Application is now open for 2025–26. Apply here.
The NBR Chinese Language Fellowship Program (CLFP), funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, awards two types of fellowships to American graduate students for one academic year of full-time intensive Chinese language training, generally in Taiwan or China.
PhD Track (up to $50,000)
The PhD track of the CLFP allows currently enrolled PhD students to participate in a language program of their choice in Taiwan or China for ten months, followed by a summer language program during which fellows will take one-on-one classes in which they may choose to read primary sources directly related to their dissertation research.
Prospective PhD Track (up to $40,000)
The Prospective PhD track of the CLFP allows current or recent master’s degree students planning to pursue a PhD to participate in a language program of their choice in Taiwan or China for ten months. Applicants to the Prospective PhD track must be currently enrolled in a master’s program or recently graduated from a master’s program.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for a fellowship, an applicant will:
- Demonstrate, through transcripts from classes taken and/or the results of language assessment tests, an intermediate Chinese language ability. The fellowship is NOT intended to help beginner students of Chinese.
- Be able to devote themselves to full-time intensive Chinese-language study for one academic year. The fellowship is NOT intended to support substantive doctoral research.
- Desire to advance U.S. public policy toward China through improved expertise and understanding, or to contribute to scholarly research and teaching on China in order to develop future generations of China specialists.
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States.
Application Requirements
To be considered for a fellowship, an applicant must submit:
- A complete application form, answering questions about academic experiences, Chinese language skills, and Chinese language classes taken.
- A two-page summary resume, inclusive of academic and professional honors received (full academic CVs will not be reviewed).
- A two-page cover letter that addresses how their proposed Chinese language program will contribute to their language training, doctoral studies, and future plans.
- A letter of recommendation from an academic supervisor or professor (sent directly by reference to Dylan Plung at [email protected] by February 17, 2025)
- A letter of recommendation from a recent Chinese language teacher (sent directly by reference to Dylan Plung at [email protected] by February 17, 2025).
- Electronic transcripts from all educational institutions you are currently attending and/or from which they have received a degree (please upload as PDFs in the application portal).
If not evident through transcripts or if you are applying to the Prospective PhD track…
- Please explain your plans to pursue a PhD program in your cover letter.
- Please ask your academic supervisor or professor to address your aptitude for a PhD program in his/her letter of recommendation.
Language Programs
Applicants to NBR’s Chinese Language Fellowship Program are responsible for applying to (and being accepted at) their respective language programs abroad. Applicants must declare which language program they are applying to as a part of the application process, and fellowships, once awarded, are contingent upon acceptance into these language programs.
NBR typically sends fellows to the International Chinese Language Program (ICLP) at National Taiwan University in Taipei or the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies (IUP) at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
As a part of this fellowship, NBR will pay tuition to the language programs directly on behalf of its fellows, in addition to providing a generous stipend to cover airfare and living expenses for an academic year.
Application Deadline and Selection Process
Applications are due by 11:59 PM (PT) on February 17, 2025. The Fellowship Program team will review all applications and make recommendations to an independent selection committee that will meet and make final decisions in March. Awards will be conferred and announced in April 2025.
Contact
If you have any questions about this opportunity or wish to set up a consultation about this program, please contact [email protected].