Student Funding Source
Dissertation Completion Fellowships
The American Council of Learned Studies, with the support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, has initiated a new foundation to provide financial support for young scholars to complete their dissertation and, later, to advance research after being awarded the Ph.D. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation/ACLS Early Career Fellowship Program will award fellowships in two categories: Dissertation Completion Fellowships and Fellowships for Recent Doctoral Recipients. A grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation supports this program
The Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships are to assist graduate students in the humanities and related social sciences in the last year of Ph.D dissertation writing. The program aims to encourage timely completion of the Ph.D. Applicants must be prepared to complete their dissertations within the period of their fellowship tenure or shortly thereafter.
Fellowship Award:
Stipend: $25,000
Research costs: up to $3,000
University Fees: up to $5,000
A Ph.D candidate in a humanities or social science department in the United States
All requirements for the Ph.D except the dissertation completed before beginning the fellowship tenure
No more than six years in the degree program; awardees can hold this Fellowship no later than their seventh year
ACLS does not fund creative work (e.g., novels or films), textbooks, work that deals purely with translation (with the exception of Luce/ACLS Translation Grants in East and Southeast Asian Archaeology and Early History), or pedagogical projects.
The Application process is comprised of the following:
- Completed application form
- Statement of all university and external support received during graduate study: fellowships, teaching, or research assistantships, tuition grants, and summer support
- Proposal (no more than 5 pages, double spaced)
- Bibliography (no more than 2 pages)
- Completed chapter of the dissertation
- Timeline for the expected completion of dissertation writing and defense
- Two reference letters
- A letter from the applicant's institution (preferably from the applicant's chair or dean), including (1) a statement attesting to the viability of the proposed timeline for completion, (2) stipulation that, in the event of an award, the university will not charge the student tuition or fees beyond a limit of $5,000 and will provide for any additional costs, such as health insurance, and (3) a pledge that if an ACLS award is made, the university will not provide the applicant with any subsequent aid
