Short Description
The Ransom Center will award up to 50 research fellowships for its 2026–2027 program. Please view the individual residency types within the application instructions to determine the qualifications for each. We offer funding to graduate students, current and former academic faculty at any level of career, and independent researchers such as journalists and artists, who require archival research at the Center for their projects.
Research conducted by humanities scholars contributes to a dynamic body of knowledge that has the potential to reshape our understanding of archival collections—what is preserved and valued in our communities. The Ransom Center fosters a supportive environment so that researchers may explore, examine, critique, and better understand the cultural works in its collections. Fellowships of varying lengths (from one week to two months) are offered for research projects that require substantial on-site use of collections that span a variety of disciplines.
Types of Available Fellowships
One– to Two–Month Fellowships — $3,500 PER MONTH*
One– to two–month fellowships are available for graduate students, current and former academic faculty at any level of career, and independent researchers such as journalists and artists, whose projects require extensive use of the Ransom Center’s collections.
Travel Stipends — $2,000*
Travel stipends are available for graduate students, current and former academic faculty at any level of career, and independent researchers such as journalists and artists, whose projects require extensive use of the Ransom Center’s collections. Travel stipends may not be combined with other Ransom Center fellowships.
Dissertation Fellowships — $2,000*
Dissertation fellowships are available for graduate students whose in-progress doctoral dissertations require use of the Center’s collections.
* For all fellowship categories, an additional, one-time $500 stipend will be provided to individuals who are citizens or residents of countries other than the U.S. to contribute to the costs associated with the J-1 visa and/or international travel to Austin.
Eligibility
The Ransom Center’s internationally renowned collections encourage and support research in all areas of the humanities, including literature, photography, film, art, performing arts, music, cultural history, and interdisciplinary studies.
Research projects might include:
- Scholarly articles or monographs
- Dissertations
- Creative work, including but not limited to plays, novels, films, and interdisciplinary pieces
- Digital humanities
- Performance-based research
- Exhibition proposals
- Collaborative research
How to Apply
Online Application
Program Benefits & Awards
One– to two–month fellowships and travel stipends are open to a wide array of scholars including graduate students, current and former academic faculty at any level of career, and independent researchers such as journalists and artists, whose projects will make substantive on-site use of the Ransom Center’s collections.
Decisions will be announced by email on April 1, 2026. Queries about applications in-process cannot, unfortunately, be acknowledged. Fellowship recipients and their research projects will be recognized in Ransom Center publicity.
Fellowship stipends are awarded according to the category of award and the fellowship recipient’s need to travel to the Center. An additional, one-time $500 stipend will be provided to individuals who are citizens or residents of countries other than the U.S. to contribute to the costs associated with the J-1 visa and/or international travel to Austin. For all award categories, stipends will be issued after the Fellow arrives at the Ransom Center for their residency.
Recipients of 2026–2027 fellowships must complete their residencies between June 1, 2026, and August 31, 2027, though we can be somewhat flexible about the start date if all the administrative documentation has been submitted before the outset of the residency period.
Recipients of Ransom Center research fellowships should spend most days in the Reading Room. They will have access to a shared office where they can review their findings and do some writing, but the primary purpose of the fellowship is a thorough on-site consultation of the collections.
Entry Fee
None
Location
Austin, United States
Timeline
- Application Deadline: 3 November 2025
Website Link: https://www.hrc.utexas.edu/fellowships/
