The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale

The MacMillan Center provides a variety of fellowship, grant, and award opportunities. The following list is only a highlight of opportunities available for students whose research is related to the study of East Asia.

CEAS Field Research Grants

The Council on East Asian Studies offers CEAS Field Research Grants to aid Yale University graduate students in the Arts & Sciences who expect to be engaged in research on their doctoral dissertations during the summer and/or next academic year. Applicants who apply for the CEAS Field Research Grant may not apply for the CEAS Summer Travel & Research Grant, which is for pre-dissertation research only.

Eligibility: Grants are for research generally outside the United States and are available to registered Yale graduate students who have completed, or will complete, all pre-dissertation work before the next academic year. The approved dissertation research must focus primarily on China, Japan, and/or Korea. 

Award: Because grants will, in most instances, be supplementary to support provided from the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale (MacMillan Center) or outside resources, the usual awards will not exceed $7,000. Students who have applied to other sources of funds (both within Yale and at the national level such as ACLS, SSRC, Japan Foundation, and Monbusho) and have been turned down may be eligible for a maximum grant of $15,000.

Reporting Requirements: Recipients of a CEAS Field Research Grant must submit a four-page (no less than 1,000 words) project report in English detailing the student’s progress and a summary of the report in the relevant foreign language (e.g. Chinese, Japanese, or Korean). If the project is more than one term, then students are required to submit an interim and final report.  Reports must be accompanied by itemized original receipts for all expenses above $75 covered by the grant. Detailed requirements on reporting are provided in award letters. Accepting a CEAS Field Research Grant obligates one to fulfill these requirements.

Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.

CEAS Summer Travel & Research Grants

The Council on East Asian Studies offers CEAS Summer Travel & Research Grants to support Yale University graduate student summer field research or other forms of pre-dissertation preparation in East Asia (primarily China, Japan, and Korea). Applicants who apply for the CEAS Summer Travel & Research Grant may not apply for the CEAS Field Research Grant, which is for dissertation research only.

Eligibility: All students enrolled in M.A. and Ph.D. programs in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Yale University are eligible to apply. Applications from graduate students from the Yale professional schools will also be considered. Priority will be given to students with demonstrated long-term academic commitment to East Asia, or those who need first-hand exposure to Asia to complete a course of academic study.

This grant is for pre-dissertation research only.  Graduate students who expect to be working on their doctoral dissertations during the summer and/or next academic year are ineligible to apply.

Award: Grants generally range from $1,500 to $8,000 and can be applied to travel, room and board, and other legitimate research expenses.

Reporting Requirements:  Recipients of a CEAS Summer Travel Research Grant must submit a three page (no less than 750 words) project report in English upon completion of their project and a summary of the report in the relevant foreign language (e.g. Chinese, Japanese, or Korean).  Reports must be accompanied by itemized original receipts for all expenses above $75 covered by the grant. Detailed requirements on reporting are provided in award letters. Accepting a CEAS Summer Travel Research Grant obligates one to fulfill these requirements.

Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.

CEAS Summer Language Mini-Grants

The Council on East Asian Studies offers the CEAS Summer Language Mini-Grants to Yale University graduate students for summer language study of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or other East Asian languages (such as Mongolian or Tibetan).

Eligibility: All students enrolled in M.A. and Ph.D. programs in the Yale Graduate School of Arts & Sciences are eligible to apply. Applications from graduate students from the Yale professional schools will also be considered. Priority will be given to those who must undertake summer language study to meet specific degree requirements.

Award: Grants generally range from $1,500 to $6,000 and can be applied to tuition, room and board at summer language programs, as well as expenses in hiring tutors for specialized, advanced language training.

Reporting Requirements: Recipients of a CEAS Summer Language Mini-Grant must submit a two page (no less than 500 words) project report in English upon completion of their language study and a summary of the report in the relevant foreign language (e.g. Chinese, Japanese, or Korean).  Reports must be accompanied by itemized original receipts for all expenses above $75 covered by the grant. Detailed requirements on reporting are provided in award letters. Accepting a CEAS Summer Language Mini-Grant obligates one to fulfill these requirements.

Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.

Charles Kao Fund Research Grants

The Councils on East Asian and Southeast Asian Studies offers the Charles Kao Fund Research Grants to Yale College undergraduate and Yale University graduate students for summer research in East and Southeast Asia. Research should focus on the impact of technology transfer processes between Asia and the West and/or among East Asia and Southeast Asia, and the social, cultural, and political transformations in these regions.

The theme of technology transfer may be interpreted in a variety of ways and should provide the focus for the project, but successful projects will be the ones which best place this within a sociological, cultural, or political context. Previous winning projects have focused on the following topics:

  • Artisanal Production and Alternative Economies in Inter-Asian Fair Trade Networks
  • Bridges to Power: Electrical Engineering and the Struggle for Sovereignty in Modern China, 1908-1949
  • Climate Resilience and Shifting Monsoons: Agricultural Adaptation at the Village Level in Communities of East Flores, Indonesia
  • Community-Level Responses to Mekong River Hydropower
  • (In)Fertility and In-Vitro Fertilization in Urban China: A Case Study of Yali, Motherhood and Womanhood
  • Revitalizing the Yutori Sedai: The Changing Nature of Japanese Entrepreneurship
  • Vaccinating the Nation: Immunology and Public Health in Modern China

Eligibility: All students of Yale College (including graduating seniors), graduate students in M.A. and Ph.D. programs in the Yale Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, and graduate students in the Yale professional schools. 

In general, applications from international students proposing research projects in their country of origin are ineligible.

Priority will be given to students with demonstrated long-term academic commitment to and professional preparation for work in East or Southeast Asia, who have already acquired the necessary level of language proficiency to complete their proposed research work, or who need substantial first-hand exposure to Asia to complete a course of academic study. In their application, students should specify how their proposals address the issue of “technology transfer.”

Award: Grant requests of up to $5,000 to support field research or other creative projects in Asia will be entertained.  Applications for internships will not be considered.

Reporting Requirements: Recipients of a Charles Kao Fund Research Grant must submit a three page (no less than 750 words) project report upon their return from abroad. This report should include a detailed summary of the student’s research, as well as all itemized original receipts for all expenses above $75 covered by the grant. Detailed requirements on reporting are provided in award letters. Accepting a Charles Kao Grant obligates one to fulfill these requirements.

IMPORTANT NOTE: ALL undergraduate students must adhere to the Yale University International Travel Policy.

Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.

CEAS Senior Essay Research Grants

The Council on East Asian Studies at The MacMillan Center offers CEAS Senior Essay Research Grants to support Yale University undergraduate student research in preparation for their senior essays.  The senior essay must have a focus on the East Asia region (primarily China, Japan, and Korea).  The research can be performed during the summer or the academic year.

Eligibility: Any undergraduate student in Yale College is eligible to apply. Priority will be given to East Asian Studies majors and students with demonstrated long-term academic commitment to East Asia, or those who need first-hand exposure to East Asia to complete their essay.

Award: Grant requests of up to $3,000 to support senior essay research in East Asia will be entertained.  Applications for internships will not be considered.

Reporting Requirements: Recipients of a CEAS Senior Essay Research Grant must submit a two page (no less than 500 words) project report upon their return from abroad. This report should include a detailed summary of the student’s research and an explanation on how the research will contribute or be incorporated into the senior essay.  Reports must be accompanied by itemized original receipts for all expenses above $75 covered by the grant. Detailed requirements on reporting are provided in award letters. Accepting a CEAS Senior Essay Research Grant obligates one to fulfill these requirements.

IMPORTANT NOTE: ALL undergraduate students must adhere to the Yale University International Travel Policy.

Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.

Coca-Cola World Fund at Yale Summer Travel Grants

The Coca-Cola World Fund at Yale provides summer travel grants for graduate and professional student projects involving applied research or internships overseas. Projects must focus clearly on the intersection of at least two of the following fields: international law, international business or management, or international affairs and public policy. Grants are administered by the MacMillan Center. The Coca-Cola World Fund selection committee is comprised of representatives of the MacMillan Center, the Law School, and the School of Management. Awards generally range from $500 to $6,000. Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.

Fox International Fellowship Program

The goal of the Fox International Fellowship Program is to enhance mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries by promoting international scholarly exchanges and collaborations among the next generation of leaders. To accomplish this goal, the program seeks to identify and nurture those students who are interested in harnessing scholarly knowledge to respond to the world’s most pressing challenges. For these reasons, we especially welcome students enrolled in the social sciences and kindred disciplines in the professional schools. Yale University jointly pursues these aims with 20 of the world’s leading universities in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. There are more than 600 alumni in the extensive Fox Fellowship network. Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.

Georg Walter Leitner Program in International and Comparative Political Economy

The Georg Walter Leitner Program in International and Comparative Political Economy invites applications from graduate and undergraduate students at Yale University whose work focuses on international political economy. Funds are available for Ph.D. candidates to prepare for dissertation research and to conduct research on approved dissertation projects. The Leitner Program also supports graduate student training relevant for the study of political economy. Funds are also available for senior essay support for undergraduates whose essays will focus on some aspect of comparative or international political economy, and for travel fellowships for undergraduates at any level to explore some aspect of the field. The latter may be used to support an internship or a research project. Grants are up to $5000. Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.   

Henry Hart Rice Foreign Residence Fellowships

The Henry Hart Rice Foreign Residence Fellowships, made possible by a generous gift from Mr. Rice, are designed to support students planning projects that would involve them deeply immersing in a foreign culture. Students in the humanities and social sciences planning work, research, or independent study in a country that has strained relations with the United States. Projects should involve a stay of 9-12 months and must be for purposes other than Yale academic credit. Eligible are countries of Africa, Central Asia, Eastern Europe that are not members of the European Union (EU), Turkey, the Caucasus, Russia, Latin America, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia as well as the People’s Republic of China. Excluded are most of the traditional friends and allies of the U.S., including Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and countries that are members of the EU. The fellowship stipend will cover travel and living expenses in the host country at modest levels. Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.   

MacMillan International Dissertation Research Fellowships

The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale announces the availability of guaranteed dissertation research fellowships to support Ph.D. students who will be engaged in international research on their doctoral dissertations during the summer and/or the academic year. Proposals will be accepted from registered Ph.D. students who have completed all pre-dissertation requirements before the planned travel. To accommodate department variations in completing candidacy requirements, the MacMillan Center fellowships has two application deadlines (see Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for dates).

MacMillan International Dissertation Research Fellowships can provide up to $18,000 for the academic year and may be combined with other external or internal awards, subject to the Graduate School’s policies on holding multiple awards. Each Yale Ph.D. student who meets the eligibility criteria is guaranteed one international dissertation research fellowship for research to be conducted outside of the United States.

Yale Ph.D. students in the Graduate School’s Ph.D. granting departments and programs in the Humanities and Social Sciences (including programs based in Forestry & Environmental Studies, Law, Nursing, and Public Health that have substantial humanities or social science dimensions) are eligible to apply. Students in the Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Engineering & Applied Sciences divisions are ineligible for this fellowship.

Fellowship can contribute to the cost of travel, research, and housing expenses. It should not be used to cover personal expenses (such as groceries). Also, these funds can not be utilized to purchase equipment or data sets, to hire survey firms, or to pay organizations to conduct field experiments or evaluations on the researcher’s behalf. Fellowships are intended for students to “get their hands dirty” in the field, archives, libraries, etc.

MacMillan International Dissertation Research Fellowships can be used to supplement the support from other Yale and external sources (including Yale stipend and UDF). An applicant’s total budget and funds available (including pending applications) must be specified during the application process. Applicants are encouraged (and expected) to obtain support from other sources, bearing in mind that any given student is only eligible to receive the MacMillan International Dissertation Research Fellowships once during the course of their Ph.D. program.

Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.

MacMillan Pre-Dissertation Grants

The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies announces the availability of pre-dissertation grants to aid graduate students in their pre-doctoral dissertation research. Yale Ph.D. students in the Graduate School’s Ph.D. granting departments and programs in the Humanities and Social Sciences (including programs based in the professional schools) are eligible to apply. Students in the Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Engineering & Applied Sciences divisions are ineligible for this award.

The MacMillan Center grants are for exploration of research sources and general feasibility of a proposed topic outside the United States.

Awards can contribute to the cost of travel, research, and living expenses consistent with the standard of living in the host country. These funds may not be utilized to purchase equipment or data sets, to hire survey firms, or to pay organizations to conduct field experiments or evaluations on the researcher’s behalf. Fellowships are intended for students to “get their hands dirty” in the field, archives, libraries, etc.

MacMillan International Pre-Dissertation Research Fellowships can be used to supplement the support from other Yale and external sources. An applicant’s total budget and funds available (including pending applications) must be specified during the application process. Applicants are encouraged to obtain support from other sources, bearing in mind that any given student is only eligible to receive the MacMillan International Pre-Dissertation Research Fellowships once during the course of their Ph.D. studies.

Masters students in African or Russian and East European Studies are also eligible to apply for grants for overseas research, language study or internships.

Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.

Richard U. Light Fellowship Program

The Richard U. Light Fellowship provides full funding (transportation, tuition, room and board, and incidentals) for Yale students of exceptional promise to study Chinese, Japanese, or Korean at specifically approved sites in China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. Light Fellowships are awarded twice each year and are tenable for one Yale semester, an academic year, a summer, or combinations thereof. The Richard U. Light Fellowship Program welcomes applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and academic disciplines. You must be a registered and enrolled Yale student to apply. All undergraduates (including graduating seniors), master’s degree students, and professional school students are eligible. Ph.D. students are eligible only if their language study in East Asia would be completed prior to submitting their prospectus. Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.

Tristan Perlroth Prize for Summer Foreign Travel

The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies invites applications to the Tristan Perlroth Prize competition. Grants of up to $6,000 will be awarded to current juniors in Yale College, or sophomores in exceptional cases, for summer travel outside the United States designed to enhance the student’s understanding of foreign culture and/or international relations.  The Prize is made possible through an endowment from the family and friends of Tristan Perlroth (Calhoun, Class of 1993). Priority will be given to applications which include: 1) internships with international NGOs, government organizations and businesses; 2) independent research; 3) formal study or coursework. In judging applications of equal merit, the selection committee will give priority to students with proficiency in a foreign language, to students of Hopper College, and to students enrolled in the Global Affairs major, however, the Prize is not limited to curriculum-related projects.