Academic Year Fellowships

The following students are eligible to apply:

• Current UM Graduate Students: All students who are currently enrolled in a graduate or professional degree program at the master's or doctoral level at the University of Michigan.
• Incoming CJS MA Students (including deferred admission students): Students who are applying for admission to the Masters in International and Regional Studies (MIRS) Japanese studies specialization administered at the Center for Japanese Studies.

Students must remain enrolled in a graduate degree program at the University of Michigan and maintain good academic standing for the duration of the fellowship period.

As a general rule, CJS does not award funding to doctoral students in two consecutive fellowship competitions.  Doctoral students who were awarded CJS funding in the last fellowship competition may still apply but are placed at the lowest priority.

February 1 annually for awards beginning in September of the same year.

The Center for Japanese Studies holds an annual fellowship competition during the winter term. The application deadline is February 1  of each year for funding for academic year beginning the September of the same year.

The next several sections on this page provide detailed instructions and links to appropriate forms to apply for the CJS Academic Year Fellowship.  Application procedure differs depending on whether you are currently enrolled in a graduate/professional program at the University of Michigan or you are applying for admission to these programs. Separate sections of this page address required materials and instructions for the following groups of students and applicants:

• Continuing UM Students who are currently enrolled in a graduate degree program at the University of Michigan
• Applicants to the CJS MA Program for Fall of the following year
• Applicants to the CJS MA Program who have been admitted but are deferring matriculation

Please find the group most appropriate for you and follow the instructions in that section carefully.  If you are unsure of which set of instructions to follow, please contact the CJS Academic Services Coordinator by email at cjsfellowships@umich.edu.

If you are applying for both a CJS Summer Fellowship (Language Study or Research/Internship) and the CJS Academic Year Fellowship in the same competition cycle, you have the option of using some materials for both applications.  Please read the instructions carefully and mark the appropriate check-boxes on all forms.

Continuing students who are already enrolled in a graduate degree program at the University of Michigan may apply for tuition and living expenses for studying at UM as well as for expenses related to study and research in Japan during the academic year.

Required Application Materials for Continuing U-M Students

1. Center for Japanese Studies Academic Year Fellowship Application Form
   
2. Statement of Purpose of no more than 1000 words describing what you plan to do with the fellowship. Students who are applying for both the Summer and the Academic Year fellowships MUST propose two distinct and separate projects for the Summer and the Academic Year and write a separate statement of purpose for each application. As a general rule, if a continuation of the Summer Fellowship project is proposed in the Academic Year Fellowship, even if it is the next phase of the project, only one fellowship may be funded.
3. Budget Statement: Please attach a budget statement with reasonable estimates of costs.  You may request tuition and mandatory fees, health insurance, living costs, direct research expenses (such as books, photocopy, small equipment, library and museum fees, and subject fees) as well as travel expenses related to research travel (such as airfare, ground transportation, and lodging). Computers, including laptops, tablets, and peripherals, such as printers and scanners, are not allowed. If you are requesting living costs, please provide an estimate of rent, utilities, and food.  If you are requesting direct research expenses or travel expenses, please give a detailed breakdown. Note: If you are applying for both the CJS Academic Year and Summer Fellowships, you MUST prepare a separate budget statement for each fellowship on separate pages.
4. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
5. Official transcripts: the following official transcripts are required:
   • Current University of Michigan transcript
   • All other postsecondary institutions from which you received a degree (bachelor's, master's, professional)
   • All other institutions in which you completed courses in Japanese language or Japanese studies since beginning your study at UM.

   You may check the appropriate check box(es) on the application form to grant permission to CJS staff to access electronically available copies of your UM and undergraduate transcripts.  If you choose NOT to do so, you must provide a paper copy of your current official UM transcript and official transcripts from all institutions of post-secondary education attended. In order to be considered official, transcripts must be prepared by the office of the registrar. Official transcripts that are "issued to the student" must be submitted to CJS in the original envelope with the seal unbroken.

6. Two academic letters of recommendation. Academic letters of recommendation must be completed by instructors of content courses and NOT by a language instructor. At least one academic recommendation should be completed by a U-M affiliated instructor. You must provide information about your recommenders and request recommendations through the online portal. Once the appropriate tasks are completed on the online portal, an automated email message requesting a recommendation will be sent to the recommender. Non-UM recommenders will be asked to first create a U-M Friend Account to complete the recommendation on the online portal (instructions will be sent in the request email). Letters must be current (within last 3 months).
7. Language Self-Evaluation Form
   
8. Language instructor recommendation. You must provide information about your recommenders and request recommendations through the online portal. Once the appropriate tasks are completed on the online portal, an automated email message requesting a recommendation will be sent to the recommender. If you are currently studying or have previously studied Japanese, you should have your current or most recent Japanese instructor or tutor to complete this form. The same person may NOT complete both the academic letter of recommendation AND the language evaluation, even if this person is qualified to do both.

Please see the Application Submission section below for instructions on how to submit application materials.

Apply using the CJS Academic Year Fellowship online application on the International Institute Fellowships and Grants online portal. 

Awards are typically announced in mid to late March by letter.  CJS does not respond to inquiries regarding the outcome of fellowship competitions by telephone or email.