Funding Your Graduate Education

Explore the resources below to find information on internal student awards and scholarships, as well as resources to help you find and apply for external grants, fellowships, and awards. Quick links are located below for questions about financial aid and the KU Scholarships portal.

Examples of External Funding

KU Scholarships Opportunities Portal

Financial Aid & Scholarships


Grant and Fellowship Development Resources

Writing, developing, and submitting grant and fellowship applications to support your research and writing is an essential component of your graduate career. Writing effective materials is a skill that develops over time and with practice. There are a number of resources available at and beyond KU that will be helpful to you as you develop and submit your materials. Make sure to also check the monthly graduate student newsletter and emails from research offices across campus (see more information on these offices below) for grant and fellowship development workshops that are held throughout the year.

 

A guide to professional development during the graduate years developed by Cynthia Verba, Chapters 4 and 7 cover fellowship and postdoc application materials. Appendix A includes samples of winning fellowships and application materials for all areas and disciplines. 

View Scholarly Pursuits: A Guide to Professional Development during the Graduate Years>>

KU Libraries has partnered with DMP Tool to give KU researchers access to an online Data Management Plan creation tool. This tool will walk you through the items that are required to be included in your Data Management Plan for various funding agencies and applications such as in the NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants. 

Learn more about Data Management Services and the DMP Tool>>

The KU Writing Center's Graduate Writing Specialist works exclusively with you to help you learn how to improve you graduate-level writing. Office hours are held for graduate students whose needs go beyond the Writing Center's traditional graduate writing consultations, including adjusting to graduate-level writingovercoming writer's blockpublishing journal articleswriting grant/fellowship applications, and completing academic job applications. In addition, you can receive writing coaching, which may be particularly helpful if you are in the thesis/dissertation writing process.

Learn more about the Ku Writing Center's Graduate Student Resources, Programs, and Book Appointments>>

This is a continuously updated repository of federal and private funding opportunities that are intended for graduate students. The opportunities are pre-sorted chronologically and alphabetically, and can be searched by funding amount and subject matter.

Although every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, please refer to the sponsor’s funding announcement for complete details on each opportunity.

Access the excel file by clicking here. 

KU also provides faculty, staff and you with subscription access to the PIVOT search tool. PIVOT is an easy-to-use key-word-searchable database for finding current funding opportunities specifically tailored to your research needs. PIVOT also provides a number of other resources that may be of interest to researchers, including their current top-ten search list. Please direct PIVOT questions to Doug Bornemann at dbornemann@ku.edu or 785-864-6113.

Please note that in the advance search function of PIVOT, you can search opportunities by applicant type, citizenship, research subject matter, research location, type of opportunity and additional filters to help narrow the search within the global database. 

The Opportunities Lists on this page are compiled and updated annually each summer by the Research & Grant Development Office (RGDO). These downloadable PDF documents are intended to help Scholars identify resources to help fund their work. No list is exhaustive. Scholars should visit the websites of any agencies of interest to learn current deadlines and note any changes to requirements since the list was last updated.

Access the opportunities lists by clicking here. 

FULBRIGHT U.S. STUDENT PROGRAM APPLICATIONS

  • KU International Programs coordinates student Fulbright applications. Use the links below to find out more about the program and their services.

Fulbright Quick Links

FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND AREA STUDIES FELLOWSHIP (FLAS)

  • Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships provide financial support for students to immerse themselves in the study of these critical languages. The University of Kansas has three designated FLAS granting institutions providing funding for seven

FLAS Quick Links

Fellowships & Scholarships at KU

Madison & Lila Self Graduate Programs

The Madison and Lila Self Graduate Programs provides financial support and professional development opportunities for promising graduate student leaders at The University of Kansas with the Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellowship and the Madison and Lila Self Memorial Scholarship.

Military-Affiliated Scholarships

The Lt. Gen. Willian K. Jones Military-Affiliated Student Center maintains a collection of scholarships specifically for military-affiliated students.

Dwight Eisenhower/Clifford Roberts Graduate Fellowship

The Eisenhower Institute has invited the University of Kansas to submit nominations for the Dwight Eisenhower/Clifford Roberts Graduate Fellowships. The Eisenhower Institute is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to perpetuating Dwight D. Eisenhower's legacy by fostering integrity and trust in the federal government, promoting broader understanding of democracy, and supporting leadership in public service.

University Women's Club Scholarship

The University Women’s Club Scholarship helps to financially assist academically meritorious undergraduate and graduate women students at The University of Kansas.

In the past, multiple recipients have received scholarships ranging from $1,500 to $2,500. The number of recipients and dollar amounts vary from year to year.

Emergency Aid

The Office of Graduate Studies has established funds to provide financial assistance to students who have immediate, unexpected expenses due to circumstances beyond their control.
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