Bibi Ka Maqbara in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India.

Photo Credit: Grant Watson (Bibi Ka Maqbara in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India - 2018)

CSA Research and Language Fellowships

The CSA Graduate Student Research Fellowship is open to doctoral students in Stanford School of Humanities & Sciences, and graduate students in Stanford schools of Business, Education, Engineering, Law, Earth Sciences and Medicine. Applicants may request up to $4000 towards expenses incurred carrying out South Asia related research. Please note all travel must be booked through Student Universe or a similar Stanford-approved platform. There are no exceptions to this stipulation. 

The CSA Language Fellowship is open to all undergraduate students, doctoral students in Stanford School of Humanities & Sciences, and graduate students in Stanford schools of Business, Education, Engineering, Law, Earth Sciences, and Medicine. Applicants may request up to $3,000 for intensive study in a South Asian language. The course of study can be completed in the U.S. or abroad (depending on Covid restrictions), must be 6 weeks or more, and must meet at least 140 contact hours for beginning and intermediate and 120 contact hours for advanced language instruction. Priority will be given to students in need of language skills for research and to training in languages not offered on campus or for advanced training in languages where the student has exhausted campus resources.

For further inquiries, please contact southasiainfo [at] stanford.edu (southasiainfo[at]stanford[dot]edu).

Eligibility and Requirements

Eligibility

Applicants must be continuing students at Stanford while conducting the proposed grant project.  Preference will be given to applicants who have not previously received a CSA Research Fellowship. Receipt of a Language Fellowship does not affect eligibility for a Research Fellowship. 

Any travel will be subject to local and Stanford Covid restrictions applicable at the time.

Stanford policy may restrict undergraduate student travel to countries with a State Department advisory
Review Stanford University’s International Travel Policy 
Please contact the CSA Associate Director if you have questions about how this policy would affect your project or grant application.

Requirements

Recipients are expected to submit a 1-2 page report upon the completion of their project, describing how the grant project has developed, what was learned, and next steps regarding their research project and career. Recipients who use the grant toward language training or a study abroad program are also expected to submit a transcript or training completion certificate.

Review

Grant applications are reviewed by an interdisciplinary committee comprised of CSA faculty members and staff. Decisions will be announced within 4-6 weeks after the application deadline.

How to Apply

Applicants for the CSA Graduate Student Research Fellowship and the CSA Language Fellowship are required to submit all application materials listed below to Lalita du Perron (lalita [at] stanford.edu (lalita[at]stanford[dot]edu)) via email by 9 am (Pacific Time) on March 11, 2024.

Application Procedure

1. Curriculum Vitae
No more than 2 pages
2. Project Proposal

A 1-2 page project proposal describing the research or language program to be undertaken, its relevance to South Asian Studies, and its significance for the student's research and academic development.

Language study applicants should also include a program brochure about the intended organization and verification that the instruction hours meet the fellowship guidelines.

3. Itemized Budget, including other sources of funding

An itemized budget, specifying overall project costs, amount of funding requested from the Center for South Asia and other sources, and amount of confirmed/pending financial support. For the pending financial support, please indicate the date by which funding decision will be announced. If you are not eligible for other financial support, please explain why.

4. Transcript
A current transcript (unofficial copy accepted)
5. Faculty Reference Letter
Applicants should arrange one reference letter from their primary faculty advisor to be submitted by email to Lalita du Perron with their name in the subject line.