GSAS International Travel Awards

 

GSAS International Travel Fellowships provide advanced PhD students funding for international travel that is necessary for the completion of the dissertation. The Fellowships, which include the Lurcy, Mellon, Thompson, and Wollemborg, are to be used for an entire semester or academic year abroad. They may not be used for research in residence at Columbia, research within the United States, or for trips to the US during the award period. 

Travel Advisory

GSAS is pleased to offer the International Travel Fellowships for the 2024-25 academic year. Please note that the disbursement of all travel-related funds is contingent upon the ability to travel to the country or countries to which the grantee applied. Should Columbia University limit international travel to certain countries or regions, GSAS does not commit to providing grantees with a travel fellowship for the current award period.

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive an International Travel Fellowship, students must:

  • Be a PhD student in an Arts and Sciences program
  • Have completed all requirements for the MPhil degree and passed the prospectus defense before May 31, 2024
  • Be within their seventh year of study in 2024-25

Terms of the Award

All awards are for the 2024-25 academic year. Students may apply for a one-semester or an academic year award. Awards may not be deferred and must be used within the 2024-25 academic year. GSAS International Travel Awards are internal fellowships and cannot be banked for a future semester or academic year.

The terms of the GSAS Travel Fellowship prohibit grantees from holding teaching assignments, any other position, or another fellowship concurrently.

How to Apply

Deadline: Friday, March 01, 2024 at 1:00 pm ET

Only completed applications submitted by the deadline will be considered. Please read the directions and information carefully for the online application. The applicant must upload all items electronically with the exception of the letters of recommendation, which are uploaded by the recommenders or emailed to [email protected].

If you are applying to more than one fellowship through this application portal, you will need to upload all materials for each fellowship application, and recommenders will have to submit a separate letter for each fellowship application.

Applications must include the following items:

  • Completed GSAS online application form
     
  • An up-to-date GSAS transcript (official PDF transcript from the Registrar’s office).
    Note: The GSAS Fellowship application does not accept encrypted files for upload. Official Columbia transcript PDFs are encrypted; you may order a paper copy through SSOL or print the official transcript PDF you receive from Parchment, then scan and upload it.
     
  • A curriculum vitae (three pages maximum)
     
  • A statement of your language preparation for research abroad, specifying the language(s) needed to carry out your research and your proficiency in each (one page maximum)
     
  • A project proposal of no more than 1,500 words, which should include a justification of your need to travel and a specific discussion of your research plans during the fellowship period. Please do not submit a copy of the departmental dissertation prospectus. Proposals will be read by an inter-departmental faculty committee and should emphasize the potential of your research to make a contribution to the particular field and to scholarship in general.
     
  • A timetable for completion of research and writing (two pages maximum). Please be as specific as possible. Applicants can apply for only one of the following terms:
    • 2024-25 academic year (fall and spring)
    • Fall 2024 semester
    • Spring 2025 semester
       
  • A budget proposal (two pages maximum). The budget proposal should include anticipated living costs, travel expenses, and a project allowance. The project allowance is for items such as books, photocopying, archive access fees, videotapes, film, etc. The project allowance is not intended for permanent items such as computers or cameras. Please list a budget that does not exceed the award amount for the full year or half of that for one semester. International Travel Fellowships award grantees the same amount as the standard GSAS stipend. The fellowship also includes Matriculation and Facilities tuition and health fees.
     
  • Two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from your dissertation sponsor. Each recommender should describe the ways in which s/he considers your proposal to be exceptional and should endorse, with a fair degree of specificity, the timetable for completion and your travel plans. GSAS prefers that recommenders submit their letters of recommendation electronically to expedite processing. When the applicant enters the name and email of recommenders, the recommenders will automatically receive an email containing upload information and instructions. Applicants can resend a request by clicking on the "Send Reminder" button. It is the applicant's responsibility to make sure that recommenders are given ample time to submit recommendations by the deadline, and to notify recommenders if applying for more than one fellowship. 

Note: Columbia students traveling abroad to conduct research, enroll in foreign language or other courses, or attend conferences must register with International SOS, an emergency services program that helps with unexpected medical or security issues, prior to departure.

Previous Recipients

For a list of previous recipients of the GSAS International Travel Fellowship, see Award and Prize Recipients.