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Indiana University Bloomington
 
Summer Language Study (SWSEEL)
Russian and East European Institute
Funding for Master's Level Graduate Students

Indiana University provides many opportunities for graduate students to receive funding for their studies. Approximately one third of entering MA students receive support in their first year; half do so in their second year. We encourage students to apply for all sources of financial support for which they are eligible. Frequently asked questions about financial assistance are answered here. Click here for contact information for the offices mentioned.

REEI Funding for Prospective Students:

Robert Byrnes Memorial Fellowship
Romanian Studies Graduate Student Fellowship
Title VI Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships
Graduate Assistantships

REEI Funding for Current Students:

Title VI Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships
Graduate Assistantships
Daniel Armstrong Memorial Research Paper Award
Grants-in-Aid of Research
Conference Travel Grants

Other IU Funding Programs:

Additional FLAS Awards
Additional Graduate Assistantship Opportunities
EU Center Funding Opportunities
Jewish Studies Program: Cohn-Borns Graduate Fellowship
Grad Grants
Bi-Annual Eva Kagan-Kans Memorial Dissertation Research Grant
Office of International Programs
Graduate Student Exchanges
GPSO Spring Travel Grants
College of Arts and Sciences
Office of Women's Affairs WISP Travel Grant Competition
Polish Studies Center Travel Grant

External Sources of Student Funding:

Social Science Research Council (SSRC) Fellowships
National Security Education Program (NSEP) Boren Scholarships
Foreign Language Enhancement Program (FLEP) Scholarships
IREX Grant Opportunities
ACLS Fellowship and Grant programs
U.S. Fulbright and Related Grants
ACTR/ACCELS Research Scholar Program
Jacob K. Javits Fellowships Program
The Kosciuszko Foundation Grants and Scholarships
Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship
American Council for Polish Culture (ACPC) Scholarships
Rotary International Foundation Educational Fellowships
Smithsonian Fellowships

REEI Funding for Prospective Students

Robert F. Byrnes Memorial Fellowship in REEI

Robert F. Byrnes was the founder and for many years director of REEI. The Fellowship Committee awards the fellowship to an outstanding student in Russian and East European studies. There is no application for this award. It is available only to new students. REEI will provide a stipend of at least $6,000 and a fee remission to the recipient of the award.

Romanian Studies Graduate Student Fellowship

Indiana University is proud to announce the first Romanian Studies Graduate Fellowship in the United States. Prospective graduate students who are applying in any discipline with a research focus in Romania are encouraged to apply. The fellowship carries a two-year tuition and fee waver and a stipend of $10,000 per year. Applicants should be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and need to be applying to an MA program (though they are also eligible if they wish to continue into a Ph.D. program). Applicants need to have proficiency in Romanian or be committed to enroll in language classes at Indiana University in order to gain a proficiency in the language. No separate application is required. To notify REEI of your interest in being considered for this fellowship, please contact: reei@indiana.edu.

Title VI Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships

FLAS fellowships are awarded to universities to promote the graduate training of students who intend to make their careers in college or university teaching, government service, or other employment where knowledge of foreign cultures is a prerequisite for success.

Each fellowship covers the academic year and carries a fixed stipend of $15,000. In addition, a fee scholarship covering 12 credits of course work each semester (a total of 24 credits) will be paid. Only US citizens and permanent residents are eligible for FLAS fellowships. Holders of FLAS fellowships must undertake full-time study during the period of the award and be enrolled in formal language instruction in the language of the award.

REEI accepts applications for study of the following languages in the academic year: Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Russian (beyond second year), Serbian, and Yiddish. Applicants interested in applying for a FLAS in a language or level of language not appearing in the IU Schedule of Classes for the following academic year should discuss their application with the REEI staff before submission. Applicants interested in applying for academic year dissertation research or language study abroad should also discuss their application with the staff prior to submission.

These awards are contingent upon receipt of funds from the US Department of Education. The US Department of Education encourages applications from professional school students as well as students enrolled in departments of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Applicants must submit the following:

  • One FLAS application.
  • One complete set of official transcripts of college and university credits.
  • Three letters of recommendation, at least one of which should address the applicant's abilities in foreign language study.
  • Statement on language training and proposed program of study. You may apply online or paper applications are available in REEI. Application deadline is February 1 of each year.

On-line FLAS Application

Graduate Assistantships

REEI offers funding for graduate assistants. Positions require a 20-hour per week employment commitment. In return, graduate assistants receive a stipend of $11,500 and fee remission for up to 30 credit hours per year. These awards are contingent upon receipt of funds from the US Department of Education.

Applicants to the REEI master's program will automatically be considered for this award by checking the appropriate box on the graduate school application. New applicants are not as competitive for graduate assistantships as returning students unless they have had significant previous experience in newsletter publication or web design.

Applications for the GAship should include:

  • Graduate assistantship application.
  • Three letters of recommendation. Two new recommendations should address the student's abilities to meet the demand of the GAship. The remaining reference may be on file if written by an IU faculty member within the last 18 months.
  • Current transcript of IU graduate work (may be obtained from your home department graduate secretary. OneStart transcripts are acceptable).
  • Current CV/resume.
  • Statement of 1,000 words or less, describing educational goals, career interests and plans.

GA applicants should describe their experiences with the following:

  • writing and editing (newsletters, reports, reviews).
  • computer experience (software, web skills, etc.).
  • office skills.
  • presentations (lectures, displays, showing of films).
  • organizational skills.
  • knowledge of library materials.
  • languages and level (reading, writing, oral).
  • overseas experience.
Applications are available in REEI. Application deadline is February 1 of each year. Applicants for GA positions may be contacted to arrange for an interview with the REEI senior staff.

REEI Funding for Current Students

Title VI Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships

FLAS fellowships are awarded to universities to promote the graduate training of students who intend to make their careers in college or university teaching, government service, or other employment where knowledge of foreign cultures is a prerequisite for success.

Each fellowship covers the academic year and carries a fixed stipend of $15,000. In addition, a fee scholarship covering 12 credits of course work each semester (a total of 24 credits) will be paid. Only US citizens and permanent residents are eligible for FLAS fellowships. Holders of FLAS fellowships must undertake full-time study during the period of the award and be enrolled in formal language instruction in the language of the award.

REEI accepts applications for study of the following languages in the academic year: Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Russian (beyond second year), Serbian, and Yiddish. Applicants interested in applying for a FLAS in a language or level of language not appearing in the IU Schedule of Classes for the following academic year should discuss their application with the REEI staff before submission. Applicants interested in applying for academic year dissertation research or language study abroad should also discuss their application with the staff prior to submission.

These awards are contingent upon receipt of funds from the US Department of Education. The US Department of Education encourages applications from professional school students as well as students enrolled in departments of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Applicants must submit the following:

  • One FLAS application.
  • One complete set of official transcripts of college and university credits.
  • Three letters of recommendation, at least one of which should address the applicant's abilities in foreign language study.
  • Statement on language training and proposed program of study. You may apply online or paper applications are available in REEI. Application deadline is February 1 of each year.

On-line FLAS Application

Graduate Assistantships

REEI offers funding for graduate assistants. Positions require a 20-hour per week employment commitment. In return, graduate assistants receive a stipend of $11,500 and fee remission for up to 30 credit hours per year. These awards are contingent upon receipt of funds from the US Department of Education.

Applicants to the REEI master's program will automatically be considered for this award by checking the appropriate box on the graduate school application. New applicants are not as competitive for graduate assistantships as returning students unless they have had significant previous experience in newsletter publication or web design.

Applications for the GAship should include:

  • Graduate assistantship application.
  • Three letters of recommendation. Two new recommendations should address the student's abilities to meet the demand of the GAship. The remaining reference may be on file if written by an IU faculty member within the last 18 months.
  • Current transcript of IU graduate work (may be obtained from your home department graduate secretary. OneStart transcripts are acceptable).
  • Current CV/resume.
  • Statement of 1,000 words or less, describing educational goals, career interests and plans.

GA applicants should describe their experiences with the following:

  • writing and editing (newsletters, reports, reviews).
  • computer experience (software, web skills, etc.).
  • office skills.
  • presentations (lectures, displays, showing of films).
  • organizational skills.
  • knowledge of library materials.
  • languages and level (reading, writing, oral).
  • overseas experience.
Applications are available in REEI. Application deadline is February 1 of each year. Applicants for GA positions may be contacted to arrange for an interview with the REEI senior staff.

Daniel Armstrong Memorial Research Paper Award

This competition is dedicated to the memory of IU Slavics alumnus, teacher, scholar, and administrator, Professor Daniel Armstrong (1942-1979). Awards are presented to students for papers written for a class in Russian, East European or Central Eurasian studies taken during the previous academic year. The first and second place winners will receive a monetary prize and framed certificate of recognition.

The papers are read during the summer by a panel of REEI faculty. Faculty members whose students submitted papers are ineligible for judging the competition. The judges do not know the identities of the student writers. Papers are submitted directly by students.

Students may submit only one entry per year. Papers must be submitted by the second Friday after the spring semester final exams week. Awards are presented to the authors of the winning papers in September at the annual REEI fall reception for faculty and students. Recent Armstrong award winners

How to submit:
Papers must be clean copies (photocopies are acceptable) without comments and submitted in triplicate. The author's name should be omitted from all pages. Include a single cover sheet with the following information: author's name & ten digit ID number, paper title, and course information (number/title, instructor, semester).

Papers must be submitted in triplicate no later than two weeks after graduation (in May) to:
Administrative Secretary
Russian and East European Institute
Attn: Daniel Armstrong Paper Competition
Ballantine Hall 565
1020 E. Kirkwood Ave.
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405

Grants-in-Aid of Research

Small grants are available to help graduate students who require modest support (up to $700/year) for research-related travel (domestic or international), travel for participation in a structured internship program, or travel for advanced language study in the Russian East European region. Grants may also be used for expenses related to publication of completed research. Students applying under this program may also be eligible for support under Office of International Programs, International Enhancement Grants (see page 8). Please discuss your plans with the REEI staff before submitting an application.

Deadlines: January 15, April 1 (if funds available), October 1

Application Materials Needed:

  • One REEI/Mellon Endowment graduate student application form (available at REEI, Ballantine Hall 565 and online.
  • One letter of recommendation (preferably from the student's academic advisor) addressing the quality of the student's work generally.
  • Itemized budget of expected expenditures.
  • Current IU transcript (unofficial transcript sufficient) and CV or list of academic honors.
  • For conference travel: an abstract of the paper and a copy of the conference program (or notification of the acceptance of the paper).
  • For research: a statement of 1,000 words or less describing educational goals, career interests and plans; the statement should describe the project and the specific purposes for which aid is sought; it should address this activity will further the participant's academic progress and ultimately help achieve career goals.
  • For internships: include documentation of confirmed acceptance by the internship provider.

Conference Travel Grants

REEI provides grants to help graduate students who specialize in the Russian East European region present their research at major association meetings and conferences. Student travel reimbursement is limited to minimum airfare or mileage (per IU guidelines), one night lodging, and conference registration fee. Students may also be eligible for conference travel support from the College of Arts and Sciences. Please check with your home department graduate advisor to see if you can be nominated. REEI domestic conference travel grants will not exceed $400 and international grants will not exceed $600.

Deadlines: January 15, April 1 (if funds available), October 1

Application Materials Needed:

  • One REEI/Mellon Endowment graduate student application form (available at REEI, Ballantine Hall 565 and online.
  • One letter of recommendation (preferably from the student's academic advisor) addressing the quality of the student's work generally.
  • Itemized budget of expected expenditures.
  • Current IU transcript (unofficial transcript sufficient) and CV or list of academic honors.
  • For conference travel: an abstract of the paper and a copy of the conference program (or notification of the acceptance of the paper).
  • For research: a statement of 1,000 words or less describing educational goals, career interests and plans; the statement should describe the project and the specific purposes for which aid is sought; it should address this activity will further the participant's academic progress and ultimately help achieve career goals.

Other IU Funding Programs

Additional FLAS Awards

A number of other departments on campus offer Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships, including the Center for the Study of Global Change, the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center (IAUNRC) , and the West European Studies Program. Students applying for Hungarian or Estonian language study will be automatically considered by REEI and IAUNRC. IAUNRC also offers fellowships for study of Azeri, Finnish, Kazak, Mongolian, Persian/Tajik, Tibetan, Turkish, Turkmen and Uzbek. To apply for the Global Center FLAS, check the appropriate box in the online application or send a copy of your completed REEI FLAS application to them.

Additional Graduate Assistantship Opportunities

Graduate Assistantships and Research Assistantships are available in some departments affiliated with REEI. These include Central Eurasian Studies (CEUS), the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center (IAUNRC), the Polish Studies Center, West European Studies, the and the International Resource Center. GradGrants also posts announcements for various assistantships. For more details and application information contact each department directly.

Graduate Student Exchange Programs

The Office of International Programs maintains exchange agreements which provide opportunities for IU graduate students to conduct research, study, and teach at selected partner institutions abroad. Interested individuals should contact Christy Borders, Office of International Programs, Bryan Hall 104, Bloomington, phone: (812) 856-9024, e-mail: cborders@indiana.edu. Application deadline is mid-January for the upcoming academic year.

Applicants may be students from any discipline, department, or campus. Each applicant must submit a proposal for a program that would constitute an integral part of a well-conceived graduate degree program at Indiana University. Unless specifically indicated, it is important that applicants demonstrate strong language skills. Download application and guidelines here.


External Sources of Student Funding

Social Science Research Council (SSRC) Fellowships

SSRC fellowship funds are available on a competitive basis for both graduates and undergraduates to study Russian and the following languages of the former Soviet Union and Central Asia: Azeri, Kazakh, Tajik, Turkmen, Uyghur, Uzbek, and Georgian. To be eligible for an SSRC award you must:

  • be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
  • Applicants in Russian must have completed at least two years of formal study of the language
  • those studying any of the other languages listed above need no prior study to be eligible

SSRC fellowships have ranged from $2,500 to $3,100.

The application deadline for Fellowships is March 23. Decisions on SSRC fellowships are made in late-April.

PLEASE NOTE: to minimize paperwork, only recipients of fellowships and alternates will receive formal notification. Fellowship assistance is available only to students in the 8-week session.

The Social Science Research Council is clear in its insistence that SSRC fellowships be granted only to students in third year Russian (levels 5-9) or above.

National Security Education Program (NSEP) Boren Scholarships

Additional scholarships for language training are offered to undergraduate students through the National Security Education Program. You are eligible for a David L. Boren Scholarship or Fellowship if you are an undergraduate student who is:

  1. A citizen of the United States at the time you submit your application; and
  2. A matriculated student in a degree program — at an accredited U.S. college or university located in the U.S.— during the time you will be on your Boren program

Deadline for this program is January 28th for the AED (Graduate portion).

Graduates submit the application to:

NSEP David L. Boren Graduate Fellowships
Academy for Educational Development
1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009-5721

For more information visit: www.worldstudy.gov/overview.html

Foreign Language Enhancement Program (FLEP) Scholarships

Offered through the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), FLEP provides scholarships of up to $2,000 to help graduate students from CIC schools (University of Chicago, University of Illinois, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana University, Northwestern University, University of Minnesota, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University and University of Wisconsin-Madison) take advantage of language offerings not available at their home university. For eligibility and application information visit: www.cic.uiuc.edu/programs/flep.

IREX Grant Opportunities

IREX is an international nonprofit organization providing leadership and innovative programs to improve the quality of education, strengthen independent media, and foster pluralistic civil society development. IREX programs have advanced the education and expertise of over 20,000 scholars, professionals, and students for nearly 35 years. For a current list of IREX grant opporunities, as well as a description of the application process, please click here.

American Council of Learned Societies

The American Council of Learned Societies is a private non-profit federation of sixty-eight national scholarly organizations. The mission of the ACLS, as set forth in its Constitution, is "the advancement of humanistic studies in all fields of learning in the humanities and the social sciences and the maintenance and strengthening of relations among the national societies devoted to such studies." ACLS offers fellowships and grants in over one dozen programs, for research in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. Particularly relevant to students associated with REEI are the Southeast European Studies Program and the ACLS Humanities Program in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.

US Fulbright and Related Grants

The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 by the U.S. Congress to "enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries." It is administered by the US Department of State and is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide. For more information click here.

ACTR/ACCELS Research Scholar Program

Funded by the U.S. Department of State, Program for the Study of Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII), the American Councils Research Scholar Program provides full support for graduate students, faculty, and independent scholars seeking to conduct in-country, independent research for three months to nine months in Belarus, Central Asia, Russia, the South Caucasus, Ukraine, and Moldova. For more information click here.

Jacob K. Javits Fellowships Program

This program provides fellowships to students of superior academic ability—selected on the basis of demonstrated achievement, financial need, and exceptional promise—to undertake study at the doctoral and Master of Arts level in selected fields of arts, humanities, and social sciences. For more information about this program click here.

The Kosciuszko Foundation Grants and Scholarships

The Kosciuszko Foundation is dedicated to promoting educational and cultural exchanges between the United States and Poland and to increasing American understanding of Polish culture and history. Descriptions of and application procedures for grants and scholarshipsmay be found here.

Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship

The Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC, administers this fellowship for the US Department of State. The goal is to attract outstanding students who represent all ethnic and social backgrounds and who have an interest in pursuing a Foreign Service career in the US Department of State. The program is designed to train in academic disciplines representing the skill needs of the department men and women, who are dedicated to representing America's interests abroad. For more details and application information contact The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.

American Council for Polish Culture (ACPC) Scholarships

The American Council for Polish Culture, Inc. is a national non-profit, charitable, cultural and educational organization that serves as a network and body of national leadership among affiliated Polish-American cultural organizations throughout the United States. The ACPC offers various scholarships for students interested in Poland and Polish, including the Pulaski Scholarship: $5,000 for graduate students of Polish descent enrolled at an accredited university in the United States, who have completed at least one year of studies at the graduate level; the Skalny Scholarship for Polish Studies: $1,000 for students pursuing some Polish studies (major may be in other fields) at universities in the United States, who have completed at least two years of college or university work at an accredited institution; the ACPC Summer Study Scholarship: $1,500 for American students of Polish descent to participate in a SUMMER STUDY program at any one of Poland's fine universities that offer such programs; and the Polish Heritage Society of Philadelphia scholarship: For students accepted to or already enrolled at a college or university, either of Polish descent or pursuing courses in Polish or Slavic language, history or culture.

The Rotary International Foundation Educational Fellowships

The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty. Through its Educational Programs, the Foundation provides funding for some 1,200 students to study abroad each year. Grants are also awarded to university teachers to teach in developing countries and for exchanges of business and professional people. For more information about these fellowships click here.

Smithsonian Fellowships

The Smithsonian's Office of Research Training and Services (ORTS) has the central management and administrative responsibility for the Institution's programs of research grants, fellowships, and other scholarly appointments. One of its primary objectives is the facilitation of the Smithsonian's scholarly interactions with students and scholars at universities, museums, and other research institutions around the world. The Office administers Institution-wide research support programs, and encourages and assists other Smithsonian museums, research institutes and research offices in the development of additional fellowships and visiting appointments.

Fellowships at the Smithsonian Institution provide students and scholars with opportunities to pursue independent research projects in association with members of the Smithsonian professional research staff. Click here for information on and applications for the Smithsonian's Graduate student fellowships.


Indiana University  

Russian and East European Institute | College of Arts and Sciences | Ballantine Hall 565, Bloomington, IN 47405 | Ph: (812) 855-7309 | Fx: (812) 855-6411 | reei@indiana.edu | Copyright 2006 Trustees of Indiana University