Chinese Studies Funding

Eligibility:  University of Chicago legacy Ph.D. candidates (i.e., 8th year and above in 2024-2025 who are not under the University's new Ph.D. student funding model) writing dissertations on topics related to Chinese studies. Students must be admitted to candidacy before the start of the fellowship (Autumn Quarter).  In exceptional cases, CEAS will consider applications from University of Chicago Ph.D. students under the University's new funding model (such students should consult CEAS before applying).

Deadline:  Friday, April 4, 2025 by 3:00 pm

Description:  This fellowship provides funds for a year of dissertation work on a topic relating to Chinese studies. Research for the dissertation must be completed, and priority is given to those who have a chapter or two completed. Students who have been admitted to candidacy may apply in the spring for funding that will begin the following autumn.

Terms:  This fellowship provides a stipend (up to $33,000 in 2024-2025), plus student health insurance, tuition, and student service fees over the course of three quarters in one academic year (i.e., autumn, winter and spring quarters).  Even though this fellowship is NOT a dissertation completion fellowship with a graduation mandate, awardees are only eligible for this fellowship once, except in the case of compelling circumstances.

It is strongly recommended that students apply simultaneously for the CEAS Chinese Studies Dissertation Fellowship and for other grants and fellowships (both internal and external to the University of Chicago) and include this information in their CEAS application; in case of success, students are expected to inform CEAS of the amount of the award at their earliest convenience as CEAS may need to modify the award accordingly.

Because the intent behind this fellowship is to enable students to devote their full attention and effort to completion of their dissertation, these terms do not allow students to engage in any remunerative activity, on or off campus, or to pursue course work.  The sole exception, which must be approved by the Committee, is that students may undertake a modest teaching assignment in the second half of the academic year when it is clear that teaching in the winter or spring will not delay completion of the degree. Requests to undertake a teaching assignment must be made in writing to the Chair of the CEAS Committee on Chinese Studies.

Application Requirements:
The following should be uploaded in PDF format as part of your online application, with the exception of letters of recommendation:

• Statement of purpose discussing the work you plan to do on your dissertation during the year.  Limit two pages. Be sure to include information on other internal and external funding sources.
• A statement from your department indicating that you have been admitted to Ph.D. candidacy and are in good standing.
• Dissertation proposal.
• One complete dissertation chapter.
• Two letters of recommendation.

Please note: upon submitting the online application, the faculty members you specify will receive an email with directions to submit a letter of recommendation.  This email is intended as a courtesy reminder; you should be in contact with your professors regarding a letter of recommendation prior to your submission.

Apply Online.  Applications submitted by email or hardcopy are not accepted.

Eligibility:  University of Chicago Ph.D. candidates completing dissertations on topics related to modern Chinese studies.  Students should be advanced graduate students in Chinese studies who have finished coursework and passed comprehensive exams, but have yet to complete and defend the doctoral dissertation.  ABD students must demonstrate substantive progress in completion of dissertation chapters.

Deadline:  Friday, April 4, 2025 by 3:00 pm

Description:  This prize provides a $5,000 stipend to be utilized for dissertation writing, including to support further travel for dissertation-related research and to help release any financial barrier a student may have to completing his/her/their dissertation.

Terms:  A student is eligible for this prize only once during his/her/their graduate school career.

The Kei-on Chan Dissertation Prize in Modern Chinese Studies is made possible by a generous gift from Mr. Kei-on Chan (AM ’67, Ph.D. ’74) in honor of some of the distinguished historians Mr. Chan studied under, namely, Professors Ho Ping-ti, William McNeil, Tsou Tang, and Tsien Tsuen-Hsuin. This prize is in recognition of the outstanding achievements of those scholars and their inspiring dedication to education.

Application Requirements:
The following should be uploaded with your online application in PDF format, with the exception of letters of recommendation:

• A statement of how the proposed use of the prize furthers your progress in completing your dissertation and the specific work you will complete during the year.  Limit two pages. Be sure to include information on other internal and external funding sources.
• Dissertation proposal.
• Dissertation progress report from Department.
• One completed dissertation chapter.
• Two letters of recommendation.

Please note: upon submitting the online application, the faculty member you specify will receive an email with directions to submit a letter of recommendation. This email is intended as a courtesy reminder; you should be in contact with your professor regarding a letter of recommendation prior to your submission.

Apply Online.  Applications submitted by email or hardcopy are not accepted.

Eligibility:  University of Chicago Ph.D. candidates completing dissertations on topics related to Chinese studies. Students should be advanced graduate students in Chinese studies who have finished coursework and passed comprehensive exams, but have yet to complete and defend the doctoral dissertation. ABD students must demonstrate substantive progress in completion of dissertation chapters.

Deadline:  Friday, April 4, 2025 by 3:00 pm

Description:  This prize provides a $5,000 stipend to be utilized for dissertation writing, including to support further travel for dissertation-related research and to help release any financial barrier a student may have to completing his/her/their dissertation.

Terms:  A student is eligible for this prize only once during his/her/their graduate school career.

The Philip A. Kuhn Dissertation Prize in Chinese Studies is made possible by a generous gift from Mr. Kei-on Chan (AM ’67, Ph.D. ’74) in honor of Dr. Philip A. Kuhn, and in recognition of his dedicated efforts to unearth and share deep histories of modern China as a professor at the University of Chicago from 1963 to 1978, and beyond. As a pioneer of social history in the field of Chinese history, Dr. Kuhn’s many notable achievements were achieved by perilous research and relentless pursuit of inquiry. It is with this spirit and his impact on so many, that the prize is named in his honor.

Application Requirements:
The following should be uploaded with your online application in PDF format, with the exception of letters of recommendation:

• A statement of how the proposed use of the prize furthers your progress in completing your dissertation and the specific work you will complete during the year.  Limit two pages.  Be sure to include information on other internal and external funding sources.
• Dissertation proposal.
• Dissertation progress report from Department.
• One completed dissertation chapter.
• Two letters of recommendation.

Please note: upon submitting the online application, the faculty member you specify will receive an email with directions to submit a letter of recommendation.  This email is intended as a courtesy reminder; you should be in contact with your professor regarding a letter of recommendation prior to your submission.

Apply Online.  Applications submitted by email or hardcopy are not accepted.

Eligibility:  University of Chicago graduate students engaged in dissertation research related to China (i.e., students are ABD after passing qualifying exams and defending their dissertation proposal).

Deadline:  Friday, April 4, 2025 by 3:00 pm

Description:  This award is for up to $5,000 and supports dissertation research in Chinese studies. Typically, funds are used to finance summer research in the target country but can also be utilized throughout the academic year.  Applications proposing research including U.S. domestic travel will also be considered. The grant funds are intended to enable University of Chicago graduate students to conduct additional field research (for example, visit key archives and collections; meet with scholars, practitioners, and advisers to conduct interviews, ethnographies, and/or surveys in Asia).

CEAS will consider applications from students who have previously received CEAS Dissertation Research Grants (DRG) on a case-by-case basis. Applicants will need to 1) explain why the research did not occur during previous CEAS DRG; 2) demonstrate due diligence in seeking other internal and external funding; and 3) provide a detailed proposal of what archives or field work will be undertaken, a proposed budget, and a letter of recommendation from the Chair of their dissertation committee OR an advising faculty member.

Allowable expenses include economy airfare, local travel, accommodations, meals and up to $500 for research materials.

Application Requirements:
The following should be uploaded with your online application in PDF format, with the exception of the project budget and letters of recommendation:

• A statement of how the proposed use of the grant furthers your larger research goals. (Please include information in your application about pending internal and external funding applications.  If the application is for a second CEAS DRG, be sure to explain why the research did not occur during the first CEAS grant.)
• A project budget.
• One letter of recommendation.  (If the application is for a second CEAS DRG, this letter of recommendation must be from the Chair of your dissertation committee OR an advising faculty member.)

Please note:  upon submitting the online application, the faculty member you specify will receive an email with directions to submit a letter of recommendation.  This email is intended as a courtesy reminder; you should be in contact with your professor regarding a letter of recommendation prior to your submission.

Apply Online.  Applications submitted by email or hardcopy are not accepted.

Eligibility:  University of Chicago graduate students engaged in pre-dissertation research related to China.

Deadline:  Friday, April 4, 2025 by 3:00 pm

Description:  This award is up to $4,000 and supports pre-dissertation research in Chinese studies.  Typically, funds are used to finance summer research in the target country.  The funds are intended to enable University of Chicago graduate students to lay the foundations for their research plans (for example, to survey holdings in archives, or to identify and meet with scholars and advisers with whom a student plans to work in Asia).  Normally, a student is eligible for this grant only once during his/her/their graduate school career.

CEAS will consider making an exception for applications from students for a second CEAS Pre-Dissertation Research Grant (PDRG) on a case-by-case basis.  Applicants will need to 1) explain why the research did not occur during the first CEAS PDRG; 2) demonstrate due diligence in seeking other internal and external funding; and 3) provide a detailed proposal of what archives or field work will be undertaken, a proposed budget, and a letter of recommendation from the Chair of their dissertation committee OR an advising faculty member.

Allowable expenses include economy airfare, local travel, accommodations, meals, and up to $500 for research materials.

Application Requirements:
The following should be uploaded with your online application in PDF format, with the exception of the project budget and letters of recommendation:

• A statement of how the proposed use of the grant furthers your larger research goals. (Please include information in your application about pending internal and external funding applications.  If the application is for a second CEAS PDRG, be sure to explain why the research did not occur during the first CEAS grant.)
• A project budget.
• One letter of recommendation.  (If the application is for a second CEAS PDRG, this letter of recommendation must be from the Chair of your dissertation committee OR an advising faculty member.)

Please note: upon submitting the online application, the faculty member you specify will receive an email with directions to submit a letter of recommendation.  This email is intended as a courtesy reminder; you should be in contact with your professor regarding a letter of recommendation prior to your submission.

Apply Online.  Applications submitted by email or hardcopy are not accepted.

CEAS supports the study of less commonly taught languages and related area studies courses through the FLAS Fellowship Program, which is funded by a grant from the United States Department of Education.

FLAS Fellowships are awards for students concentrating in modern foreign language and international or area studies. CEAS administers FLAS awards for University of Chicago graduate students to study Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

The FLAS program provides funding for:

• ACADEMIC YEAR study on the University of Chicago campus
• SUMMER study on the University of Chicago campus or elsewhere (domestic or abroad)

The 2024-2025 FLAS Fellowship competition will begin when the application opens in December 2023.

Application Deadline:  To Be Announced

For more information and to apply, please visit UChicagoGRAD.

QUESTIONS?  Please direct inquiries to Abbey Newman, CEAS Associate Director

Eligibility:  University of Chicago graduate students in PhD and MA programs (program duration of 2 years or longer) focusing on Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and/or East Asian transregional studies

Deadline:  Friday, April 4, 2025 by 3:00 pm

Description:  The CEAS Professional Training Grant in East Asian Studies funds participation in formal programs, organized courses, and workshops that offer training in specific skills that are essential to the student's dissertation/thesis research or their professional profile and not available at the University of Chicago. The grant is normally awarded for advanced language training (3rd year and beyond; modern and classical/literary) and/or pedagogy. The Committee will also consider grant applications for workshops and courses that focus on specific skill-building that is crucial to a student's overall course of study and professional development. Students must research, select, and apply directly to the class or program they feel best fits their research needs. Normally for language study, applicants must have been enrolled in language courses at UChicago during the preceding year, or they must explain the extenuating circumstances. Students must also demonstrate due diligence in seeking both internal UChicago and external funding opportunities.

Terms:  Fundable expenses include tuition, housing, and travel expenses (e.g., round trip economy class airfare, train passes, etc.).  Non-allowable expenses include meals, books, miscellaneous expenses, and other materials.

Application Requirements:
The following should be uploaded in PDF format as part of your online application, with the exception of the project budget and letters of recommendation:

• A letter of application that describes the training sought and its justification detailing how it is imperative for your course of study and professional development.
• Unofficial transcript
• A letter of acceptance from the workshop or program you plan to attend.
• A project budget.  
• Proof of enrollment in relevant EA language courses during the academic year (if applicable).
• One letter of recommendation.

Please note:  upon submitting the online application, the faculty member you specify will receive an email with directions to submit a letter of recommendation.  This email is intended as a courtesy reminder; you should be in contact with your professor regarding a letter of recommendation prior to your submission.

Apply Online.  Applications submitted by email or hardcopy are not accepted.

Eligibility:  University of Chicago graduate students traveling to present papers at conferences OR actively participate in a specialized workshop.

Deadline:  Rolling applications each academic year, but must be submitted one month prior to conference or workshop travel.

Contact:  Chair of the Chinese Studies Committee

Description:  This grant provides modest support for students traveling outside the Chicago metropolitan area to present a paper at a conference OR actively participate in a specialized workshop that they have been invited to attend on a topic relating to Chinese studies.  Specialized workshops are those that include an application process, preparation (e.g., pre-readings), and active participation during the event.  A limited number of grants are available each year.  Students may apply for and receive this grant more than once in an academic year, but such awards are pending availability of Committee funding. If approved for the grant, original receipts and reimbursement paperwork requests MUST be submitted within 30 days of returning from travel. No exceptions.

Apply Online.  Applications submitted by email or hardcopy are not accepted. This application MUST be submitted at least a month before your planned travel.

Post Award:  How to Submit a Reimbursement Request.

Eligibility:  University of Chicago graduate students preparing an East Asian studies-related 1) paper/manuscript for final submission to a publication OR 2) dissertation for final submission to a degree program.

Deadline:  Rolling

Description:  This award is up to $500 and supports the costs of hiring a professional copy editor to help students with final submission of an East Asian studies-related paper/manuscript to a publication OR final submission of an East Asian studies-related dissertation to a University of Chicago degree program.  Normally, a student is eligible for this grant only once during his/her/their graduate school career.  Students may apply for an additional award of up to $500 pending annual funding availability.

Application Requirements:
The following should be uploaded with your online application in PDF format, with the exception of the letter of recommendation: 

• A draft of the relevant paper/manuscript and information about forthcoming publication (including confirmation/agreement with publisher) OR the relevant draft chapter(s) of dissertation.
• One letter of recommendation from advisor.
• Copy of invoice from professional copy editor detailing costs for service. 

Please note:  upon submitting the online application, the faculty member you specify will receive an email with directions to submit a letter of recommendation.  This email is intended as a courtesy reminder; you should be in contact with your professor regarding a letter of recommendation prior to your submission.

Apply Online.  Applications submitted by email or hardcopy are not accepted.

The University of Chicago Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) sponsors an annual prize of $250 awarded for the best University of Chicago B.A. thesis dealing with topics related to East Asia (China, Japan and/or Korea).  Starting in 2009, one prize has usually been awarded to a paper in the area of humanities and one in the area of social sciences.  The selection committee also considers the specific content, regional focus, and methodologies of annual submissions.  Preference will be provided to papers utilizing original source materials in an East Asian language.

Deadline:  Friday, May 16, 2025 at 3:00 pm

Apply Online. Applications submitted by email or hardcopy are not accepted.

This application requires one letter of recommendation, also due by the deadline.  Upon submitting the online application, the faculty member you specify will receive an email with directions to submit a letter of recommendation.  This email is intended as a courtesy reminder; you should be in contact with your professor regarding a letter of recommendation prior to your submission.

For more information, please email Hyeonjin Schubert at hschubert@uchicago.edu

About Asada Eiji

This prize is named in honor of Asada Eiji, the recipient of the first Ph.D. degree awarded by the University of Chicago in 1893. Professor Asada went on to enjoy an illustrious career at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Read more about Asada Eiji by clicking here.

Previous Prize Winners

2023
Bonnie Kexin Hao, Art History
Mirroring the Nude Vogue: Pictorial Representations of the Woman-with-Mirror Motif in the First Chinese National Fine Arts Exhibition of 1929

Estrella Hernandez, Law, Letters, and Society; Global Studies
“Downfall of the 700 Emperors”: The 1990 Wild Lily Student Movement and Taiwan’s Democratization

2022
Ella Bradford, Anthropology
Sharing Vulnerabilities: Being and Becoming in the Wake of Japan's HPV Vaccination Campaign Cessation

2021
C. Aiko Johnston, East Asian Languages & Civilizations
Memorial Rites for Credit Cards: The Framing of Kuyō by Shrines and Temples in Japan

Camrick Solorio, Anthropology
Circulation that Confuses: Tokyo Electronic Music from MOGRA to YouTube

2020
Mark Chen, History
Translating a Paradigm: Empiricism in Nineteenth-Century Japanese Chemistry

Yufan Chen, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Fundamentals: Issues and Texts
Spectacular Surfaces: Lure, Transaction, and the Limits of Self-Representation

2019
Alexander Hall, Global Studies
Kogai: The Disconnect Between Japanese Ontology and Environmental Policy

Peilun Hao, History
The Scramble for Rice in Wartime Shanghai, 1937-1945

2018
Gabrielle Dulys, East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
How to Speak Like an Otaku: Otaku Identity through the Lens of Self-Referentiality, Commodity, and Art

Elizabeth Smith, Laws, Letters, and Society
"We invited Shinzo Abe, but he was unable to attend." The First Conference of Museums Addressing the "Comfort Women" Issue

2017
Aliyah Bixby-Driesen, East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
What's New about New Baihua? Language Change and Indirect Contact in Modern Chinese Literature

Michelle Shang, History
"I Almost Forgot I Was A Girl": Maoist Gender Politics and the Memory of Gender in the Chinese Cultural Revolution, 1966-1976

2016
Dake Kang, History
Not So Revolutionary: Soviet Insprirations and Military Justifications for the Planning and Construction of Beijing's First Subway Line, 1950-1969

Shauna Moore, East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
Sore Na!: Youth Politeness Strategies on Japanese Video Blogs

2015
Zhou Fang, History
Navy and Nation: The Fuzhou Arsenal and China's Early Modernization

Keyao Pan, East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
Dissecting the East Asia Reparation Movement: A Case Study of the Unit 731 Germ Warfare Reparation Class Suit

2014
Alexander Hoare, History; East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
The Secret History of Manga and History Textbooks

Jeffrey Niedermaier, East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
I Shall Tell Both Home and Name: The Imperial Voice and the Yamato Political Imaginary in the Man'yōshū

2013
Sandra Park, History
Remembering the ‘Jerusalem of the East’: Recalling the Christian Heritage of North Korean in Light of the Recent Phenomenon of Christianization among Refugees from the DPRK”

2012
Keith Jamieson, History
Peculiar Circumstances: Hong Kong in Britain’s Empire, 1945-52

Feiyang Sun, East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
Dreams within Dreams: Fiction Commentary and the ‘Later Dream of the Red Chamber’

2011
Yini Shi, East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
Stories of the Stone: The Multiple Voices of ‘Honglou meng’

Arieh Smith, East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
Democrats or Dictators: The CCP in Western Eyes

2010
Hannah Airriess, East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
Suffering as Resistance: Subjectivity, Genre and the Female Body in Masumura Yasuzo’s ‘A Wife Confesses’

Rickisha C. Berrien, International Studies
Anti-African Prejudice in Modern China: Beyond the Racial Construct of Discrimination

2009*
Camila Dodik, East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
Eros and Resistance: Politicized Portrayals of Sexual Deviance in Two Postwar Japanese Works

Qi Zhu, International Studies
Happy Body, Healthy Spirit: Conceptions of the Body and Wellness in Contemporary Shanghai

2008
Lauren Kocher, East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
Japanese Feminisms and the ‘Gender-Free’ Controversy

2007
Christopher Chhim, International Studies
New Beijing, New Olympics, New Wenming: A Study of the History, Theory, and Practice of Civilizing Campaigns Up to the 2008 Olympic Games

2006
Pendry Haines, International Studies
Korean Ancestors and National Identity

Marianne Tarcov, East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
Beautiful Shadows of Ugly Things: Translations of Kuroda Saburo

2005
Adam Bronson, East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
Japanese Folklore Studies and History: Pre-War and Post-War Inflections

Alexander Hsu, Religious Studies
The Means to Meaning: Viewing ‘The Journey to the West’ as Upaya

Juliane Jones, East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
Chinoiserie in Puccini’s ‘Turandot’

2004
Andrew Elliott-Chandler, East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
Beyond Classroom Doors: Individuality in the Japanese Middle School

Matthieu Felt, East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC)
Primacy of Text in the Discourse on Japanese Animation in America

Kinh N. Ngo, Political Science
Out of Their Element: The Indochinese Refugee Crisis and Japan

Sonia Rupcic, International Studies
Toward a Comprehensive Theory of Civil Society: The Organic Movement as an Example of Japanese Civil Society

* In 2009 it was decided to standardize the award by offering a $250 prize to a paper in each of the divisions of Humanities and Social Sciences.