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The grants on this page are administered by APSI for graduate students at Duke whose research focuses on Asia, including candidates for the East Asian Studies MA degree and graduate certificate.
Note: all APSI grants and research fellowships involving domestic or international travel are subject to Duke's Global Travel Policy.
APSI 2nd-year tuition grant
Students in the MA degree program should apply for the second-year award of up to $20,000. This grant is applied to the overall tuition cost during fall term of the second year.
Funding applications should be sent to Alex Nickley; the deadline for 2025-26 is February 14, 2025.
- Copy of official transcript
- A 2-page, double-spaced essay describing your academic work and achievements at Duke
- Two letters of recommendation from Duke faculty. Faculty may submit their letters directly to apsi@duke.edu.
Conference travel grants
Graduate students needing assistance to cover travel expenses for presenting on East or Southeast Asian topics at conferences and professional meetings may apply for up to $700 from APSI. Awards will take into account funds received from other Duke sources. APSI graduate students are given preference for funding.
Applications are accepted until the annual funding allocation is depleted. Students are encouraged to apply as soon as they receive notice of their paper or presentation acceptance; applications must be received at least 30 days prior to the start of the conference or meeting.
Note: PhD candidates who have passed their prelims are eligible to receive travel support from the Graduate School and should first apply there.
- Evidence of paper or presentation acceptance (i.e. – conference program, invitation from organizer)
- Abstract of paper to be presented
- Simple budget, including costs for registration, travel, lodging, and meals; include a list with amounts of other Duke funds received
Applications should be submitted to Alex Nickley. Travel grants take the form of reimbursement of actual expenses and require submission of receipts.
Janet B. Chiang grants
This grant supports student projects with the goal of furthering Asian-American understanding, as well as funding need-based grants for students to study in Asia. Duke undergraduate and graduate students may apply. The award maximum is $2,500. Learn more about Janet B. Chiang, Trinity '86.
Applications for 2025 will be due by 5:00PM (Eastern time) on Friday, March 7, 2025.
Special consideration will be given to projects connected with Asian-American relations, Asian American cultural or legal issues, and women's issues, but any project designed to meet a need and which encourages student leadership initiative will be considered.
Special consideration will also be given to Asian Americans who apply for grants to study in Asia, but all students with a demonstrated interest in the relation of Asian and American cultures are encouraged to apply for this grant.
The same form may be used by both graduate and undergraduate students; if applying as a graduate student, include your expected year of graduation on the same line as your major (program name). Applicants must include a basic budget and list all other sources and amounts of funding (including applications for funding).
If the application is associated with a research project involves human subjects, submit evidence that the project has been submitted for Duke Campus IRB review (submit verification if already approved or exempted). Funding will not be released until IRB approval* (or exemption) is obtained.
*IRB verification is not required if the application is to support language study.
Summer research fellowships
Students working on an MA capstone or thesis or a PhD dissertation* in East or Southeast Asian studies are eligible to apply for up to $3,000 from APSI to support summer research. East Asian Studies MA students will receive priority in funding consideration, however graduate students in other departments whose primary area of study is East or Southeast Asia are also welcome to apply. Applicants may be citizens of any country but must be full-time students at Duke.
The application deadline for summer 2025 funding is February 14, 2025. Funding will not be released until IRB approval (or exemption) is obtained.
*PhD students may receive the award twice; once early in their program to explore their research topic and once towards the end of their training to conduct research to wrap up their project. As a rule, students will not receive funding from APSI in consecutive academic years. Early-stage doctoral students should first apply to the Summer Research Fellowship from the Graduate School; in certain cases, APSI funding may supplement this award.
- Application form including:
- A 500-750 word proposal describing the research project, including its rationale and methodology. Explain why travel to the region is necessary and describe your connection to local contacts and how you intend to access and assess the data
- A research budget with realistic projections for travel, lodging, meals, and research-related expenses; include other potential sources of funding
- Letter of recommendation from supervising faculty member submitted directly to apsi@duke.edu
- If the research project involves human subjects, submit evidence that the project has been submitted for Duke Campus IRB review (submit verification if already approved or exempted)
Fellowship recipients must submit a 3-5 page report summarizing their results by October 1 and share their experience at one of the monthly Asian Pacific Forums during the academic year following the summer research.
Language scholarships
Limited scholarships averaging $2,000 are available to full-time Duke students who plan to pursue further language training in Chinese, Japanese or Korean either in East Asia or at a reputable domestic program.
Priority is given to students at the intermediate level or above who 1) wish to continue language study beyond university/departmental language requirements 2) are enrolled in the East Asian Studies Graduate Certificate or MA program and 3) articulate a clear understanding of how the specific program they intend to enroll in will help them meet their language proficiency and broader academic goals. Additionally, for students attending study abroad programs in Japan, we prioritize applications to Duke-approved programs (even if the applicant does not intend to apply for Duke credit).
Applications for 2025 will be due by 5:00PM (Eastern time) on Friday, March 7, 2025.
- Application form including:
- A 500 word proposal describing how the specific language program will contribute to the applicant's language proficiency and broader academic goals
- A budget outlining specific programmatic, living and travel costs. This must include all other sources of funding applied for and/or received.
- Letter of recommendation from a faculty member submitted directly to apsi@duke.edu
Support for advanced PhD students
Faculty advisors must nominate students by submitting a letter to Alex Nickley. Nomination letters should include an explanation of funds needed and disclose any funds applied for or received from other sources. Funding is limited and will be offered on a competitive basis.
Dean’s Research Award for Master’s Students
The Dean’s Research Award for Master’s Students will provide up to $1,000 to fund research travel, conference travel, or the purchase of materials and supplies to support research relevant to a master’s student’s degree completion. The award is not to be used for living expenses, but in direct support of research and/or professional development for the recipient.
The AY 2024-2025 application period will run from September 15 to October 15, 2024 and recipients will be notified by early November with award disbursement in November 2024. The funds must be spent by May 31, 2025. Recipients of the award must present receipts documenting appropriate use of the award funds.
Additional information and guidelines can be found at the Graduate School's website.
- Complete the application form and get it signed by your director of graduate studies (DGS) to indicate the department’s endorsement of your application for this award
- Attach a letter of intent that explains what the research/travel award will be used for and how it will support your progress toward completing your master’s degree
- Submit the completed application and all documentation to the APSI DGSA, Alex Nickley, who will process and submit to the Graduate School
- All materials should be submitted to APSI no later than Friday, October 11th, 2024, to allow ample time for processing