Information on Graduate Fellowships and Awards

Awards from many sources (e.g., National Science Foundation, UCLA, private foundations) are available to fund graduate student research. Students are encouraged to apply to UCLA internal funding when possible as they advance through the program, and we offer incentives for doing so.

In addition to the funding opportunities provided below, students are encouraged to seek out funding sources using the Graduate and Postdoctoral Extramural Support (GRAPES) portal.

The following provides a general summary of awards by the quarter that the application is due. Deadlines, eligibility requirements, and award amounts are only approximate and may change from year to year. Students are advised to consult with the DGS and/or their advisors if they plan to submit an application.

Please contact the current DGS if any information is incorrect.

 

Early Career Graduate Fellowships

Quarter due Year in program Award name Eligibility summary Typical amount
Fall Before entering, 1st year NSF Graduate Research Fellowship US Citizens, nationals, or permanent residents $138,000 over 3 years, including tuition
Fall Up to 3rd year Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship Primary parent / both parents born outside US, must be 30 or younger at time of application, see webpage for additional requirements $25,000 stipend/ year, and 50% of tuition and fees, up to $20,000 per year, for one to two years.
Fall Before entering, 1st year SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship Canadian citizens or permanent residents who’ve completed a bachelor’s or master’s in Canada $20,000 / year for up to 4 years
Winter Before entering, 1st year Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowships US Citizens, nationals, or permanent residents (or DACA recipients, or refugees). Racial/cultural minorities strongly preferred $81,000 over 3 years

Dissertation Research and Completion Fellowships

Quarter due Year in program Award name Eligibility summary Typical amount
Rolling Advanced to candidacy NSF Dynamic Language Infrastructure-Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants Dissertating PhD students whose project addresses “… fieldwork and other activities relevant to the digital recording, documenting, and archiving of endangered languages, including the preparation of lexicons, grammars, text samples, and databases.” Up to $15,000 of indirect costs for two years
Fall Final year of dissertation AAUW American Fellowships Dissertating female PhD students who are US citizens or permanent residents, and whose next year will be their final year in their PhD program $6,000 – $30,000
Winter Final year of dissertation Ford Foundation Dissertation Writing Fellowship US Citizens, nationals, permanent residents, or DACA-recipients, in addition to refugees in their final year of their PhD program. Awards are made to individuals who bring diversity to the academy and show potential for scholarly achievement. $28,000 for a one-year stipend
Winter Advanced to candidacy Phillips Fund for Native American Research Dissertating PhD students conducting research in Native American linguistics, ethnohistory, and the history of studies of Native Americans, in the continental United States and Canada $3,000
Winter, Summer Advanced to candidacy NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Awards Dissertating PhD students (“The program encourages projects that are interdisciplinary in methodological or theoretical perspective, and that address questions that cross disciplinary boundaries”) Up to $12,000

UCLA Internal Funding

Quarter due Year in program Award name Eligibility summary Expected amount
Rolling 1st through 7th UCLA Doctoral Student Travel Grant PhD students in years 1-7, who are not currently receiving and have not previously received DYF funding $1,000 over course of PhD program
Winter In 1st, 2nd, or 3rd year Graduate Research Mentorship (GRM) Program Doctoral students who have not yet advanced to candidacy; priority given to students in year 1 or 2 at time of application and who have not a GRM previously $20,000, including tuition and fees
Winter In 1st, 2nd, or 3rd year Graduate Summer Research Mentorship (GSRM) Program Doctoral students who have not yet advanced to candidacy; priority given to students in year 1 or 2 at time of application and who have not a GRM previously $6,000
Winter Advanced to candidacy Dissertation Year Fellowship (DYF) Will file dissertation within 12 months of receiving fellowship; may not work more than 25% time $20,000, including tuition and fees

Department Internal Funding

Quarter Year in program Award name Eligibility summary Expected amount
Rolling Any Graduate Student Travel Funding PhD students who are presenting a talk or poster at a major conferences and have (a) already exhausted their UCLA Doctoral Student Travel Grant, (b) consulted with their advisors prior to submitting an abstract, and (c) completed this form prior to submitting an abstract Maximum amount varies by year in program: $900 for year 2, $1,200 for years 3-5, $800 for year 6 and above
Rolling Any Funding for Language Assistants and Experimental Subjects PhD students with relevant experimental projects that have obtained IRB approval; request submitted 3 weeks in advance. Students must enroll in a Ling 59X with a faculty advisor  $1,000 per academic year for assistant or subject payments; up to $500 additional funds for July-Dec
Rolling Any Ladefoged Scholarship Awards PhD students who require assistance paying language consultants or experimental subjects if above funds are unavailable $1,500 maximum per project; smaller amounts encouraged; multiple awards possible over time
Spring Summer preceding 2nd year through summer preceding 5th year Graduate Student Summer School Funding PhD students in good standing having obtained faculty advisor approval, and have attempted to secure funding from the Graduate Division $1,500 maximum per time in program, subject to annual budget