STUDENT FELLOWSHIPS

The application period for Africa House fellowships 2025-26 is open. Please find more information below.

New York University (NYU) Africa House has been fortunate to receive external donor funding to offer competitive research grants for current NYU undergraduate and graduate students seeking funding support for short-term research opportunities. If you are selected to receive an Africa House Fellowship, you will be required to present your research findings at Africa House in Spring 2026.

NYU Africa House fellowships include:

Africa House CTED Development Impact Fellowship

Deadline: March 1, 2025

This fellowship of $1,500 is awarded to one (1) student to cover costs associated with research activities linked to the search for innovative solutions that have the capacity to enrich the lives of people in the developing world. Fellowships support undergraduate and graduate students to cover costs associated with research projects undertaken in the Spring, Summer, or Fall of 2025, in the following Africa House/CTED research areas:

  • Economic and Political Theory

  • Economic Development and Technology

  • Food and Agricultural Markets

  • Migration and Diaspora

  • Local Governance, Cultural Norms, and Development of Property Rights

Eligibility:

  • Applicants must be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at New York University, graduating no sooner than May 2026.

Requirements:

  • Explain how you plan to participate in the intellectual life of Africa House/CTED in the Africa House Fellowship Application Form.

  • Author or co-author one (1) research paper providing findings of your research project, to be submitted to Africa House/CTED in Spring 2026.

  • Present research findings at Africa House in Spring 2026.

Application Materials:

  1. Cover letter

  2. Curriculum vitae

  3. Two (2) letters of recommendation (referees should email letters directly to africa.house@nyu.edu)

  4. 2-3 page Africa-focused research proposal. The proposal could be an outline of your research or a study that is presently underway that will be further enhanced by the fellowship. The proposal should be written for educated readers, but not experts in your field. Proposals should include the following: research question, thesis/hypothesis, methodology/design, significance, and budget justification.

  5. Africa House Fellowship Application Form (upload the above mentioned items in the Google form)

Questions: Please email africa.house@nyu.edu

NYU Africa House Thoyer Fellowship

Deadline: March 1, 2025

This fellowship of $2,500 is awarded to two (2) outstanding graduate students to support Africa-focused study and research in the fields of economics, political economy, and related disciplines. Fellowships may be used to cover travel costs, living expenses, tuition, books, research expenses, and other relevant expenses while studying or pursuing research at New York University. The Africa House Thoyer Fellowship is rooted in the idea that development is more likely to occur where there is sustained, sound management of the economy, and that such management is more likely where there is an active, well-informed group of development experts conducting policy-relevant research.

Eligibility:

  • Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate program at New York University, graduating no sooner than May 2026.

  • Open to students in the fields of Economics, Political Economy, or related disciplines.

Requirements:

  • Explain how you plan to participate in the intellectual life of Africa House/CTED in the Africa House Fellowship Application Form.

  • Author or co-author one (1) research paper providing findings of your research project, to be submitted to Africa House in Spring 2026.

  • Present research findings at Africa House in Spring 2026.

Application Materials:

  1. Cover letter

  2. Curriculum vitae

  3. Two (2) letters of recommendation (referees should email letters directly to africa.house@nyu.edu)

  4. 2-3 page Africa-focused research proposal. The proposal could be an outline of your research or a study that is presently underway that will be further enhanced by the fellowship. The proposal should be written for educated readers, but not experts in your field. Proposals should include the following: research question, thesis/hypothesis, methodology/design, significance, and budget justification.

  5. Africa House Fellowship Application Form (upload the above mentioned items in the Google form)

Questions: Please email africa.house@nyu.edu

Robert Holmes Travel/Research Award for African Scholarship

Department Nomination Deadline: See GSAS website for deadline.

Please visit the GSAS website for additional details. Students must be nominated by their GSAS department to qualify. Self-nominations are not accepted.

Two (2) awards of $2,500 for Summer 2025 are available to outstanding GSAS graduate students nominated by their departments to support study and research in Africa. Doctoral student applicants should, within one (1) year of the award, expect to complete any remaining coursework and requirements (qualifying, comprehensive, and language exams) other than the dissertation. Exceptional Master’s students, proposing research contributing to their theses, are eligible to apply. The awards support the research and study abroad of scholars in the humanities and social sciences and may be used for visits to research sites, such as archival resource facilities, libraries, and fieldwork locations that will be necessary for later sustained dissertation research. Award recipients are expected to make a presentation of the research as part of the Africa House programming, during the Spring 2026 term.

MORE INFORMATION | Questions: Please email gsas.fellowships@nyu.edu.

NYU Gallatin/Africa House Bergman Summer Fellowship

Deadline: March 1, 2025

The NYU Gallatin/Africa House Bergman Summer Fellowship will award up to $5,000 to a Gallatin student whose concentration would benefit from travel to and research on Africa during the summer months. All areas of research are welcome, though the research being proposed should be closely linked to the student’s existing or developing concentration; prior related coursework is expected. In the Fall semester after completing the fellowship travel, the student will be given the opportunity to present their findings at a forum sponsored by Gallatin and Africa House.

With the assistance of Gallatin’s Office of Global Programs, the fellowship recipient will be responsible for arranging their travel and accommodations. These arrangements must comply with university practices regarding health and safety. Additionally, it is recommended that students consult with the University Committee on Activities Involving Human Subjects to make sure their research protocols are in line with federal and university human subjects guidelines.

Selected recipients of various Gallatin research awards may be invited to participate in a Summer research cohort to help them build research skills and to guide them through the development and implementation of an original research project. Students in this cohort may go on to present their projects at the annual Gallatin Student Research Conference.

The fellowship recipient will be expected to spend at least five (5) weeks in Africa during the summer months.

Eligibility:

  • Gallatin undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply. Undergraduates must be between their sophomore and senior years and must have at least one (1) full semester of registration remaining upon completion of the research project. Graduate students must have completed at least one (1) semester of study and should not have already enrolled in their thesis and defense credits.

MORE INFORMATION | Questions: Please email gallatin.researchawards@nyu.edu.

Africa House-SPS Bergman Fellowship

Deadline: March 1, 2025

This fellowship of $2,500 is awarded to one (1) student to cover costs associated with research activities linked to the African continent. Fellowships support undergraduate and graduate students to cover costs associated with research projects undertaken in the Spring, Summer, or Fall of 2025.

Eligibility:

Applicants must be enrolled in a School of Professional Studies (SPS) undergraduate or graduate program at New York University, graduating no sooner than May 2026.

Requirements:

  • Author or co-author one (1) research paper detailing the findings of your research project, to be submitted to Africa House in Spring 2026.

  • Present research findings at Africa House in Spring 2026.

Application Materials (submit to africa.house@nyu.edu):

  1. Cover letter

  2. Curriculum vitae

  3. Two (2) letters of recommendation (referees should email letters directly to the Africa House email alias at africa.house@nyu.edu).

  4. 2-3 page Africa-focused research proposal. The proposal could be an outline of your research or a study that is presently underway that will be further enhanced by the fellowship. The proposal should be written for educated readers, but not experts in your field. Proposals should include the following: project title, abstract, key terms, research question, thesis/hypothesis, methodology/design, significance, bibliography, and budget.

Questions/Application Submission: Please email africa.house@nyu.edu.

External Fellowships (not funded by Africa House)

NYU Migration Network Graduate Student Award for Summer Research on Migration (with Wagner School of Public Service)

Deadline: Visit the Migration Network website for updates.

The NYU Migration Network is pleased to announce the launch of the Graduate Student Award for Summer Research on Migration to support outstanding graduate students in their research on migration and mobility. The award funds research or artistic production in an array of academic disciplines, including in the Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, Physical and Natural Sciences, and professional fields (e.g., Law, Public Policy, Urban Planning, Engineering, and Business). We welcome research that is innovative in conception and that spans disciplinary boundaries. Research that compares migration dynamics in different geo-political regions is especially encouraged. 

MORE INFORMATION | Questions: Please email migration-network@nyu.edu.