Grant and Award Opportunities for Graduate Students

The following financial assistance options are available to students currently enrolled in the Political Science Ph.D. program:

Department Funding Opportunities

Summer Program Support Application

All graduate students are guaranteed funding to attend special summer programs for at least one summer (for the study of subjects crucial to the student’s program of study, such as foreign languages or advanced statistics). The application deadline is March 15.

Summer Research Award

The department provides summer support to continuing students so that they can work with faculty collaborators on research leading to a jointly or student-authored publication. The award pays a summer stipend; the sole duties of the students receiving the awards will be those tasks required for the proposal research project. These tasks should represent the student’s primary summer responsibilities (i.e. the student should not accept this award and also work for additional hours in another position). The application deadline is March 15.

Research Support Program (College of the Liberal Arts)

College funds are specifically designated for dissertation related research, or for release time from teaching (TA) and research (RA) responsibilities; the College requires ABD status to award funds. If you are ABD and applying for research support in the department, you must fill out this application. Doing so also constitutes an application to the Research Support Program in Political Science. Deadlines are September 27 and February 28.

Research Support Program (Political Science)

This program offers awards to continuing graduate students for research-related activities that are tied to their professional development and progress toward the Ph.D. students at any level may apply for such funds, although preference will be given to advanced students and dissertation-related research. Do not use this application to apply for conference travel support or support to summer programs. Deadlines are September 15 and February 14.

Conference Travel Grant Application

The Department of Political Science awards grants throughout the year to help fund students to present research at national or international professional conferences. All currently enrolled students presenting papers or posters are eligible to apply but preference will be given to students who have completed successfully their master’s essay. Funding requests are due when you submit the proposal to present work at a conference.

Any graduate student requesting to travel for University business to countries on the U.S. State Department’s Warning List must submit their request to travel to the Graduate School a minimum of 60 days prior to their proposed departure date. All requests must be approved by the University in order for students to travel and the process to review these requests necessitates no less than three weeks.

Please review the Graduate Student Policy for Travel to Countries on the U.S. State Department’s Warning List: https://policy.psu.edu/policies/tr01#I

Any graduate student or employee who would like to travel outside the United States must register on the Penn State Travel Safety Network.

Please be sure to consult the “Airfare Booking Options & Services” chart prior to booking any business flight that you intend to submit for reimbursement.