External Funding Sources

Funding from external awards can be used to supplement and extend internal funding from The Graduate Center.

Fulbright-Hays: Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA)

Application Deadline: March 28, 2023

This highly competitive program funds individual dissertation-level doctoral students to conduct research in modern foreign languages and area studies for periods of six to 12 months. This program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and is not related to the IIE Fulbright program, which is run by the State Department. The Fulbright-Hays DDRA Program is for students who intend to conduct dissertation research outside of the United States and Western Europe and is of particular interest to students in the social sciences and humanities.

Learn more about the Fulbright-Hays DDRA Award

Read the GC Announcement of 2023 Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program

Contact rsponzo@gc.cuny.edu for more information.

Institute for International Education (IIE) Fulbright Grant

Application Deadline: September 6, 2023

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistant Programs. Candidates submit a Statement of Grant Purpose defining activities to take place during one academic year in a participating country outside the United States.

The program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, and home, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints, behaviors, and beliefs. Through engagement in the community, the individual will interact with their hosts on a one-to-one basis in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity, and intellectual freedom, thereby promoting mutual understanding.

To be eligible, you must hold U.S. citizenship and be proficient in the host country language.

Students should contact The Graduate Center's Fulbright Program Adviser Rachel Sponzo at rsponzo@gc.cuny.edu.

Learn more about the IIE Fulbright Grant

Other External Awards for Doctoral Students

Here is a selected list of some of the external fellowships that GC doctoral students have won to support their research and dissertation writing:

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) offers several Dissertation writing awards, including the Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship for students in the Social Sciences and Humanities and the Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellowship in American Art.

The Council for European Studies (CES) offers dissertation completion and pre-dissertation awards for doctoral students conducting research in European Studies (broadly defined). The Graduate Center is a member of the CES Academic Consortium.

The AAUW offers fellowships for dissertation completion and post-doctoral research.

The Institute for Citizens & Scholars (formerly the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation) offers Dissertation Completion Awards including the Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship.

The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) offers dissertation research fellowships.

National Science Foundation (NSF) Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants fund doctoral research in a wide range of fields in the sciences and social sciences.

Finding Additional Sources of Funding

Knowing how to apply for and manage funding from an external organization is an important skill for graduate students, regardless of where your career might take you. A successful grant application always begins with research into the type of funding opportunities available.

Resource Links

You can search databases, directories, curated lists, and additional resources to conduct research on grant sources. The Grants and Funding Libguide linked below (provided by the Mina Rees Library) includes a wealth of resources, databases and search tools to help you start your search.

You may also with to browse grants and other funding opportunities offered by the national organizations associated with your chosen field.

Select resources purchased by The Graduate Center library require login with your GC network username and password.