Scholarships and Awards

The department offers several awards to support anthropology students and postdoctoral researchers. Learn more about these awards and how to apply below.

Conference Travel Fund

Open to current undergraduate majors, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers in anthropology.

The Department of Anthropology provides funds to students planning to present their research or attend a domestic or international conference. The fund can be used to cover registration fees (in person or virtual conferences) and/or travel expenses (in person conferences).

Students must include a receipt for their conference registration payment when submitting their application. If they have already registered for the conference, the receipt should be provided at the time of application. If they have not registered yet, they should submit the receipt shortly after applying. Applicants will not be eligible to apply for travel funds the following academic year if they do not submit their registration receipt.

The typical award from the fund is about $500.
 

How to Apply

The department sends two calls for applications through the graduate listserv each year, at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters. Students apply for funds by filling out a Conference Travel Fund application form and submitting it by email to the Department Head by the deadline provided in the call for applications.


Dissertation Writing Fellowship

Open to current Ph.D. students in anthropology.

The Department of Anthropology awards the Dissertation Writing Fellowship to help advanced students finish writing their dissertation. These service-free awards are for students who have passed their Ph.D. comprehensive exam, submitted their dissertation proposal, completed their fieldwork and all data collection for their dissertation, and are capable of defending their dissertation within one year. Fellowship awards are based on past achievements, current need, and demonstrated progress toward a degree.

One of the Dissertation Writing Fellowships awarded each year, to a cultural anthropology student, is funded through the Dennison Nash Graduate Fellowship Fund in Sociocultural Anthropology. The fund was established with a generous contribution from UConn Emeritus Professor Dennison Nash, who passed away in 2012.

 

How to Apply

The department distributes a call for Dissertation Writing Fellowship applications in the spring semester. Contact the Director of Graduate Studies to learn more about this opportunity.


Field School Fund: Travel Awards

Open to current undergraduate majors and minors in anthropology.

The Department of Anthropology offers travel awards of up to $1,000 to offset travel costs to the department’s overseas anthropological field schools (Mauritius and Armenia). UConn anthropology majors or minors who have been accepted into one of the department’s overseas anthropological field schools are eligible to receive this award.

 

How to Apply

Students apply by filling out and submitting an application form once they are accepted into a UConn overseas anthropological field school in February of each year. The award is paid to students as a scholarship.

Application forms for the travel award and a flyer with information about the field schools are circulated to our undergraduate students by email around Feb. 1 of each year by the Program Coordinator or the Department Head. The applications for both the field school and the travel award are due on Feb. 15 each year.

Note: Students must apply for the overseas field school separately through the Office of Experiential Global Learning.


Student and Postdoc Research Fund

Open to current undergraduate majors, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers in anthropology.

Students and postdocs in the Department of Anthropology can apply for small research awards. These awards are intended to cover expenses that are difficult to cover through other funding sources, such as supplies, equipment, or analyses. They are not intended for travel.

Awards are competitive, and the maximum amount of funding that can be granted to each student/postdoc depends on several factors, including the number of applicants over the course of the academic year.

The average award is between $500 and $1,000. Students may be granted a partial award if their entire funding request cannot be fulfilled.

 

How to Apply

Students and postdocs may apply to the Department Head by email on a rolling basis. The application should include a brief explanation of the research project and why the supplemental funds are needed (one-page single spaced maximum), a detailed budget on how the funds will be spent, and a short statement of support from their primary advisor (an email will suffice).


Summer Research Fellowship

Open to current Ph.D. students in anthropology.

The Department of Anthropology awards the Summer Research Fellowship (SRF) to help accelerate student progress toward completion of the doctoral degree. Proposals for pilot research, preparations for fieldwork, and the study of special methods or languages receive the highest funding priority. SRF activities are expected to be completed within one year and are not limited to summer activities.

Most awards fall in the range of $1,000-$4,000, and students typically receive two SRFs during their time in our program.

Students may also request reimbursement for money spent out-of-pocket on pilot research over the last year if the opportunity to carry out that research arose after the last call for SRF proposals. A clear explanation of the context and justification for the work must be provided. Students seeking reimbursement for out-of-pocket pilot research expenditures can also request funds for new pilot research as part of the same application as long as the total amount requested is under $5,000.

Students who have received two prior SRFs have low priority.

 

How to Apply

The call for SRF applications is distributed early in the spring semester. Students can contact the Director of Graduate Studies to learn more about this opportunity.