The goal of the CGRS Junior Research Fellowships is to aid students with work that deepens their understanding of local, regional, national, or international issues, especially when such issues have global implications. We are particularly interested in students who wish to further projects undertaken during an OCS program (domestic or international), especially when this work will feed into their comps. In their funding requests, applicants can also include language study related to their research projects.

The fellowships are awarded by the advisory committee of the CGRS. The maximum award is $5000.

Eligibility criteria

  • Applicants must be juniors who will have senior status by the time the project is undertaken (typically during the summer after junior year).
  • While there is no official cutoff, most successful applicants will have a cumulative GPA well above 3.0.
  • Joint proposals by two or more students are possible.

Priority will go to declared majors or minors of one of the member departments or programs of the CGRS: Africana Studies • American Studies • Asian Languages • Asian Studies • Classics • Cross-Cultural Studies • East Asian Studies • European Studies • French and Francophone Studies • German and Russian • Judaic Studies • Latin American Studies • Medieval and Renaissance Studies • Middle East Studies • Middle Eastern Languages • South Asian Studies • Spanish

**Applicants for summer funding should be advised of the Career Center’s new policy on summer internship funding: “To ensure that financial support for high-impact experiences such as summer internships and research roles is available to as many students as possible, summer funding grants are only available to students who have not/will not accepted another substantial source of Carleton Funding, such as a Summer Research Partnership, department fellowship, or similar, for the same summer or academic term. Case-by-case exceptions will be considered for short-term funded research related to Comps projects.” The Center for Global and Regional Studies may offer flexibility to move projects proposed/funded for summer to Winter Break, as necessary, and pending adjustments to the proposal.

Application process

Applications must be submitted electronically through the online application form by February 17, 2026, 11:59pm Central Time.

The deadline for Recommendation Form submissions is February 24, 2026, 11:59pm Central Time.

Late submissions are NOT accepted, so give your recommenders sufficient time (at least two weeks) to prepare their recommendation forms.

Students are encouraged to review the general information and advice provided by Carleton’s Student Fellowship office. They include guidance on research and planning, requesting recommendations, drafting and advising, and more. Take special note of their tips and suggestions for creating a budget.

Reach out to CGRS’s administrative assistant, Thomas Nygaard (tnygaard@carleton.edu), with any questions.

Application Requirements to be submitted via online form:

  1. Personal Information, Project Title and Abstract
  2. Project Proposal and Budget: Provide a two-page (single-spaced, 12 pt font, one-inch margins) description of your project, including your research topic; the methodological approach you plan to use; the professional contacts you have made (or will make) on location, the specific research activities you hope to carry out with the support of the fellowship. Your activities might include: transportation to a research site; commuting expenses; living expenses (include meals and accommodations); purchase of materials, entrance fees, office supplies,etc. Finally, include up to three citations of critical work in your field that are relevant to your proposed project.
  3. Budget: Include a one-page project budget that details all proposed expenses. (See tips on creating a budget for Carleton-funded fellowships. Note that the CGRS Fellowships may not be able to cover summer savings goal.)
  4. Personal Statement: Write a one-page personal statement in which you explain the way your proposed research project fits into your larger academic goals. Be sure to comment on how the project connects with work you have already done at Carleton (including OCS programs, internships, other fellowships), and how it will feed into work (such as comps) you will continue as a senior.
  5. Unofficial Transcript: Include a copy of your unofficial transcript with your proposal.
  6. Faculty Recommendation Form (separate form): Select two Carleton faculty members who know you and your academic work well — one of whom should be a member of CGRS Departments and Programs. Complete the recommendation request below twice, one for each recommender, and the forms will be sent to them directly. Be sure to provide your recommender with a draft of your proposal, budget, and personal statement at least two weeks in advance of the recommender deadline (February 24, 2026, 11:59pm Central Time)

Fellowship Application

Fellowship Recommendation Form

Sample Past Recipients

Aselya Gullickson & Sophie Ying 2025 Junior Fellowship Joint-Recipients

Majors, Minor: Aselya: Classics, Archaeology; Sophie: Classics

Topic: Royal Structures, Macedonian Kings, Magical objects, and Identity in Ancient Northern Greece

Erin Mattingly 2025 Junior Fellowship Recipient

Majors, Minor: Religion, Cross-Cultural Studies

Topic: Indonesian Islam in the Netherlands: Religious Adaptation in a Diasporic Context

Mitch Porter 2024 Junior Fellowship Recipient

Majors, Minor: Environmental Studies, Latin American Studies, and Public Policy

Topic: The Falklands/Malvinas Conflict in the Age of Environmentalism: Territorializing Marine Conservation in the South Atlantic

Ellis Kondrashov 2024 Junior Fellowship Recipient

Majors, Minor: Sociology and Anthropology, and Russian

Topic: Between the Mountains and the Steppe: Street Life in Kazakhstan’s Biggest City

Ammy Lin 2023 Junior Fellowship Recipient

Majors, Minor: Chinese and Mathematics, Music Performance

Topic: Anthropology, History, and Politics: How National Identity is Reflected in Taiwanese Cuisine

Scott Hudson 2023 Junior Fellowship Recipient

Major, Minors: History, European Studies and Digital Arts & Humanities

Topic: Exploring Interwar Film Censorship in Nazi Germany and the Irish Free State Through the Work of Marlene Dietrich

Jeremy Fong 2022 Junior Fellowship Recipient

Major, Minors: Sociology/Anthropology, Cross-Cultural Studies and European Studies

Topic: Universal Design in Practice: An Exploration of Sustainable and Inclusive Urban Design in Berlin, Germany

Alison Hong 2021 Junior Fellowship Recipient

Majors: French and Francophone Studies and Cinema and Media Studies
Topic: Female Corporeality in the Works of Chantal Akerman and Feminist Cinema in the 1970s

Will Gleason 2020 Junior Fellowship Recipient

Majors: French and Francophone Studies and Computer Science.
Topic: From Colonialism to National Adventure: the Explorer, the Press and the State in 19th century French Colonial Acquisition