The grants on this page are administered by APSI for Asia-focused graduate students at Duke, including candidates for the East Asian Studies MA degree.

For additional opportunities, explore funding for all Duke students.

*APSI travel grants and research fellowships are subject to Duke's Global Travel Policy.

APSI Tuition Grants

APSI provides merit-based partial tuition fellowships to students in the East Asian Studies MA program. All students applying to the MA program are automatically considered for first-year funding during the application process; no separate application is needed.

Students 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; please submit your applications to Alex Nickley by Monday, February 20th 2023.

Application requirements:

• 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.

Note: Doctoral students who have passed their prelims are eligible to receive travel support from the Graduate School and should first apply there.

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.

Application requirements:

• 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.

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.

*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 Summer Research Fellowship from the Graduate School; in certain cases, APSI funding may supplement this award.

Application requirements:

• 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)

The application deadline is Monday, February 20, 2023. Funding will not be released until IRB approval (or exemption) is obtained. 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.

APSI Language Scholarships  

Limited scholarships of up to $7,000 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, Undergraduate 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.  

Application requirements:

• 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

 Applications for 2022 are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on March 5, 2023.

APSI Support for Advanced PhD Students 

APSI offers support to cover continuation fees and/or summer stipends for advanced PhD students whose research focuses specifically on East or Southeast Asia.  Students who are not receiving support from their home departments or the Graduate School are eligible to receive these funds.  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. 

Janet B. Chiang Grant

Visit the All Duke Students page for additional details and application instructions.

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 2022 application period will run from September 1st to September 30th, and recipients will be notified by October 30th.  The funds must be spent by May 31, 2023. Recipients of the award must present receipts documenting appropriate use of the award funds.

To Apply

• Complete the application form and get it signed by your director of graduate studies 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 DGSA, Alex Nickley, who will process and submit to The Graduate School.  These materials should be submitted no later than Friday, September 23rd to allow ample time for processing.