The Beinecke Library offers, on a competitive basis, fellowships to support graduate students to pursue onsite research with the collections for one to four months. We welcome applications from students enrolled in graduate programs at Yale and at any other university or college, locally or globally. The fellowship program aims to facilitate research by the broadest possible group of students, regardless of institutional association, race, cultural background, ability, sexual orientation, gender, or socioeconomic status. Students applying for a fellowship should be at an advanced stage in their research or prospectus development and propose a fully conceptualized project related to their degree program. Applications from students utilizing traditional methods of archival and bibliographic research are encouraged as are applications from students who wish to pursue creative, interdisciplinary, and non-traditional approaches to conducting research in the collections.

The application for the 2025-2026 awards open June 3, 2024. Click here for the application in Interfolio. Applications close September 16, 2024.

Applicants will be notified of all decisions by January 31, 2025.

Fellowships must be taken between June 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026. We are unable to defer fellowship awards. 

Please Note: All graduate student fellows are responsible for reporting their fellowship to their home institution and for paying taxes related to the receipt of their fellowship award. Students enrolled in Yale’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences or in one of Yale’s professional schools should check with their advisor about funding implications before applying for a fellowship. 

COVID Advisory Note

Our ability to award fellowships to visiting researchers will be dependent on public health conditions and university guidelines. Current library policies can be found on the Library’s website. 

Eligibility

• Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate degree program (PhD, MFA, MA, MPhil, MBA, etc.) at the time the fellowship will be taken. If you will graduate before you would take up your fellowship residency, you are not eligible for this award. You may apply for the Short-term Research Fellowship.
   
• Students applying for a fellowship should be at an advanced stage in their research or prospectus development and have a fully conceptualized project related to their degree program.
   
• Researchers not currently enrolled in a graduate degree program should apply to the short-term research fellowship. 

Expectations for Fellows

• This is a residential fellowship and fellows are expected to spend the majority of their time in the reading room. Fellows are meant to participate in the intellectual life of the university and are encouraged to participate in the activities of the library.
   
• Seating in the reading room is limited, therefore applicants’ first choice for arrival cannot be guaranteed. Fellows must finalize their visit dates with the Fellowship Program team prior to arrival.
   
• At the end of the fellowship period, fellows are asked to complete a questionnaire about their experience and to acknowledge the fellowship in publications and lectures that result from research conducted during the fellowship term. The Beinecke Library appreciates being informed of addtional work that stems from your fellowship period.

Funding Information

Fellowships will be awarded in the amount of $5,000 per month for research visits between one and four months in length. Fellows’ funding will be awarded at the beginning of the fellowship whenever possible; payment of international fellows often takes several weeks. All fellows are responsible for paying taxes related to the receipt of their fellowship award. Graduate student fellows are responsible for reporting their award to their home institution. 

Application Requirements

All materials must be received through Interfolio by the deadline of September 16, 2024. Applications from previous recipients of a Beinecke Graduate Student Research Fellowship will be considered only in exceptional circumstances. Applicants are required to submit:

• An application form
   
• A curriculum vitae (3 pages max)
   
• A research proposal (1,200 words max) that outlines:

o   Significance of collections research to your project

o   Value of the project to your field 

o   Feasibility of completing the scope of research proposed within the fellowship period 

• A detailed list of materials to be examined during your fellowship, including call numbers, collection names, and any other bibliographic information available. Also include links to the description of the materials in Orbis, Quicksearch, and/or Archives at Yale. If you anticipate consulting oversize materials (broadsides, posters, maps, etc.), please indicate those clearly in your list
   
• One confidential letters of recommendation, preferably from your dissertation chair, academic advisor, or equivalent

To assist with your application, you may consult these search tools:

• Archives at Yale– a database of descriptions of archival collections (also known as finding aids)
• Quicksearch – a search tool that looks at multiple sources, including printed books, manuscripts, and archives
• LUX – a new search tool that looks across Yale’s cultural heritage collections (please note only Yale University Library materials are eligible for fellowship funding).
• Orbis– online catalog of the Yale University Library

If you have any further questions, please consult our FAQ page or contact beinecke.fellowships@yale.edu For any techinical difficulties with the application, contact Interfolio directly for assistance.