clarity and style
2) Degree of contribution to the field of our graduate program https://romance.oasis.unc.edu/graduate/grad-programs/spanish/
Graduate students who would like to be considered for the award should include the published article. Only one entry per student will be accepted. Only published articles will be accepted. Please note that preference will be given to students who have not received the award in the past. Results will be notified before the annual ROMS awards ceremony at the end of the spring semester.
AMOUNT OF AWARDS:
First place: $500
Second place: $200
Third place: $100
APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 15th, 2023 (Must have a timestamp of 04:45 PM or earlier)
All materials should be submitted electronically, you may apply HERE.
Departmental grants, up to $500, are intended to help defray travel and subsistence expenses incurred in the presentation of a paper at a conference, or for students who have confirmed job interviews at the MLA convention.
To apply for departmental funds:
- Students should write a letter of application, addressed to the Director of Graduate Studies, co-signed by a faculty member.
- The letters should include a brief explanation of the nature of the conference, a brief explanation of your paper or other reason for attending, as well as a budget for airfare, gas/rental expenses, hotel charges, etc. Please also include the invitation to present or to attend an interview. Your PID must be included at the bottom of the letter.
- The online travel request , with the letter of application included, should be submitted by February 17th for Spring 2023. Applications submitted after the deadlines may be considered but funding would not be guaranteed. (No hard copy of the application is required)
- Upon approval by Director for Graduate Studies, and Graduate Student Services Manager will ensure delivery of the approved amount to the student via their Student Account.
Priority will go to those student presenters who have not previously received this type of support from the Department. Applications accepted and awards made September through April, based on availability of funding.
The Graduate School also offers Graduate Transportation Grants to assist with travel to academic conferences and professional meetings. In 2022-2023, these grants offer up to $400 for domestic travel and $1000 for foreign travel. Application instructions may be found here. Students are encouraged to apply for Graduate School grants before applying for departmental funds. Applications for departmental funds will be considered more competitive if they include proof of a prior application for the Graduate School Transportation Grant.
The GPSF can also provide travel funding to students who have exhausted other resources.
**Please keep in mind the UNC Travel Policies and Exceptions before you make any travel arrangements. Consistent with UNC System guidance, ROMS is prohibiting University-affiliated international travel. For graduate students applying for departmental travel funds, exceptions to this travel restriction can only be granted by the Provost, using the process outlined on the Graduate Student Research Travel Exceptions webpage. For more information, view Graduate Student Research Travel Exceptions – Student Instructions.
- McCulloch Dissertation Research Travel Fellowship for French (2 awards; $4000 each) (Note that the McCulloch Fellowship may be used in any French-speaking country.)
- Dana B. Drake Research Travel Fellowship for Spanish ($2,000)
- Isabella Payne Cooper Dissertation Research Fellowship for Italian ($2,000)
Candidates should first consider the appropriateness for their research of a Graduate School Fellowship.
Applicants should submit a two-page statement describing the nature of the project, time frame, estimated expenses, and other pertinent details. The letter, addressed to the Graduate Advisory Committee, should be submitted electronically by March 22nd at 4:45pm. Winners of these Departmental awards will be notified about one week after the Graduate School announces its awards. At the end of the award period, a one-page report must be filed with the Chair of Romance Studies. It should account for both the expenditure of the allotted funds and state what the award helped the student accomplish.
*Please note, these awards are flexible and can be used to support a wide variety of research projects. Please don’t hesitate to contact the DGS and/or GSSM with any questions.
Summer Awards deadline: March 15th (before 4:45pm)
- Hardré Summer Award for French (1 award; $5000)
- Buchan Summer Award for Spanish (1 award; $5,000)
- Gutherie Summer Fellowship for Spanish (1 award; $2,000)
- VanderWolk Summer Grant for French ( 1 award; $2,000)
- Falvo Summer Award for Italian (1 award; $1,000)
The stipend may be used to fund travel for research purposes but is intended primarily to provide financial support for a sustained period of research and writing free from employment. Examples of eligible projects include but are not limited to a dissertation chapter, an article for publication, or a digital humanities project.
To apply: Please submit a 2-page description of the project to be accomplished during the summer award period, including a statement of how completing this project will contribute to the applicant’s development as a scholar. Please address your application to the Graduate Advisory Committee and submit it via the online award application by March 15, 2023.
Selection criteria include the quality and feasibility of the proposed project, its relevance to the applicant’s development as a scholar, and the applicant’s academic standing in the program.
Awardees will be required to submit a 1-page report on their accomplishments during the award period by September 1, 2023.
*Please note, these awards are flexible and can be used to support a wide variety of research projects. Please don’t hesitate to contact the DGS and/or GSSM with any questions.
This research fellowship (2 awards; $1500 each) for Summer 2023 will support two early-career PhD students’ summer research projects. Students may propose one of two project types:
- Expand and develop a graduate course essay into a full-length article to submit for journal publication by the first day of Fall 2022. A winning proposal will entail significant additional research in primary and/or secondary sources. The student will consult a faculty mentor as they prepare their manuscript for submission. This opportunity for guidance through the publication process provides important professional development. Successful publication will add an important distinction to the student’s CV as (s)he competes for other research fellowships and eventually goes on the job market.
- Enroll in a summer graduate program, either domestically or abroad, that complements the student’s intended field of study.
Eligibility:
Candidates must be pre-ABD at the time of application.
Guidelines:
By March 15, candidates should submit an online application that reflects the proposed project, as described above.
- Submit a 200-word abstract of the expanded research project, a 200-word explanation of the additional research to be completed, the name of the peer-reviewed journal they would like to submit to, and the signature of the faculty mentor.
- Submit a one-page description of the selected program and a rationale for its relevance to your intended field.
Criteria:
Decisions will be made by the Italian Graduate Faculty and will be based on the quality and feasibility of the proposal. When all else is equal, preference will be given to candidates who do not have other summer support and who have not received research support previously.
*Recipient will submit a report or reflection by Sept 1 about their summer accomplishments or experiences.
Eligibility:
High achieving candidates
- have distinguished themselves both as a student and as a teacher or mentor to undergraduate students in a classroom or research setting while at UNC;
- must have completed at least three semesters of graduate study in the College of Arts & Sciences; and will most likely complete degree requirements and graduate within the next four semesters;
- must be a full-time student at the time of nomination and plan to be a full-time student in AY 2023-24;
- should currently be actively involved in research and/or teaching, and will be active in one or both in AY 2023-24.
Guidelines:
To apply, candidates should submit an online application that includes the primary mentor/advisor should write a letter of nomination (2 pages maximum) introducing the student and describing how the student has distinguished him/herself compared to other students previously mentored. The nomination letter should also include the following:
- A brief description of the student’s academic performance and progress toward degree completion, including stage of the dissertation;
- A brief description of the student’s teaching and mentoring excellence;
- A brief description of how the student has or will serve as an ambassador to the program, department and College;
- A brief description of the student’s likely future contributions to the discipline or chosen area of study.
Please address your application to the Graduate Advisory Committee and submit it via the online award application by March 15.
Awardee will be required to submit a 1-page report on his/her accomplishments during the award period by September 1.
UNC Graduate School Funding Opportunities
- Summer Research (2023 Summer Departmental Deadline – February 10, 2023)
- Off-Campus Research (Fall 2023 Departmental Deadline – February 24, 2023)
- Special Purpose Off-Campus Dissertation Research Fellowship (Dolores Liebmann): (2023-2024 Departmental Deadline – September 22, 2022)
- Dissertation Completion (2023-2024 Departmental Deadline – February 24, 2023)
- MEMS graduate funding
*Departmental deadlines for these awards will be announced by email each year.
External Funding
Opportunities for Everyone
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 PhD programs in the United States and conducting dissertation research on non-US topics. Eighty fellowships are awarded annually. Fellowship amounts vary depending on the research plan, with a per-fellowship average of $20,000. The fellowship includes participation in an SSRC-funded interdisciplinary workshop upon the completion of IDRF-funded research. Deadline in early November.
Fulbright-Hayes Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship.
Apply through the Center for Global Initiatives
More information
Also, please see this helpful site: http://staff.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/3gradinf.htm