Graduate Program in ReligionCompetitive Funding
Beginning in fall 2022, our program is set up to pay fellowships on a 12-month basis for the first 5 years. Prior to that time, we were set up on a 9-month basis, with only the first two summers having guaranteed funding. Students beyond years of funding are encouraged to apply for competitive funding both internally and externally. All students must have proof of health care, and the program is prepared to cover the cost of up to 6 years of health insurance if needed.
Short Term Loans
There are short-term loans available through the Duke Credit Union Graduate Student Assistance Program and the Helen & Gordon McKinney Emergency Loan Fund. Read more here.
Funding Resources
DAAD (German Exchange Service) Short-Term Research Grant
Grants are awarded for 1-6 months to highly qualified candidates who have completed a master’s degree, or in exceptional cases a bachelor’s degree, by the time they begin their grant-supported research, or those who have already completed a Ph.D. (postdocs).
Child Care Subsidy
Child care subsidies are available to graduate students who meet certain criteria. Read more here.
Gurney Harriss Kearns Fellowship
This endowed fund provides competitive funding for summer and/or academic year research. See this link for more details.
Duke Graduate School Fellowships
The Duke Graduate School offers a number of fellowships for continuing Ph.D. students, including fellowships that provide full support for the academic year, summer research fellowships for the summer, teaching fellowships, and dissertation research travel awards. Visit here to see more.
Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships
Designed to encourage original and significant study of religious and ethical values in fields across the humanities and social sciences, the Newcombe Fellowships are available to Ph.D. and Th.D. candidates who expect to complete their dissertation between April and August.
See details here.
Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellowships in Women's Studies
Encourage research about women and gender that crosses disciplinary, regional, or cultural boundaries. Recent Fellows have explored such topics as reproduction in the context of chronic disease, algorithmic detection of child abuse images, and changing feminist visions at the UN from 1975 to 1995. See here to read more.
Bass Digital Education Fellowship
Learning Innovation, in partnership with the Duke Graduate School, has just launched a new year-long fellowship program to provide PhD students professional development and instructional training opportunities in the growing area of digital education.
Center for the Study of Philanthropy and Voluntarism
The Center seeks to award new fellowships for dissertation support providing full or half-time support for one year of work. The purpose of the award is to allow a student or students to have released time from other obligations in order to complete a dissertation on a topic related to the Center’s academic areas of concern. Questions about the fellowship should be directed to Professor Charlie Clotfelter at charles.clotfelter@duke.edu. For more information, visit here.
Nationally competitive Scholarships
See the list on the Office of University Scholars and Fellows' website.
Additional Resources
Some important resources to help in your search for funding:
- Pivot (Note: You must use your Duke email in order to sign up for Pivot and access this resource.
- Duke Office of Research Support
- Duke Graduate School website
- Excavation fellowships and travel grants through American Schools of Oriental Research.
- Duke University Research Funding, including a grant with Institute of Current World Affairs.
- Fellowships for students of color from Forum for Theological Education