Off-Campus Dissertation Research Fellowships

• Types of Fellowships
• Eligibility
• Selection Criteria
• Award Amount
• Nomination
• Deadline
• How to Apply
• Application Guidelines
• Contact Us

Off-Campus Dissertation Research Fellowships support students conducting dissertation research away from the UNC-Chapel Hill campus.

Submit Application »

Types of Fellowships

Eligibility

You are eligible for the Off-Campus Dissertation Research Fellowship if:

• You are a doctoral student in a residential program administered by The Graduate School.
• At the time of the award, you are a fully-enrolled, degree-seeking student.
• You are engaged full-time in research.
• You need to conduct research off-campus to complete your dissertation.
• Your travel is beyond commuting distance from campus.
• Your travel is for more than six weeks (up to one full semester).

Consistent with UNC System guidance, Carolina is prohibiting University-affiliated international travel. Recipients traveling internationally must receive an approved exception prior to their award being disbursed..

Recipients should register Doctoral Dissertation Credit (994) only.

Special purpose fellowships:

You are eligible for the Werner Friederich Fellowship if you are a doctoral student in the Humanities (including History). Preference goes to those who need to study or conduct research in Switzerland or France.

Before applying for any of these fellowships, you must:

• Complete all course requirements
• Pass written and oral preliminary exams. May be waived if it is not normal to complete exams before field research in your program.
• Have your Dissertation Prospectus formally approved

The Off-Campus Dissertation Research Fellowship should be your primary source of support for the term. You may not hold any other service award, fellowship, scholarship. Additional funding opportunities require Graduate School approval.

You may apply for an Off-Campus Dissertation Research Fellowship if you have a five-year Royster fellowship. If awarded, this fellowship counts as a service semester.

You cannot apply for the Off-Campus Dissertation Research Fellowship and the Dissertation Completion Fellowship for the same term.

If you received the Off-Campus Dissertation Research Fellowship in the past, you cannot apply again.

Selection Criteria

Your application will be reviewed according to the following criteria:

• You have a strong graduate academic record.
• Your application materials are understandable to a general audience outside of your field.
• Your research design is clearly outlined and appropriate.
• Your travel plans are appropriate, well-supported, and necessary for your dissertation research.
• Your application materials reflect an understanding of and commitment to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

View an in-depth description of the review and selection process.

Award Amount

The fellowship includes a non-service stipend, tuition, fees, and health insurance.

Depending on funding, this award may change from year to year.

Nomination

Each program may nominate two students per semester for the general fellowship. Each program may also nominate an additional student per year for the Friederich Fellowship.

Deadline

Check the funding deadlines calendar. This deadline is for program nomination. You must complete your application before your program can submit the nomination.

How to Apply

Submit Application »

1. Please check with your department for any internal deadlines.
2. Prepare an abstract, research description, workplan, research description, personal statement, curriculum vitae, and IRB approval (if necessary). Arrange for one letter of recommendation from your dissertation advisor. Be sure to follow the application guidelines.

   We encourage you to apply for IRB approval as early as possible so IRB approval does not hold up your award.

3. Get feedback on your research description from a person outside of your field to ensure it is understandable by a general audience.
4. Submit your materials to The Graduate School Award Online Application.
   • View Frequently Asked Questions about the online award application.

Your recommender will receive an email asking them to submit a recommendation through the online system. Your application is not complete until your advisor submits the recommendation.

Your program will receive a notice that you have submitted your application. They will not be able to submit the nomination until your advisor enters their recommendation.

Application Guidelines

We will not consider your application if you exceed any of the page limits or do not follow the proper format.

A complete application includes:

• Online Application
• Attachments:
  • Abstract
  • Research Description
  • Research Progress, Workplan & Timeline
  • Personal Statement
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Letter of Recommendation from your Dissertation Advisor
  • IRB Approval (If Necessary)

Abstract

Format: No More than ½ page. Double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, numbered pages, and your name on each page.

Include:

• Summary of your research
• Why this off-campus research is critical to your dissertation

Research Description

Address your research description to an audience of intelligent reviewers who may not be familiar with your field. Clearly explain the importance of your research. Do not use jargon or technical, field-specific terminology.

Format: No more than 3 pages. Double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, numbered pages, and your name on each page.

Depending on your field of study, include:

• Background:
  • A summary of key literature
  • General concepts
  • Frame of reference for your study
  • Your research questions
  • Significance of your research
• Methodology and Research Design:
  • Description of the data or other materials which will be/have been collected and analyzed
  • Methods of collection and analysis
  • Design considerations
  • Description of any necessary approvals, such as Human Subjects Review

Research Progress, Work Plan, and Timetable

Format: No more than 1 page. Double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, numbered pages, and your name on each page.

Include:

• Describe your research progress made to date
• Describe the tasks you will complete during the fellowship term, with estimated timetable
• Specific off-campus location(s)
• Date of proposed travel
• Resources you will utilize

Citations (optional)

• May be included for important references
• Can be either footnotes or endnotes
• Can be single-spaced
• Will count towards the page limit of the section in which they are included

Personal Statement

Format: No more than 1 page. Double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, numbered pages, your name on each page.

As appropriate, please include information relevant to the following:

• Your service contributions to UNC and the local community beyond any requirements of your program (including teaching and research duties).
• Your understanding of and commitment to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. You may draw from your lived experience, cultural awareness and competencies, and/or research methodology and reflections.

Curriculum Vitae and Other Sources of Funding

Format: No more than 2 pages. 12-point font, 1-inch margins, numbered pages, and your name on each page.

• Include recent professional activities, awards, honors, courses you have taught, and research publications/presentations.
• Other sources of funding, including:
• Departmental funding received
• External funding (please note if received or pending)
• Because University funding is limited, application for external funding is encouraged, and such efforts will be viewed positively by the reviewers.

Letter of recommendation from your Dissertation Advisor

You will include your advisor’s email address in your application. Your recommender will receive an email asking them to submit a letter of recommendation.

Instructions for recommenders:
Each letter of recommendation should be no more than 4,000 characters (spaces included), which is approximately 600 words or one single-spaced page.

Letters of recommendation should be written “To the Fellowship Committee.”

Include:

• The quality of the student's research
• A rating of the student’s overall ability and potential for a successful career based on the recommender's knowledge of other students in the same field
• The recommender's assessment of the need for the student to conduct off-campus research as a critical part of their dissertation
• A description of other funding received or pending (if applicable)

IRB approval (if necessary for your research)

• If you need IRB approval for your research, you will say so on the application. You will also attach any relevant documentation
• You may submit your application before receiving IRB approval. We strongly recommend that you submit an IRB application as soon as possible.
• If IRB approval is required for your research, proof of IRB approval must be received by The Graduate School no later than six weeks after the date on the award letter. Otherwise, your fellowship award will be forfeited.

Contact Us

Graduate School Fellowships Office
gradfunding@unc.edu