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Graduate Student Funding

Funding opportunities for AU graduate students are available from the Office of Graduate Studies, as well as through other departments or schools. We invite you to explore the information provided below to learn more about these opportunities. 

Office of Graduate Studies Funding Opportunities

The Adel Ait-Ghezala Graduate Research Fellowships are available to graduate students who are full-time enrolled students in a master's or doctoral program at American University. The fellowships are intended to support applied, educational or policy-relevant research programs designed to improve the lives of the citizens of developing countries. This is a competitive fellowship. Students must be making satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward their degrees in order to be eligible.
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Application Documents 2021-2022
Application Guidelines
Application Cover Form
Progress Report

Documents for 2020-2021
Final Report

Research Scholarship 2021-2022
The Doctoral Student Research Scholarship will not be available this coming year (2021-2022). Watch our website for future updates.

The Office of Graduate Studies provides competitive intramural research scholarships to doctoral students to support their dissertation research. The scholarships are managed by the Dean of Graduate Studies. Funds are available to doctoral graduate students who:

  • have been admitted to candidacy for the doctorate before the scholarship period begins (in some departments admission to candidacy may be spoken of as "ABD - "All But Dissertation." If you have questions about this requirement, check with your department.)
  • have an approved dissertation proposal, and
  • have an active dissertation chair and committee.

The activity may occur anywhere in the world. The scholarships are intended to provide supplemental funds to support basic research, field work, lab work, or closely related endeavors. Scholarships are available in amounts up to $5,000.

FOR QUESTIONS ON SCHOLARSHIPS
Alexa Martinez: amartinez@american.edu

The Hart A. Massey Fellowship is awarded each academic year to one or more incoming Canadian students (enrolled as traditional or online students) pursuing graduate studies full-time at American University. The fellowship is applied to tuition charges. Online students are eligible to apply for this award.

Application Documents for 2021-2022 

Massey Fellowship Application
Massey Fellowship Application (Online Students)
Application Checklist

The United Methodist Graduate Scholarship is awarded each academic year to a graduate student enrolled at American University who is a full member of the United Methodist Church for at least one year prior to application. The scholarship is applied to tuition charges. Awards are renewable (but not guaranteed) for one year to students who show satisfactory progress towards their graduate degree. This is a competitive award, and applicants must meet minimum University graduate admission requirements to be considered. Online students are eligible to apply for this award.

Application Documents for FY21
Application Checklist
Application
Application (Online Students)

Other Graduate Funding Opportunities

The College of Arts & Sciences provides a variety of resources to support graduate students in research and travel.

To learn more, visit the CAS Graduate Scholars web page.

A variety of funding opportunities, including scholarships and fellowships, are made available through the Kogod School of Business. Follow the link below to view current offerings.  

Learn more. 

The School of Communication (SOC)offers merit-based fellowships in partnership with leading Washington, DC-based organizations. Each fellowship provides varying amount of tuition remission and stipend funding.

SOC also offers merit-based and need-based donor scholarships. Additional scholarships are available to continuing students. 

Visit the SOC website to learn more. 

The Library Research Paper Awards are available to current students of American University in good standing. Papers written during the academic year are accepted for consideration. Students may submit more than one paper, but only one award will be granted per individual.

Learn more about the award program including the application process, evaluation criteria and deadline.

The School of International Service has a partnership opportunities with a variety of organizations for individuals who meet the criteria specified.

To view the list of partnerships, visit the SIS website.

The School of Public Affairs (SPA) provides a variety of scholarships and fellowships made available to graduate students in their programs. Details of these funding resources, including application information and deadlines, are available on the SPA website. 

Learn more.