External Funding Opportunities

The Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Fellowship Program is designed to contribute to the development and improvement of the study of modern foreign languages and area studies in the United States by providing opportunities for scholars to conduct research abroad.

This program provides grants to colleges and universities to fund individual doctoral students who conduct research in other countries, in modern foreign languages, and area studies for periods of 6-12 months. Research must focus on one or more of the following geographic areas: Africa, East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, South Asia, the Near East, Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and the Western Hemisphere (excluding the United States and its territories).

To be eligible for this fellowship, students must meet the following requirements:

• Be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident
• Be a graduate student in good standing at an institution of higher education and admitted to candidacy in a doctoral degree program in modern foreign languages and area studies by the time of fellowship program start, which includes programs in humanities, social sciences, divinity, and related fields
• Possess advanced foreign language skills necessary to conduct the dissertation research project
• Planning a U.S. teaching career upon doctoral degree completion

2025 Application Process

Please note the following Vanderbilt campus deadlines for the spring 2025 application:

• December 1, 2024: Career Center draft review (send draft to fellowships@vanderbilt.edu)*
• December 15, 2024: Mandatory submission of the draft budget for Vanderbilt review (email budget to Kaitlyn Mehlhouse (kaitlyn.e.mehlhouse@vanderbilt.edu), Program Manager)
• January 2, 2025: Final application deadline in G6

Full 2025 application guidelines are available here.

*The Vanderbilt Career Center Fellowships Team is happy to support students in developing and revising application proposals. Students seeking support must share drafts by December 1 with the Fellowships Team to guarantee draft review. To schedule appointments for application review or to discuss fellowship requirements, please contact Dr. Elizabeth Harrington Lambert and Dr. Whitney Taylor at fellowships@vanderbilt.edu or via Handshake.

The purpose of the NCI Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award (F99/K00) is to encourage and retain outstanding graduate students who have demonstrated potential and interest in pursuing careers as independent cancer researchers. The F99/K00 award is intended for individuals who require one to two years to complete their Ph.D. dissertation research training (F99 phase) before transitioning to mentored postdoctoral research training (K00 phase). Learn more about graduate student funding opportunities through the F99/K00 award.

The Dolores Zohrab Liebman Fund Fellowship adminstered by J.P. Morgan provides fellowships to fund advanced education and graduate study carried out entirely in the U.S. The fellowship covers tuition and an $18,000 annual stipend to be allocated towards room, board, and living expenses. Eligibility is limited to those master’s and professional students, including professional doctoral programs, enrolled in any recognized field of study in the humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences.

2025-2026

Application Process

Students should submit all the required materials into one single PDF to InfoReady by December 31, 2024, at 5:00 P.M.: https://vanderbilt.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1955007. Additional information about required materials can be found in the InfoReady application.

Students should not contact the fellowship coordinator at J.P Morgan.

Candidate Qualifications

• Fellowships are available to students who are currently enrolled in and pursuing a master’s or professional degree, including professional doctoral programs, at a designated institution of higher learning located in the United States of America. Students enrolled in research PhD programs are not eligible to apply.
• The program of study being pursued by the candidate may include any recognized field of study in the humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences (including law, medicine, engineering, architecture, or other formal professional training). The selection committee has a strong preference for supporting scholarly endeavors.
• The candidate must have received a baccalaureate degree at the time of application and have an outstanding undergraduate record.
• The candidate must demonstrate a need for financial assistance.
• The candidate must be a citizen of the United States of America.
• The candidate may be of any national descent or background.

Fellowship Details

• The amount of each Fellowship will cover actual tuition cost only (no fees) plus an $18,000 annual stipend to be allocated towards room, board, and ordinary living expenses, as well as any income taxes thereon.
• The recipient of a Fellowship shall be known as a Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellow.
• Fellowships are awarded annually. Each Fellow MUST APPLY FOR A RENEWAL of his or her fellowship by March 31st of the following year in accordance with the terms in effect at the time the fellowship is awarded. (No reminder will be sent.) Fellowships will be limited to a maximum of three years.
• If a student needs to defer to study abroad an email must be sent to Cory Whitlock notifying as such and can only be deferred once up to one academic year.
• A Fellowship may be canceled at any time if a Fellow engages in misconduct affecting the Fund, breaches any of these rules or provides false information to the Fund either directly or indirectly.