Funding for Ph.D. in History
We guarantee 5-years of continuous funding to History Ph.D. students who are actively enrolled and in good academic standing. Co-terminal or terminal M.A. students and Ph.D. minors are not eligible for financial support from the Department. Detailed funding information is provided in pages 75-78 of the Ph.D. Handbook and direct specific questions to Arthur Palmon (History Assistant Director of Student Services).
Five Year, 12-month Guaranteed Funding For History Ph.D. Students:
We provide continuous 12-month funding for Ph.D. students for up to the first five years of the doctoral degree program in History. Comprised of fellowship and assistantships, the funding package provides tuition, fellowship stipend or assistantship salary, summer stipend, and health insurance. A sample timeline for PhD student funding is as follows:
- 1st year: 3 quarters of Fellowship Stipend, 1 Summer Stipend, up to 18 units of tuition each academic quarter.
- 2nd year: 2 quarters of Teaching Assistantship, 1 quarter of Fellowship Stipend, 1 summer stipend, 10- 18 units of tuition each academic quarter.
- 3rd year: 2 quarters of Teaching Assistantship, 1 quarter of Fellowship Stipend, 1 summer stipend, 10- 18 units of tuition each academic quarter.
- 4th year: 3 quarters of Fellowship Stipend, 1 Summer Stipend, TGR Tuition each academic quarter.
- 5th year: 3 quarters of Fellowship Stipend, 1 Summer Stipend, TGR Tuition each academic quarter.
Funding for 6th and 7th Year Ph.D. Students:
The department expects students to graduate within the first five years of their doctoral program. 6th and 7th year students are encouraged to apply for internal and external funding opportunities. Our advanced graduate students are very successful in securing non-departmental funding. If their application is funded, they are also eligible to apply for full or partial Weter Fellowship granted by the Department.
The Weter Fellowship application is announced in late Spring Quarter and requires written proof that the student applied for a full-year fellowship offered by a Stanford unit or an external organization. The application is competitive; the funding is contingent upon availability of departmental funds. In certain cases, students may be asked to teach or TA an undergraduate course. For more information, please review the formal application form and also see below for the sample interviews with students who received external and internal fellowships.
The 6th year Ph.D. students who are continuing into their 7th year are eligible to apply for a summer stipend via this form. The application opens in Spring Quarter and requires written proof that the student has applied for a summer grant. The stipend allocations is contingent upon funding availability.
Advanced Language Training Grant:
The first year Stanford History PhD students are eligible to apply for a summer intensive language grant. Funded by designated endowments and decanal support, the grant provides up to $6,000 to support expedited language acquisition. The language program should take place in the summer quarter, contribute degree to the applicant’s doctoral degree progress and requirements, and is approved by the applicants’ primary advisor. Applications are solicited in early Spring quarter. For more information, please review the formal application form and review the sample grant reports listed at the end of this page.
Research, Conference Travel, and Relocation Grants:
Throughout their doctoral degree, each History Ph.D. student is eligible to apply for 1 relocation grant (to be used for initial travel to Stanford), 3 conference travel grants, and 3 research grants. Each grant is capped at $1,500. Students are required to submit back-up documentatation and a business justification to the Assistant Director of Student Services.
Additional research grants are available from British and Latin American History fields; such opportunities are usually announced in Spring Quarter.
Programming Funds:
The Department funds professionalization workshops, reading groups, and community activities. Requests should be submitted via https://history.stanford.edu/event-funding-support-requests
Additional Employment:
To preserve the focus on the student's academic progress, Stanford University limits the number of hours a student may be employed while also holding an assistantship appointment. Graduate student hourly employment is described in Administrative Guide Memo 10.2.2: Graduate Student Hourly Employment (https://adminguide.stanford.edu/chapter-10/subchapter-2/policy-10-2-2).
