Funding Opportunities
Departmental
Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)
The Linguistics Department has a number of GTA positions for undergraduate linguistics courses. Graduate students will be considered for GTA positions based on their academic background, preparation, and availability.
Linguistics graduate students sometimes also hold GTA positions in related areas. If you have a strong background in a foreign language, different language departments at KU sometimes have GTA positions available for language instruction. Check with the language coordinators in individual departments for application information. For a list of languages taught at KU, click here.
Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)
Individual faculty members in the department may have researching funding that can support GRAs. Aside from stipends, tuition assistance may also be available for GRAs, either through the grant source or through the tuition assistance program by the Provost Office. Please check with the faculty member you are interested in working with for more information.
Research
Doctoral students can apply for research funding. Research awards may be used for costs associated with conducting research such as participant/consultant payments, travel costs associated with data collection, or completion of a research project. Funds should support completion of research associated with the doctoral milestones (MARP, minor paper, major paper, dissertation). Travel costs and fees associated with conference travel are not allowed. The applicant MUST submit a final report detailing how funds were used which is due within one month of research spending completion.
Graduate Student Research Scholarship Application
Conference Travel
Linguistics graduate students can apply for a travel award. Funding is contingent on the number of applications. KU has a number of policies related to travel that must be followed. Details can be found on the KU Travel Policy & Procedures website. A final report with receipts must be submitted within one month following the conference of how funds were used.
University
Foreign Language and Area Studies Award (FLAS)
KU offers Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships for the study of numerous less commonly taught languages. FLAS fellowships are available for both undergraduate and graduate students. Summer fellowships are also offered. Please visit the the KU FLAS website linked above for current information on award and application procedures. The deadline for FLAS applications is typically late January to early February.
FLAS Awards are offered through the following Centers at KU:
Center for East Asian Studies for the study of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Uyghur, or Tibetan.
Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies for the study of Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Slovene, Tajik/Persian, Turkish, or Ukrainian.
Kansas African Studies Center for the study of Amharic, Arabic, KiSwahili, Somali, or Wolof.
Center of Latin American Studies for the study of Guaraní, Haitian Creole, Kaqchikel, K’iche’ Maya, Miskitu, Portuguese, Quechua, or Yucatec Maya. The Center also has several scholarships available for students doing research in Latin America: Stansifer Fellowship, Tinker Foundation Grant, KU Latin Americanist Graduate Research Competition, Oppenheimer research grants. Please check with the Center for details.
Graduate Studies Fellowships and Scholarships
The department competes for various fellowships and scholarships provided by KU Graduate Studies every year. These range from $5,000 scholarships to offset research costs to $16,000 fellowships with full tuition assistance. Graduate Studies has additional information about funding opportunities. Applicants to the graduate programs will be automatically considered for these funding opportunities and do not need to submit separate applications for them.
College’s Graduate Recruitment and Retention Fund (GRRF)
The College’s Graduate Recruitment and Retention Fund (GRRF) was created using dollars from the former KU Tuition Grant Program (KUTG).
External
NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
The National Science Foundation offers 3-year fellowships to students in their early stages of pursuing a research based Master's or Ph.D. degree. The fellowship offers a $30,000 annual stipend, a $10,500 cost-of-education allowance, and a $1,000 one time travel allowance. Application deadline is in August, and award notifications are sent out in April of next year. US citizens or permanent residents who (a) are graduating senior; (b) have completed a B.S./B.A. degree; or (c) are in their 1st year or the first semester of their 2nd year in graduate school are qualified to apply.
NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants
The National Science Foundation provides doctoral dissertation research improvement grants to offset the cost of dissertation research. The maximum allowable budget is $12,000. Targeted deadlines are January 15 and July 15.
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation / American Council of Learned Societies Dissertation Completion Fellowship
The Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships assist graduate students in the humanities and related social sciences in the last year of Ph.D. dissertation writing. The Fellowships include funds for university fees and research support (together with stipend the award may total up to $33,000). Application deadline is typically in November.
The William Orr Dingwall Foundation Neurolinguistics Fellowship
The Williams Orr Dingwall Foundation provides dissertation fellowships for doctoral candidates who are specialization in the field of neurolinguistics. The amount of the stipend is $30,000 for a period of 12 consecutive months. The candidates are nominated by the department. The nominee may be of any nationality. Nomination deadline is May 1.
American Association of University Women (AAUW) Fellowships and Grants
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) provides a number of fellowships and grants for both US and non-US citizens, including dissertation fellowships.
Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation Doctoral Fellowships
The Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange funds doctoral research by non-ROC citizens in the field of Chinese studies in humanities and social sciences. The maximum award is $15,000. Application deadline is October 15.
Japan Foundation Doctoral Fellowships
The Japan Foundation has fellowships for doctoral students if the research is to be conducted in Japan. See website for more information.
The Wenner-Gren Foundation Grants
The Wenner-Gren Foundation has a number of grants for both US and non-US scholars that supports anthropological fieldwork. See website for information.