Department Fellowships and Awards

In addition to the Henry Mitchell MacCracken Fellowship, many other fellowships and awards are available to our Ph.D. students: Summer Funding for 1st year Ph.D. Students, the Anais Nin Memorial Fellowship, the Penfield Fellowship, Comp Lit Student Travel Awards, GSAS Fellowships and Awards, and Other NYU/External Fellowships and Awards.

Comp Lit Summer Funding for Ph.D. Students

The Department currently has two summer funding plans in place for Ph.D. students.

Plan I is in effect for those who matriculated in FA16 or earlier -- students in their 1st, 4th, 5th years receive guaranteed summer funding in years one ($1,000) and in years four and five ($4,000 each year).  Students are eligible to apply for non-guaranteed Language and Research Acquisition Grants (up to $4,000) in their 2nd and 3rd summers and encouraged to apply for outside funding to supplement these application-based awards.

Plan II is in effect for all students who matriculated in FA17 or after -- students receive guaranteed summer funding in the amount of $3,000 in their first, second, and third summers. Students are eligible to apply for non-guaranteed Language and Research Acquisition Grants (up to $4,000) in their fourth and fifth summers and encouraged to apply for outside funding to supplement these application based awards.

Language and Research Acquisition Grants

The department may have limited funds available at the end of any given academic year. While these funds are not guaranteed, if the department is in a position to offer Language and Research Acquisition Grants, they will be made available to students in both summer funding plans upon application. The purpose of the awards are to provide partial funding to students with summer projects  related to research or language acquisition. 

The application procedure is as follows:
-A brief project description (limit to 1 page)
Should identify the specific research question OR plan for language study. Project description should include the signifigance of the project for future dissertation research. Note your project need not necessitate travel; research projects undertaken in NYC will be considered.
-Budget proposal (itemized)
One-page budget including proposed expenses for travel, lodging, and other expenses related to the summer project, up to $4,000. (Living expenses will be considered as part of the proposed budget.)
-Up-to-date CV
-Unofficial transcript from Albert

Anais Nin Memorial Fellowship

The Department awards this endowed fellowship to an outstanding student of Comparative Literature who has completed all requirements for the Ph.D. except the dissertation.  There is no application for this award.
 

Penfield Fellowship

The Department awards this endowed fellowship to an advanced dissertation-level student studying in the area of belle-lettres, international affairs, and/or diplomacy.  There is no application for this award.
 

Comp Lit Student Travel Awards

Ph.D. students in years 1 through 5 of their studies can apply for a variety of travel award options to present papers at  scholarly or professional non-student conferences. Applications should be submitted to Deirdre Collins (drc400@nyu.edu).


Note:  We strongly advise that students apply for the GSAS Travel Grant for the first instance of conference travel (GSAS almost always awards first-time applicants; their travel grant is more than ours; their travel grant is also open to MA students). Students can also apply for travel awards through the NYU Conference Fund.


Eligibility and Application

  • Applicants must be matriculated Ph.D. students in “good standing”* in the Department of Comparative Literature and cannot be past their 5th year.  Terminal M.A. students, Fulbright Scholars, non-degree candidates, Visiting Scholars, and Global Scholars are not eligible.
  • Travel awards are not made for attendance only, i.e., students must be presenting a conference paper.
  • Travel awards are not made for presentations at graduate student conferences.
  • Travel awards are not made to students on leave of absence or those maintaining matriculation.
  • Applications must be accompanied by a letter or e-mail of acceptance from conference organizers.

Award Options      

  • 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year students can apply for up to $400 in travel award. This can be either two $200 awards for two conferences OR $400 in travel award for one conference.
  • 4th and 5th year students can apply for another $350 travel award to one conference. If a student has not used one of the earlier $200 amounts, this $200 can be combined with the $350. (Both the $200 amounts cannot be carried into the 4th/5th years).

*GSAS Good academic standing = minimum GPA of 3.0; must have successfully completed 66 percent of credits attempted while at NYU, not including current semester; Courses with grades of IP, IF, N, W, and F are not considered "successfully completed."

 

GSAS Fellowships and Awards

Each spring and fall, the Graduate School of Arts and Science offers the opportunity to apply for various fellowships and awards designed to reward exceptional students who are actively engaged in thesis research or dissertation writing.  A list of current GSAS Fellowships and Awards appears below.  Please see here for award descriptions and details of application.  Contact Deirdre Collins with further questions.

Fall:  Dissertation Writing Fellowships, Dissertation Research Fellowships, James Arthur Fellowship, Elaine Brody Fellowship for the Humanities, Lane Cooper Fellowship

Spring:  GSAS Summer Pre-doctoral Fellowship, Andrew Sauter Fellowship for Pre-doctoral Students in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Maizer Summer Fellowship, Patricia Dunn Lehrman Fellowhip, Robert Holmes Travel/Research Award for African Scholarship, Dean’s Outstanding Dissertation Prizes, Dean’s Outstanding Student Teaching Awards, Alpine Summer Fellowship

Students are also encouraged to reach out to Abby Williams, the Assistant Director of Fellowships and Awards in GSAS, who can help you brainstorm and develop your ideas. 

 

Other NYU/External Fellowships, Awards, and Resources