Funding Opportunities

University of Michigan Funding Sources

Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS)

FLAS Awards are Federal Title VI-funded merit-based awards supporting language and area studies for graduate students. CSEAS administers Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowships (FLAS) for area studies and study of a Southeast Asian language, including Filipino, Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese. They are open to American citizens who are graduate students studying one of our Southeast Asian languages. All U.S. applicants for the MA Program should also strongly consider applying for FLAS funding.

Rackham Fellowships and Scholarships*

CSEAS MA Students are enrolled in the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies. The Rackham School Fellowships Office lists various sources of funding for graduate students on their website, linked above.

International Institute*

The International Institute maintains a list of various funding opportunities for graduate and professional students. Please check the list on the link above and scroll down for the graduate student information.

Office of Financial Aid*

Financial assistance for graduate students is somewhat limited compared to assistance available to undergraduate students. Students are considered for federal loan and Work-Study programs when they apply for financial aid through the University of Michigan Office of Financial Aid. Private or alternative loan sources are also available, but students must apply for these programs separately. Information on scholarship, grant, and fellowship programs is available on the Rackham Fellowships site (above).

GSI Open Positions*

Departments and Programs post information about Graduate Student Instructor positions on the U-M job site linked above. All candidate responses to postings at this site should be made directly to the involved hiring departments, as identified in each posting. Applicants should specify specific course or section preferences, if any, in their application. All employment assignments shall be at the discretion of the department or unit.

Center for the Education of Women Scholarship Program for Returning Women Students*

To be eligible, applicants must have had an interruption in education during which no academic credit was earned. The interruption must be at least: a) 48 consecutive months, or b) a total of 50 months excluding interruptions of less than 8 months. Applicants should be pursuing a clear educational goal in any undergraduate, graduate or professional program, full or part-time, at the University of Michigan. Approximately 38 Scholarships are awarded annually that normally range from $1,500 to $8,000, with some larger awards given.

External Funding Sources for Academic Year Funding

Blakemore Freeman Fellowships for Advanced Asian Language Study

The Blakemore Foundation makes between 20 and 40 grants available each year for advanced language study of modern Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Southeast Asian languages during the academic year.

CIC Foreign Language Enhancement Program

Graduate students may apply for scholarships of $2,000 available from the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) for summer language study at one of the participating universities. This program is intended to help students take advantage of language offerings not available at their own university, but available at another CIC member university.

The United States-Indonesia Society Student Travel Grant

The United States-Indonesia Society (USINDO) awards one grant of $1,500 to a University of Michigan graduate student for travel to Indonesia to undertake a study-related project. Suggested projects include language study, summer internships, participation in a conference, enrollment in an Indonesian university, or independent research.

The United States-Indonesia Society Summer Studies Program

This program consists of one month of intensive beginning Indonesian language instruction followed by one month of studies in Indonesian history, culture, and contemporary affairs in Yogyakarta, Central Java. Fifteen students in the U.S. are selected through competition to participate in this all-expenses-paid program at Gadjah Mada University in June and July.

Academic Awards

Albert D. Moscotti Best Paper Competition

To support excellence in education on Southeast Asia, Michigan graduate students in any field are invited to submit a paper on a topic dealing with the region or any part of it. To be awarded at the end of the academic year, the paper will have been, or is to be, delivered at a national conference; or it has been, or will be, accepted for publication in a refereed journal.