Funding
The Department of Spanish & Portuguese provides multi-year packages of support to all admitted students. All packages involve a combination of awards and teaching assistantships over the course of 5-6 years. Details of individual funding packages may vary. Support packages include the cost of non-resident tuition, fees, and an award or teaching salary. These commitments are contingent on the student remaining in good academic standing and making good progress toward the degree.
In their first year, PhD students receive award support to cover all tuition and fees, including Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition and the Student Health Insurance Fee, as well as an award for living expenses.
After the first year, PhD students are funded through graduate student academic appointments (Teaching Assistantships), and/or a variety of internal awards for up to four years (12 quarters). Students receive fee remission benefits that cover most of their tuition and fees.
In the summers, students are funded either through summer teaching assistantships from our department (on-campus or study-abroad programs) or a variety of internal awards. Students are expected to continue their research during the summer.
FOR CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENTS
Writing and applying for awards and grants are tasks integral to the academic and professional formation of our graduate students. Here are some of the UCLA funding opportunities available to help students fund and develop their research agendas.
Departmental Grants
Joan M. Arias Graduate Student International Conference Travel Fund
The department will award three travel grants of up to $1,750 each to help defray the costs of traveling to an international conference to present a paper preferably related to the dissertation topic. Graduate students at the second stage of the program (Ph.D. level) have priority. In exceptional cases, applications for travel conference support for students at the M.A. level will be considered.
Graduate Student Conference Travel Funds
The department provides travel awards of up to $1,200 per fiscal year (July 1-June 30) for graduate students to present papers at academic conferences, subject to the availability of funds. Awards will be granted only to students in good academic standing.
Graduate Student Research Support Funds
The Department provides funding up to $1,000 total to graduate students for specialized research expenses that contribute to academic progress and promote general professional growth. Strong preference is given to work directly related to the dissertation or potential publications. Pilot program subject to the availability of funds. Funds will be granted only to students in good academic standing.
Ben and Rue Pine Research Travel Award
Every year, two to four awards of up to $4,000 are offered for research-related travel to Spain, Portugal, Latin America, or other appropriate locations, subject to the availability of funds. Applications are generally due in February of each year. Awardees must submit a written report of research activities to the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and dissertation director within one month of travel and present research results in a Department seminar within one academic year after the travel has been completed.
Humanities Division Awards
These awards provide funds for travel and living expenses for UCLA graduate students in the Humanities to conduct research abroad. For a complete description of the fellowships described below, please visit the UCLA Humanities Division website.
Applicants submit their materials to the Department of Spanish & Portuguese first, and the Graduate Affairs Committee nominates one student for each award. Application materials are due in early February via email to Gloria Tovar at gtovar@humnet.ucla.edu. The final decision is made by the Dean of Humanities based on advice from a faculty committee.
Harry and Yvonne Lenart Graduate Travel Awards
These awards provide funds for travel and living expenses for UCLA graduate students in the Humanities to conduct research abroad. Awards typically range from $2,000 to $8,000, depending on the extent of the research proposed. These awards are meant for research only and are not to be used for activities such as enrolling in foreign institutions.
The Richard and Gerrie Leeds International Graduate Travel Awards
These awards provide funds for travel and living expenses for UCLA graduate students in the Humanities to conduct research abroad. Awards typically range from $2,000 to $6,000, depending on the extent of the research proposed. Awards can cover a period ranging from about three months to one year. These awards are meant for research only and are not to be used for activities such as enrolling in foreign institutions or paying tuition at UCLA.
Mellon Foundation Pre-Dissertation Awards
These awards support graduate students from across the humanities as they advance their research as they begin writing their dissertations. These funds may be used for award support for one academic quarter and/or may provide support for legitimate research and travel expenses. Awards will be up to $10,000.
Normally, the award is taken during the regular academic year, to free the student from teaching during one quarter. Applications for summer support will be considered, though such applications should also include a note from the student’s advisor or department chair, explaining (a) why support for a summer award is preferable, and (b) what the student’s support package will involve (TA-ship, RA-ship, fellowship, etc.) during the academic year.
Division of Graduate Education Awards
NOTE: The Spanish & Portuguese Department provides supplementary funding to recipients of the UCLA Division of Graduate Education Dissertation Year Award (DYA) and Graduate Research Mentorship (GRM), subject to annual budgetary review. For 2025-26, the supplement will bring the total stipend up to $36,000.
Graduate students can apply for a number of awards and mentorship opportunities to fund their education and research. The following is a summary of awards offered by Graduate Division; detailed information is available in the Graduate Student Financial Support for Continuing Students manual.
Graduate Research Mentorship Program
Designed to assist recipients in acquiring and developing advanced research skills under faculty mentorship. Faculty mentors are expected to be in frequent contact with the student participants and to assist them with research leading to the development of a doctoral dissertation. The program is open to students who have completed at least one but no more than three years of UCLA doctoral study at the time of application and have not yet advanced to candidacy. Awardees and faculty mentors will be asked to submit a year-end program evaluation. All nominees must be US citizens or permanent residents or registered California AB540.
Awardees will receive an award of $30,000, plus registration fees (excluding nonresident tuition). Applicants must be nominated by the department. To apply for nomination, students must go to the Award Application for Continuing Graduate Students. The departmental deadline to submit the Graduate Research Mentorship application is in early February.
Graduate Summer Research Mentorship Program
Designed to provide financial support for doctoral students during the summer months. Awardees receive a $6,000 award. The program offers students the opportunity to work closely with a faculty mentor on developing a paper for presentation at an academic conference and/or for publication. It is expected that the faculty mentor will be in frequent contact with the awardee during the summer and committed to working closely with the student.
Participants are expected to complete a draft of a paper (either single-authored by the student or co-authored with the faculty mentor) by the end of the summer. This paper should be submitted for presentation at a professional conference and/or for publication sometime during the following academic year.
The program is open to doctoral students who – by the program’s start – will have completed at least one year of graduate study but no more than three years of UCLA doctoral study. Students who have advanced to candidacy are not eligible. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or international or registered California AB540.
Students nominate themselves for this award, and submit materials to Graduate Education in early February, with recipients announced in mid April.
Dissertation-Year Awards
Intended for students who have advanced to candidacy by the time of nomination, are within one year of completing and filing the dissertation, and plan to start teaching or research appointments soon after the end of their fellowship year. The award consists of a $30,000 award plus standard tuition and fees. Award recipients are expected to file their dissertation within 12 months of beginning their fellowship and will be asked to submit a report of their progress at midyear. Application materials must include a proposed plan for completion of the dissertation.
Students who have received a DYA from the Graduate Division in the past are NOT ELIGIBLE for additional Graduate Division funding. Applicants must be nominated by the Department. To apply for nomination, students must go to Award Application for Continuing Graduate Students. The departmental deadline to submit the Dissertation-year Award application is generally in early March. Recipients are announced in late May.
Applications must include:
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- Dissertation-Year Award Application.
- A proposed plan for completion of the dissertation.
- An unofficial transcript including that Fall quarter’s grades.
- A statement regarding your career goals after receiving the degree.
- A resume or curriculum vitae.
- Two signed letters of reference, on departmental letterhead, one of which must be from the dissertation adviser. References should emphasize academic accomplishments, degree progress and feasibility of completing the dissertation within the 12-month period proposed by the applicant.
- In addition to the Graduate Division’s DYA requirements and the student’s qualifying exams materials, DYA applicants in the department of Spanish and Portuguese will have to submit completed portions (i.e. one chapter) of their dissertation. Faculty should provide in the letter of recommendation a statement commenting on the progress made by the student since the Qualifying Exams. The student should submit the chapter, which is different from the qualifying paper, to the recommenders and to the Graduate Affairs Committee when applying to the DYA.
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Graduate Division Privately Endowed Awards
These awards have special eligibility requirements. The Graduate Student Financial Support Manual provides more information. Applicants must be nominated by the department. To apply for nomination, students must go to Award Application for Continuing Graduate Students.
UCLA Research Center Awards
Graduate students who want to broaden their cultural and educational horizons can explore a bounty of funding resources through the UCLA research centers, which offer a number of different awards and grants for global or area studies. The following is a list of research units of interest:
UCLA Center for European and Eurasian Studies
Offers summer pre-dissertation and dissertation awards to conduct research abroad in European or Eurasian (Russia and the FSU countries) studies. Priority is given to projects that focus on the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries; however, all projects of serious academic merit that focus on Europe or Eurasia will be considered. Project descriptions must demonstrate how the project will advance knowledge of European or Eurasian societies, histories or cultures.
UCLA Latin American Institute
Offers grants for field research as well as academic-year and summer awards for training in modern Latin American languages combined with area studies.
UCLA Asia Pacific Center
Offers awards to students whose research focuses on an Asian topic or incorporates Asia in comparative or regional perspectives or methodologies. The regions covered by these fellowships include East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia.
UCLA CMRS/Center for Early Global Studies
Offers a number of awards and grants for academic and/ or research activities related to medieval and early modern studies.
UCLA Center for 17th- & 18th-Century Studies
Offers awards such as the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library Dissertation Award and Pre-doctoral Award, for doctoral candidates whose dissertation involves extensive research in the Library’s holdings.
UCLA Center for the Study of Women
Offers awards such as the The Constance Coiner Graduate Fellowship. Students should be engaged in research focusing on feminist and working-class issues. Must demonstrate excellence in teaching and a commitment to teaching as activism.
University of California Awards & Grants
UCLA graduate students are eligible for UC-wide awards and grants:
UC Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI)
A multi-campus research unit of the UC Office of the President based on the UC Irvine campus. The institute seeks to address topics traditional to the humanities in disciplines such as literature, philosophy, classics, languages, and history, as well as the pressing human dimensions that arise in the social and natural sciences, medicine, technology, and the professions. Awards provide a stipend plus a housing allowance.
UC-Mexus Dissertation Research Grants
For dissertation research which involves collaboration with a Mexican institution and/or scholars, or which addresses issues of importance to Mexico or the Mexican-origin population in California. Awards are tenable in the U.S. and Mexico. Grants of up to $12,000, for a period up to 2 years, for travel and research costs.
Finding More Awards & Resources
UCLA Financial Aid
Graduate students may apply for need-based loans and work-study through the Financial Aid Office. The programs are based on demonstrated financial need and require a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Only U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens (those holding permanent resident cards) may apply for funds administered by the Financial Aid Office. Financial aid can include work-study, loans, and other sources of financial aid.
Extramural Award Directories
To be considered for an extramural award, you usually apply directly to a foundation, organization or other granting agency. Be sure to check the application instructions on the agency’s website.
Residency
For purposes of registration, California residents are those who have been legal residents of California for more than one year immediately prior to the residence determination date (generally the first day of classes). Legal residence is a combination of physical presence and the intention of making the state one’s permanent home, coupled with the relinquishment of legal ties to any other state.
International students with F-1 visas cannot be classified as California residents for tuition purposes.
For Recent Graduates of the PhD Program
Faculty Fellows Program
The Faculty Fellows program is designed to provide new Department of Spanish & Portuguese PhD graduates with appointments that offer mentored training and experience in conducting research and designing innovative courses. The number of Assistant Adjunct Professors appointed each year in the Faculty Fellows Program will depend on available funding.
For more information, please contact the Graduate Student Advisor. The application is normally available between January-March and will be posted on the Campus Job Opportunities page.
The goals of the Faculty Fellows Program are:
- to provide a small number of new Department of Spanish & Portuguese PhD graduates with appointments that offer mentored training and experience in conducting research and designing innovative courses;
- to provide high-quality teaching of undergraduate courses to help accommodate areas of high demand, expand, and/or enhance our course offerings.
Faculty Fellows (official payroll title: Assistant Adjunct Professor) must be recent PhDs who demonstrate promise of excellence in both research and teaching, as well as a commitment to fostering diversity.
President’s Postdoctoral Award Program
Offers postdoctoral research awards and faculty mentoring to outstanding scholars in all fields whose research, teaching, and service will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity at the University of California.
Award: The award includes a salary starting at approximately $50,760 depending on field and experience, benefits including health insurance and paid vacation/sick leave, and up to $5,000 for research-related and program travel expenses. Each award is for a minimum of 12-months and may be renewable for an additional term upon demonstration of academic/research productivity.
Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Award Program
CPFP offers postdoctoral research awards and faculty mentoring to outstanding scholars whose research, teaching, and service will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity at the University of California.
Award: Starting salaries begin at approximately $50,760, depending on the field of study and level of experience, plus benefits and up to $5,000 for research‐related and program travel expenses. Each award is for 12 months and may be renewable for an additional term upon demonstration of academic productivity.