Fellowships and Grants

The Graduate Office compiles and updates this list annually. Please email English Department Graduate Advisor at gradadvisor_english@berkeley.edu to note any errors or broken links.


Dissertation Grants - Offered at UC Berkeley

Fellowship NameDescriptionDeadline / Notes
Doctoral Completion Fellowship (DCF) Automatically awarded to students who pass the Ph.D. oral qualifying exam and advance to candidacy by the end of their sixth semester. Provides two semesters of support. DCF Acceptance Form (PDF). No application; see Graduate Student Advisor in English
U.C. Dissertation-Year Fellowship For doctoral students finishing their dissertations and who demonstrate potential for university teaching. U.S. citizens/permanent residents only. Department nominates one or two students. $30,000 stipend, in-state fees, $6,000 bonus for early filing. Applications requested in early spring
Townsend Dissertation Fellowship Awarded to students with projects significantly involving humanistic material or problems bearing on the humanities. Open to students advanced to candidacy. Mid-November deadline
Mentored Research Award For early dissertation research. Must enhance departmental diversity. Department nominates one to two students. $30,000 stipend, in-state fees, $6,000 summer stipend. Applications requested in early spring


Dissertation Grants - Offered Externally

Fellowship NameDescriptionDeadline / Notes
Charlotte Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships 12 months of support for dissertation research/writing on ethical or religious values. Deadline: Nov. 1 annually
Mabelle McLeod Lewis Fellowships For advanced doctoral candidates in the humanities. Supports dissertation completion. Deadline: mid-January annually
Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship For U.S. citizens with financial need and academic excellence. Includes tuition and living stipend of 18K. Open to students "in any recognized field of study in the humanities, social sciences or natural sciences." See page for more information on deadline.
AAUW Fellowships Supports women completing dissertations or career development. Open to all fields. Annual Deadline of September 30. 
Gaius Charles Bolin Dissertation Fellowships In-residence fellowship at Williams College for underrepresented students completing dissertations. November 15, 2025, 11:59 pm ET
Winterthur Dissertation Fellowships Supports doctoral candidates conducting humanities-based research in material culture. Four-to-eight-month term. $2,500/month stipend. See website for deadline
Women's Studies Dissertation Fellowship (Institute for Citizens & Scholars) National fellowship for research on women, gender, and sexuality. See site for deadlines
Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship Supports early-stage dissertation research with a $42,000 stipend, up to $8,000 for research/travel/training, and $2,000 for mentorship.

Deadline: October 29, 2025, 9:00 PM EDT

Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellowships in American Art Supports U.S. art history dissertation research with a $38,000 stipend plus up to $4,500 for travel/research. Deadline: October 29, 2025, 9:00 PM EDT
Mellon Mays Dissertation Grants (Citizens & Scholars) Supports Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) alumni who are completing their doctoral dissertations in the humanities and related fields. See Citizens & Scholars site for deadlines


Travel Grants, Small Grants - Offered at UC Berkeley

Fellowship NameDescriptionDeadline / Notes
Conference Travel Grants For M.A./M.S. and doctoral students attending professional conferences. Awards vary by location: up to $600 in California, $900 in North America, $1,500 internationally. M.A. students get 1 grant, doctoral students get 2 during their academic careers. Includes FAQ. Rolling; see Graduate Division page
Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships For U.S. citizens/permanent residents studying foreign language and area studies. $15,000 + fees for academic year; $5,000 summer stipend. Late January deadline
Graduate Student Parent Grant For graduate student parents with financial need. Up to $11,000 annually ($5,500/term), if funding permits. Deadline: Late June
Tuition Support for External Fellowships Supports students with external fellowships that only partially cover fees. The Graduate Division covers the gap where possible. Apply upon receiving external fellowship
Townsend Center Working Groups Supports collaborative research in the humanities/social sciences. Grants range from $250–$750. Academic year cycle
Center for British Studies Grants
  • Dissertation Research Grant: $2,000 for advanced doctoral students conducting research in the UK.
  • Graduate Travel (Pre-Dissertation) Grant: Round-trip airfare for second/third-year students not yet advanced to candidacy.
Deadline: March 1
Graduate Assembly Grad Student Parent Travel Award Supports graduate student parents who must bring their children or caregivers to academic conferences outside the Bay Area. See Graduate Assembly website, awarded on a rolling basis.
Jim Fahey Safe Homes for Women Fellowship Supports graduate students with financial need and a commitment to combating domestic violence. Preference for students close to graduation. See portal for application info
Bancroft Library Study Awards Supports advanced research using Bancroft Library materials. Open to UC students. Apply online or at the Administrative Office. Deadline: First Monday in February by 5 pm.
Diversity and Community Fellows Program Supports underrepresented graduate students. Fellows work on diversity/inclusion across campus. $7,500 stipend. Annual call, check program website


Travel Grants, Small Grants - Offered Externally

Fellowship NameDescriptionDeadline / Notes
Huntington Library Fellowships Awards over 150 research fellowships annually. Fellows are in residence at the Huntington and participate in its scholarly community. See Huntington website
William L. Clements Library Research Fellowships Supports historical research using the Clements Library collections at the University of Michigan. Offers short-term, long-term, and digital fellowships. January 15, 2026
AAUW Fellowships Grants and fellowships for women pursuing graduate education. Includes dissertation and career development support. Deadlines vary
Institute for Humane Studies Fellowship Up to $10,000 in funding for graduate students pursuing liberty-advancing careers in academia and thought leadership. Rolling; see IHS website
Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans Supports immigrants and children of immigrants in graduate school. $25,000 stipend and tuition support. October 30, 2025, 2 pm.
Stephanie G. Hoffman Scholarship For students majoring in library science, literature, or related fields. $1,000–$5,000. Renewable. Qualifications: Financial need, major in library science, English, literature, education, or a related field with the intention of working with underserved children. Annual application, see site
Eudora Welty Fellowship $5,000 summer research fellowship using the Eudora Welty Collection at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. See MDAH website
American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) – Programs & Deadlines Gateway to ACLS fellowships and grants across humanities and social sciences; includes the competitions & deadlines page. Varies by program


Postdoctoral Fellowships - Offered at UC Berkeley

Fellowship NameDescriptionDeadline / Notes
University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Postdoctoral research fellowships with mentoring and professional development for scholars whose work contributes to diversity and equal opportunity at UC. November 1, 2025
Berkeley Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

Berkeley-based postdoctoral fellowships with faculty mentoring and eligibility for a hiring incentive for scholars whose work advances diversity and equal opportunity. The Berkeley Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellowship awardees are selected from the pool of applicants for the University of California President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.

See program site for details
Graduate Writing Center: Postdoctoral Position

The Graduate Writing Center assists graduate students in the development of academic skills necessary to successfully complete their graduate programs and prepare for future faculty and professional positions. Duties include: research and develop materials for workshops and presentations, research and create written and/or multimedia content on topics pertaining to academic and professional writing for the Graduate Writing Center website and campus publications, organize panel presentations and workshops on writing and publishing.

See program site for details


Postdoctoral Fellowships - Offered Externally

Fellowship NameDescriptionDeadline / Notes
Harvard Society of Fellows Junior Fellowships in the Harvard Society of Fellows; see the nomination procedure for details. Nomination deadline varies; see Nomination Procedure
Princeton Society of Fellows Postdoctoral appointments in the humanities and related social sciences at Princeton University. August 5, 2025.
Mellon Fellowship of Scholars in the Humanities (Stanford) Two-year postdoctoral fellowships in humanities fields at Stanford Humanities Center. October 15, 2025
University of Michigan Society of Fellows Three-year postdoctoral fellowships in the liberal arts; fellows teach, pursue research, and participate in interdisciplinary society events. Application available on Aug.1. Email society.of.fellows@umich.edu for further details.
Cornell University Society for the Humanities Fellowships Postdoctoral fellowships hosted at Cornell’s Society for the Humanities, focused on an annual theme in the humanities. September 22, 2025.
Columbia University Society of Fellows in the Humanities Postdoctoral appointments with teaching and research opportunities at Columbia University. October 6, 2025
University of Chicago Society of Fellows Postdoctoral fellowships supporting interdisciplinary scholarship in the humanities and social sciences at the University of Chicago. See website. Details released in fall.
Brown University – Pembroke Center Postdoctoral Fellowships Postdoctoral research fellowships in gender and sexuality studies at Brown’s Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women. November 25, 2025.
Princeton Writing Program Postdoctoral Fellowships Postdoctoral teaching fellowships for scholars teaching in Princeton’s interdisciplinary Writing Seminars program. Annual application cycle. Check website for deadlines.
University of Pennsylvania – Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowships Postdoctoral fellowships aimed at increasing diversity in academia; fellows pursue research and teaching across Penn’s schools. October 13, 2025, 11:59 pm ET.
University of Pennsylvania – Wolf Humanities Center Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships Humanities postdoctoral fellowships hosted at the Wolf Humanities Center, organized around an annual theme. November 2, 2025. 
Wesleyan University – Center for the Humanities Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships Postdoctoral fellowships in the humanities hosted at Wesleyan University’s Center for the Humanities. January 8, 2026
ACLS Leading Edge Fellowships Places recent humanities PhDs with nonprofit organizations advancing justice and equity; stipends $70–74K depending on placement. Deadline: March 12, 2025, 9:00 PM EDT