Student Fellowships

The Illinois Global Institute and its centers and programs invite applications for our 2026 IGI Summer Research Fellowships. The award of up to $3,500 is meant to support research travel outside of the United States. The aim of the award is to support seed research contributing to the development of a dissertation or thesis project that draws on international research. 

Students will apply through one of the centers and programs listed in this call, and if awarded, will be fellows of that center or program.  Students should apply to the area studies center that has the regional focus of their research, or the thematic center or program that corresponds with the student’s approach or research questions.

Participating Centers and Contacts

Budget

Awards may support up to $3,500 in research travel costs.  A detailed budget will accompany the application.  Eligible expenses include airfare, local transportation, housing, meals, and research materials.  Expenses which are not eligible include visa costs, electronic equipment or software, translation services, research assistants, research participant gifts or stipends, and publication subventions. 

Fellowship Reporting Requirements

Within 30 days of returning from the award-sponsored travel, students must submit a report on research activities during the fellowship (600 to 900 words), as well as original receipts for airfare, ground transportation, and, where applicable, housing.

Eligibility and Additional Guidelines

First-year and second-year doctoral and master’s students are eligible to apply.  The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies offers its own graduate research fellowships.  Students who are conducting research in Latin America or the Caribbean should apply for the CLACS Tinker and Whitten fellowships and are not eligible to apply for the IGI Summer Research Fellowships.  

For research that requires IRB approval, if the project has not secured it by the start date of the proposed research, the award will be cancelled.

Students must be enrolled full-time at the time of their application and plan to return full time for the academic year following the award period. 

For international students, the fellowship award may be taxable.

Students must register for the university-provided international travel health insurance and follow the guidance of Illinois International and their home department regarding travel advisories and restrictions, as well as export controls or other research regulations.

Students may combine this award with other sources of funding, but priority will be given to applicants for whom this is the only or principal source of funding. All other funding sources must be listed in the application.

Application Instructions

Applicant may apply through one center. All applicants must submit to the relevant center the following materials:

  • Application form (click to download)
  • A two-part statement (maximum 1500 words) that must:
          1) Provide a detailed research plan including the country or countries of study, cities visited, and intended research activities.  Be specific: What kinds of sources or research material will you consult or gather?  What are the methods you would use to incorporate that material into a subsequent dissertation proposal or masters’ thesis?

          2) Describe the program of study and research plans that the proposed research will support.  This component should include a description of your preparation for the proposed research, as well as your proficiency in language(s) that are needed to conduct the work.  If the research requires review by the Institutional Research Board, this should be indicated, along with the date of IRB approval or of proposed IRB submission.   
  • Detailed budget of expenses anticipated during research
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • Two letters of recommendation (one must be from your current advisor). It is strongly recommended that the second letter come from a current or previous language instructor. Only two letters of recommendation will be accepted per application, as additional letters will not be reviewed by the review committee. 

All materials (except for recommendation letters which should be submitted directly by the recommender) should be combined into one PDF and uploaded via the center's application upload link listed below: 

Center for African Studies (CAS) - Application Upload

Center for Global Studies (CGS) - Application Upload

Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) - Application Upload

Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (CSAMES) - Application Upload

European Union Center (EUC) - Application Upload

Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center (REEEC) - Application Upload 

Applications are due by Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT

Letters of Recommendation 

You are responsible for providing your recommenders with instructions on how to submit a letter of recommendation. Each center has its own upload link for recommenders. We suggest contacting your recommenders and providing them with information as early as possible. We also suggest sending your recommenders your personal statement. 

*Consider forwarding this web page to your recommenders and directing them to the below instructions:

Letters of Recommendation are due by Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT

Letters of recommendation must be submitted via the center's recommender upload link (see upload links below).

The filename should be labeled as follows: LastName, FirstName – HomeDeptAbbrev – IGIResearchFellow  – RecommenderInitials.pdf.
Example: Smith, James – Information Sci – IGIResearchFellow – NW.pdf

Center for African Studies (CAS) - Recommender Upload

Center for Global Studies (CGS) - Recommender Upload

Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) - Recommender Upload

Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (CSAMES) - Recommender Upload

European Union Center (EUC) - Recommender Upload

Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center (REEEC) - Recommender Upload 

Important Dates

Applications Due: Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT
Letters of Recommendation Due: Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT 
Award/Alternate/Rejection Letters Sent: Spring Semester 2026