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External Grants and Fellowships for Graduate Students in Political Science

While the Department and University offer various forms of financial assistance, graduate students should apply for support from off-campus sources as well. National studies have shown that lack of funding is, by far, the number one reason that graduate students fail to complete their programs. An external grant or fellowship will liberate you from assistantship duties, speed your progress toward completion, look good on your vita, and free up Department money to support another student. Since application and proposal writing often take a long time and considerable preparation, students should begin early to familiarize themselves with off-campus funding opportunities and to consult with faculty advisors about application strategies.

The place to begin is the Graduate School's "Grant Funding: A Guide for Graduate Students." This guide contains useful tips for all students regardless of discipline and a list of general references. Southern Illinois University is unique in the degree of personal assistance in that its Graduate School is prepared to give students seeking external support. If you have questions about the Guide or need assistance, contact Connie Shanahan in the Office of Research Development and Administration (ORDA) at 453-4530.

A visit to the web-site of the Social Science Research Council to read the short essay, "The Art of Writing Proposals," is highly recommended.

Below are a few web-sites that maintain links to agencies which offer grants and fellowships of specific interest to political science graduate students:

• Illinois Research Information Service (IRIS)
• University of Oregon Political Science Department
• Fastweb grant search
• American Political Science Association
• Cornell University Graduate Fellowship Notebook