Organizer Information
The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library is Yale University's principal rare book library and literary archive, and one of the largest buildings in the world dedicated entirely to rare books and manuscripts. The library opened on October 14, 1963, established through a gift from Yale graduates Edwin John Beinecke, Frederick William Beinecke, and Walter Beinecke and their families, and today holds over a million objects spanning books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, and audiovisual and born-digital materials. As part of its broader fellowship program, the Beinecke Library extends dedicated funding to graduate students pursuing onsite research with Yale Library's special collections
Title & Description
Beinecke Research Fellowship for Graduate Students (2027–2028 cycle)
The Beinecke Library Fellowship Program offers, on a competitive basis, fellowships to support graduate students who wish to pursue onsite research with Yale Library Special Collections materials for one to four months. The program welcomes applications from students enrolled in graduate programs at Yale and at any other university or college, locally or globally, using either traditional archival and bibliographic research methods or creative, interdisciplinary, and non-traditional approaches.
Categories
- Research
- Fellowship
- Scholarship
- Humanities
- Culture
Eligibility
- Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate degree program (PhD, MFA, MA, MPhil, MBA, etc.) at the time the fellowship is taken
- Open to graduate students at Yale and at any other university or college, locally or globally
- Applicants should be at an advanced stage in their research or prospectus development, with 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 instead
- International applicants are welcome; no specific visa is required, though a J-1 visa is recommended (Beinecke can sponsor a J-1 but cannot guarantee approval or timing, which typically takes at least 4 months)
- Applicants who received a Beinecke fellowship previously remain eligible to apply again
Program Benefits & Awards
- $5,000 per month, for fellowships between one and four months in length
- Fellows can submit a budget to be eligible for up to $5,000 in additional travel funding, covering travel to and from New Haven and, potentially, onward research at other relevant libraries directly following the Yale fellowship period
- Yale GSAS students: one- or two-month fellowships are awarded on top of the usual stipend; three-month-or-longer fellowships may replace the GSAS stipend for that semester (students should confirm specifics with their department)
- Yale professional-school students: payment is made in one lump sum through the Student Employment Office at the start of the fellowship
- Fellows are responsible for reporting the fellowship to their home institution and for paying any taxes on the award
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 15 September 2026
- Decision notification: 31 January 2027
- Fellowship period: July 1, 2027 – June 30, 2028 (awards cannot be deferred)
Location
New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Additional Details
- Evaluation criteria: originality of the project, its likely impact on the field or on understanding of the collections, strength and feasibility of the research plan, centrality of the collections to the project, and overall quality of the application
- Applications may draw on digitized materials, but applicants should explain why in-person access is still needed
- Fellows are expected to participate in the intellectual life of the university during their stay
- Questions about visa sponsorship, closed collections, or extension requests are handled case by case through the Fellowship Program Director or Beinecke fellowships/library contacts