Dissertation Fellowships

The CHA offers two campuswide dissertation fellowships open to any CU Boulder Ph.D. candidate working in the humanities and arts.

Award

  • The fellowship covers tuition for up to 5 dissertation hours per semester
  • Mandatory student fees, student health insurance, and a stipend equal to that of a 50% Graduate Part-Time Instructor.

  Deadline: February 1, 2026

Eligibility

Doctoral students from any department at CU Boulder who have advanced to candidacy (D status) and are working in the arts and humanities may apply in the Spring prior to their final year, which means applicants should be defending their dissertation in the Spring semester in which they receive the fellowship. Doctoral applicants who come from units outside of traditional arts and humanities fields should amply demonstrate how their project engages with multi- and inter-disciplinary arts and humanities methods and archives. Any eligible student may submit an application with the exception of students who have already received yearlong fellowships and/or funding, whether from CU Boulder or external sources. Recipients may not hold another appointment such as a teaching or research assistantship during the fellowship period but may hold a 0% appointment such as a grader or reader. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Please note that starting January 1, 2025, this fellowship appointment may affect your financial aid package. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.

Selection Criteria

The selection committee will base their decisions on the following criteria:

  1. The quality of the applicant's research project
  2. The connection of the applicant’s research to arts and/or humanities methods and archives.
  3. The quality of the applicant’s CV (presentations, publications, awards, creative work, etc.)
  4. Probability of completing the dissertation within the award period (the higher, the better)
  5. Other teaching-free fellowships the applicant has already received (the fewer, the better)​

Application Procedures

Complete the Application Form. Upload the Application Packet in a single pdf file (12pt font, single or double spaced):

  1. Cover Letter: Please indicate which degree program you are currently in, note where you are in your program requirements, and why this fellowship would be timely.
  2. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  3. Synopsis: A synopsis of the dissertation (750 words maximum)
  4. Timeline: A timeline of the dissertation completion (one page)
  5. Sources of Funding: Information concerning other research grants (internal or external) to which the applicant has applied and all other forms of financial support you have received since you have become ABD—specifically any internal and external fellowships you received or will be expected to receive to aid you in your dissertation writing and research
  6. Letter of Support: Letter of support including an evaluation statement of the dissertation and the likelihood it will be completed within the fellowship period. This should be written by a dissertation advisor or another member of the dissertation committee.  Letter of support can be included with the application OR sent directly to chagrants@colorado.edu 

Expectations

  • Recipients will be asked to submit a letter notifying the CHA upon completion of their thesis, capstone project, or dissertation. In addition, by May 1, please email chagrants@colorado.edu a 300-600 word summary of how the fellowship year aided in furthering your dissertation or thesis research. We’d like to know the impact of the award on your research and possibly include quotations on our website or other CHA materials. If you do not want this information shared with anyone outside of the CHA, please indicate that this information is for CHA eyes only.
  • Acknowledgment of the Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA) is required on all promotional/published materials for projects funded by the CHA. Use this language for credit: “This project is supported, in part, by a grant from the Center for Humanities & the Arts”
  • Download the Center for Humanities & the Arts logo here

  Apply Here 

Questions? Email chagrants@colorado.edu