Funding & Fellowships

For current tuition and fees, please visit the Office of the Bursar.

PhD students who matriculate in Summer 2020 and after will be guaranteed to have funding support from the University of Chicago, external sources, or a combination of the two for the duration of their program to include the following:

• Full tuition coverage
• Annual stipend
• Fully paid individual annual health insurance premiums (U-SHIP, the University Student Health Insurance Plan)

The goal of the University’s commitment to ensuring that students are supported is to allow students to prioritize their studies and prepare for rewarding careers. We expect students to remain in good academic standing and to be making progress toward completing degree requirements.

Additional fellowships and awards are available to support language study, conference travel, and research travel.

Students entering the TAPS option in the University’s Masters Program in the Humanities (MAPH) may apply for several fellowships in addition to applying for work-study opportunities. See the Financial Aid page at the MAPH website for more details.

TAPS joint degree students can expect at least $2,500 in supplemental funding as
needed during their time in the doctoral program. You may apply for financial support toward artistic or scholarly activities clearly related to your graduate studies and/or professional aspirations. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. If you would like funding for a current or summer project, please aim to apply by April 20, 2025.

For this funding cycle we are allowing students to apply to defray any relevant expense (artistic project expenses, conference fees, teaching expenses including paying visitors to join your classes, extracurricular training, other research expenses, etc.). Priority will be given to projects or activities not eligible for other funding streams from your partner department or other entities. Students who have received TAPS supplemental or artistic funding in the past are encouraged to apply, though the committee may take past award history and resources available from the partner department into account in their deliberations. 

To apply for funding, please submit:

PROJECT SUMMARY (approximately 500 words)

• Content and form of project
• Connections to graduate studies and/or professional aspirations
• Collaborators and advisors (if applicable)
• Practical considerations (timeline, space, resources, etc.)

PROJECT BUDGET (include categories below as applicable)

• Material expenses
• Travel
• Personnel fees
• Other funding confirmed or pending (list sources and amounts requested/confirmed)
• Requested amount from PhD-SPF up to $2000.
• An account of discretionary research funds provided for you by your partner department, if any.
• An account of TAPS artistic project or supplemental funding received to date. 

Please submit proposals via this form and allow at least two weeks for faculty review. For questions or technical difficulties, contact Vicki Walden at vwalden@uchicago.edu.

Conference Travel Grants
Humanities Division – up to $400 of reimbursement
Graduate Council – research and personal development fund

Fellowships
Fellowships from public or private agencies can supplement a student’s overall
financial support, and applicants are encouraged to explore all funding opportunities available to them. The Division of the Humanities has additional information on the types of financial support available to doctoral students.

Students pursuing fieldwork or source studies abroad are encouraged to apply for Fulbright Fellowships through UChicagoGRAD; many countries also offer their own
research fellowships to international students (such as the DAAD Fellowships for Germany). Students are encouraged to explore all fellowship opportunities through the Fellowship Kiosk maintained by UChicagoGRAD.