Financial Aid & Fellowships

Financial Aid

All students admitted to the doctoral program are offered five-year fellowships covering tuition, fees, health insurance, and a twelve-month stipend, with the possibility of a sixth year of funding when warranted.

ISAW Funding Beyond Year 5

Students wishing to extend their funding to a sixth year should submit a letter of request by email to their committee (with copy to the Associate Director for Academic Affairs) by March 31st of Year 5 outlining the current state of their dissertation and a work plan for the coming year(s), including anticipated deadlines for chapter reviews. The committee will evaluate the request and then make a recommendation to the faculty, who will render the final decision. All students applying for a sixth year of ISAW funding must demonstrate that they have also applied to applicable sources of non-ISAW funding, specifically a fellowship or grant that would provide a living stipend. In most cases, applying to be nominated for a GSAS dissertation fellowship for which they are eligible via the internal ISAW competition would fulfill this requirement. Please consult GSAS’s listing of internal and external fellowships for possible funding opportunities, and please bring any questions or concerns to the Associate Director for Academic Affairs.

If combining a sixth year of ISAW funding with outside support in Year 6 and/or Year 7, students have three options and must indicate their preference at the time of their funding request:

Deferral: if approved by the faculty, students may defer their sixth year of ISAW funding until Year 7. If students elect this option, they are supported entirely by outside sources in Year 6 and are supported entirely by ISAW funding in Year 7.

Two-Year Spread: if approved by the faculty, students may spread their sixth year of funding out over a two-year period, Year 6 and Year 7, to supplement outside awards.  The maximum combined stipend (including ISAW support and outside support) that a student may receive in either Year 6 or Year 7 will be equivalent to the ISAW stipend for that particular year, and the maximum amount that ISAW will provide as stipend over the two-year period will not exceed the amount of a normal ISAW twelve-month stipend.

Maximum Funding for Year Six: if approved by the faculty, students may combine outside support with ISAW support in Year 6, such that their total combined stipend is equivalent to the full ISAW stipend plus half of the amount of the outside award.  Should they not finish the degree in Year 6, students who elect this option will not be eligible for any ISAW funding in Year 7.

Note: ISAW funding is not available to students after Year 7.

GSAS Dissertation Fellowships and Center for the Humanities Fellowships

Students are nominated by the department for these fellowships. To be considered, submit a complete application to the Associate Director for Academic Affairs no later than September 3, 2024. Letters of recommendation are also due by September 3, 2024, and should be submitted directly to Marc LeBlanc via email. Please submit separate applications if applying for the GSAS Dissertation Fellowships and Center for the Humanities Doctoral Fellowships as they have different forms.