Summer Pre-Dissertation Travel Grants

Limited availability for summer 2021

International mobility for graduate students will remain limited through summer 2021. We will only consider funding for trips that are time-sensitive due to the research topic or other compelling circumstances. These OVPIA grants cannot be used in support of online or virtual activities in lieu of travel. Please use the regular application form, but give special attention in your statement to the necessity of the activity being undertaken in summer 2021 and to your pandemic travel safety planning.

Get support for research-related summer travel

IU graduate students can apply for summer pre-dissertation travel grants that support research-related summer travel abroad prior to conducting dissertation research abroad.

Each year, eight to ten students receive fellowships consisting of a $1,000 stipend plus round-trip economy airfare from Indianapolis to the location where research will be conducted. Travel from other points of origin in the United States is possible if cost of airfare is comparable.

The grants support six-to-eight week trips for preliminary dissertation fieldwork activities such as:

Exploring potential research sites, archives, and other research resources
Establishing institutional affiliations
Identifying and meeting with local scholars and contacts as appropriate

Applicants must outline a plan that is designed to secure the feasibility of their eventual dissertation plans.

Students who are receiving funds from another source for the same purpose and during the same award period are ineligible to receive funds from this grant.

Eligibility

All Indiana University Ph.D. students are eligible for this grant, regardless of discipline, department, campus, or nationality. To be eligible, you must:

Be enrolled in a program leading to a Ph.D. degree at Indiana University
Have completed at least two years of graduate coursework prior to the beginning date of proposed research including at least one year at IU
Be at a pre-dissertation stage of your graduate program

Letters of reference

One letter of reference from your primary Indiana University faculty research advisor is required.

If your work requires facility in a foreign language of which you are not a native speaker, you will also need to supply a letter/evaluation of your foreign language ability from a faculty member or language coordinator, preferably from IU.

Application review criteria

The faculty review committee will consider:

Scholarly achievement
Validity and feasibility of proposal
Requisite language facility
Faculty support as indicated by letters of reference
Impact the work will have on the dissertation research plan
Plans to apply for external funding for dissertation research and writing during the following academic year

You are encouraged to establish contacts in your respective host country and include a description of contacts in the statement of purpose as well as provide evidence of contact. Attach documentation of contact with host country affiliate(s) to your personal statement.

For more information, consult the FAQs here or email iagrants@iu.edu.

Apply now

The application deadline for summer 2021 funding is March 1, 2021.

Start your application