Harvard Academy Scholars Program 2023/2024 is ongoing. The Harvard Academy Scholars Program of Harvard University is open to all recent PhD recipients and doctoral candidates in the social sciences. The academy scholars stand a chance of full sponsorship and an annual stipend of $75,000, including other benefits.

The Academy Scholars Program identifies and supports outstanding scholars at the start of their careers whose work combines disciplinary excellence in the social sciences with a command of the language and history or culture of countries or regions outside of the United States or Canada.

Read: Top 15 UK Fully Funded Science Scholarships without IELTS

Harvard Academy Scholars Program 2023 | Eligibility Criteria

  • These awards are open to PhD or comparable doctoral degree recipients (within two years of the August 1, 2024, start date) and advanced doctoral candidates in the social sciences.
  • Scholars nearing dissertation completion must be able to submit degree conferral documentation issued by their university registrar’s office by June 30, 2024, for an August 1, 2024, start date.
  • Individuals who hold or have completed another Harvard postdoctoral fellowship are not eligible to apply.

Program Benefits

  • Postdoctoral Academy Scholars will receive an annual stipend of $75,000.
  • The stipend includes conference and research travel funding, research assistants, and health insurance coverage.

Related: Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2023 (for high-income countries)

Application Procedures

  • All application parts, including the three letters of recommendation, are submitted online as pdf documents. Access the online application through the homepage of The Harvard Academy’s website by clicking on the APPLY ONLINE button.
  • All application materials need to be submitted by the deadline of September 22. late applications will not be accepted.
  • The completed application will include:
    • A cover letter which succinctly states the applicant’s academic field, country or region of specialization and proposed research topic
    • Curriculum vitae (CV) or resumé, including a list of publications
    • Research proposal (2500 word maximum), including intellectual objectives and planned methodological and disciplinary work
    • A copy of your PhD program transcript
    • Three letters of recommendation (uploaded through the online application)

Letters should be addressed to the “Selection Committee.” Letters of recommendation need to be uploaded by the deadline.

Application Deadline: September 22, 2023

Read also: KAIST International Students Scholarship (Full Tuition) 2023

Frequently Asked Questions.

Who is eligible to apply for the Harvard Academy Scholars Program?

The Academy Scholars Program is open to scholars from all countries and citizenships who have recently completed or are nearing completion of a PhD or equivalent doctoral program (DPhil and SJD included) in the social sciences.

What fields of study are eligible for the Academy Scholars Program?

The founders considered area studies expertise in parts of the world outside the US or Canada to be a valuable addition to the social science disciplines. Accordingly, The Harvard Academy looks for outstanding applicants in PhD or equivalent programs or with PhD or equivalent degrees in disciplines usually represented as in the social sciences in research universities, where most of the Academy Scholars find employment.
Accepted Fields of Study
Africa Studies
Anthropology
Asia Studies
Central Asia Studies

What is the application deadline for the Harvard Academy Scholars Program?

The 2023 Academy Scholars Program application season opened on July 1, 2023. The deadline is September 22, 2023.

What is the application process for the Academy Scholars Program?

All application materials must be submitted by September 22, 2023. We do not accept late applications.
The completed application will include:
Curriculum vitae (CV); including a list of publications
Research proposal (2000 words maximum); including intellectual objectives and planned methodological and disciplinary work
One scholarly writing sample (e.g., PhD dissertation chapter or single-authored peer-reviewed academic journal article; 50 pages maximum; in English)
A copy of your…

Do you have any guidelines for writing the research proposal and the scholarly writing sample?

Research Proposal
Your research proposal should be no longer than 2000 words. References and citations will not count towards the word limit. The Selection Committee is most interested in the relevance and the contribution your research makes to your discipline. These should be clear in the research proposal.
The Selection Committee is also interested in how you intend to use the two years of the fellowship. In many cases, Academy Scholars intend to use the first year to prepare the dissertation for publication as a book or a series of articles and the second year..

Do you have any application and acceptance statistics from previous years?

Selection to The Harvard Academy is very competitive. We welcome applications regardless of nationality or place of graduate study (though usually, the language of research is English). The number of Academy Scholars selected each year depends upon the plans of the other Academy Scholars at The Harvard Academy. Each Academy Scholar is awarded four terms of residence, with a stipend, at The Harvard Academy. The four terms must be taken within three years of the fall term after the initial selection. Since patterns of attendance change, the number of Harvard Academy Scholars chosen in any…

I would like to conduct extensive fieldwork away from the Cambridge, MA, area. Would that be allowed during the fellowship?

Academy Scholars are expected to be in residence and total participants in the scholarly community during the formal programming period of The Harvard Academy (late August through the end of April), except during the winter, spring, and summer breaks. You will be expected to conduct extensive fieldwork during the winter, spring, or summer breaks. Short trips to attend conferences and other academic engagements may be permitted as long as they do not conflict with your Harvard Academy obligations.

If offered the fellowship, may I defer for a year or delay the start date?

No postponements or deferrals are permitted. Year 1 of the fellowship must be taken up no later than the fall immediately following the postdoctoral fellowship offer. Both Year 1 and Year 2 must be completed within the three-year window.