Scholarships
Phillips Ambassadors Program
The Phillips Ambassadors Program is one of the most flexible scholarships for undergraduate study abroad at Carolina. Founded in 2007 by Carolina alumnus Earl N. “Phil” Phillips Jr., a businessman and former U.S. ambassador, and his family, the program has supported more than 400 students studying in South, East, and Southeast Asia. The merit scholarship program combines a $6000 award, an academic course, and a charge to students to share their unique study abroad experience with the community. All majors are encouraged to apply in two cycles a year, and no prior experience with Asia is required. In 2022, the Phillips Passport Initiative was launched to offer funding and resources to all new Carolina undergraduates to apply for their first U.S. passport. Phillips Ambassadors is a program of the Carolina Asia Center in collaboration with UNC Study Abroad and Kenan-Flagler Global Programs. Think Study Abroad. Think Asia.
Learn More at phillips.unc.edu
Academic Year Foreign Language & Area Studies Fellowships
The Academic Year FLAS Fellowship supports language study in less commonly taught languages and related area studies. The fellowship is a non-service fellowship that requires students to take one language course and one area studies course each semester during the academic year. Priority languages are Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Persian and Hindi-Urdu. Graduate students can receive full tuition and a stipend of $15,000; undergraduate students can receive up to $10,000 towards tuition and fees and a stipend of $5,000. Full-time students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents are eligible to apply. FLAS fellowships for the study of Asian languages and area studies at UNC are administered by the Carolina Asia Center.
Summer Foreign Language & Area Studies Fellowships
Summer FLAS Fellowships support intensive summer language study for students. Priority is given to Asian languages offered at UNC and other Asian languages that help students achieve their career goals, such as employment with the U.S. government. Up to $5,000 for tuition and fees and a $3,500 living allowance are provided. Full-time students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents are eligible to apply. Undergraduate applicants must plan to pursue an intermediate or advanced language program. Summer FLAS fellowships for the study of Asian languages are administered by the Carolina Asia Center.
Mahatma Gandhi Fellowship
The student-run Mahatma Gandhi Fellowship provides opportunities for qualified students to develop and implement civic engagement projects in South Asian communities in the U.S. and/or a South Asian country and/or one of the eight countries of the South Asian subcontinent: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The fellowship is administered by a student-led South Asian awareness organization—SANGAM—with the administrative support of the Carolina Asia Center. On average, two qualified UNC undergraduate or graduate students per year receive up to $3,000 each.
CAC Public Humanities Fellowship
Carolina Public Humanities (CPH) and the Carolina Asia Center are pleased to announce a fellowship that will provide professional development for a graduate in the humanities or social sciences student to learn about how humanities subjects can contribute to public good and translate into public knowledge. It also provides the student with the opportunity to network with other emerging scholars exploring public humanities. Finally, this fellowship supports the student to conduct a public-facing project to make a humanistic project on an Asian subject better accessible to the general public. This fellowship is supported with funds from the CAC as a pan-Asia National Resource Center under the Title VI programs of the US Department of Education.
Southeast Asia Scholarships from the Project “Bringing Southeast Asia Home”
Funded by Bringing Southeast Asia Home, an initiative sponsored by the Henry Luce Foundation Initiative on Southeast Asia, the Carolina Asia Center offers various scholarships and funding opportunities for students working on Southeast Asian subjects. These include dissertation research grants, dissertation completion grants, a fellowship through Critical Ethnic Studies, funding as a graduate workshop facilitator, and outreach funding.
Modern Indian Studies Undergraduate Student Excellence Award
The MIS Undergraduate Student Excellence Award is intended to further research on modern India, broadly conceived, by recognizing the scholarship of undergraduate students. One award of $500 will be given annually for the best unpublished essay or research paper (10-20 pages) written by an undergraduate from any discipline on a topic relating to modern India.
Modern Indian Studies Graduate Student Conference Travel Award
The MIS Graduate Student Conference Travel Award is intended to further research on contemporary India, broadly conceived, by supporting a graduate student’s travel costs to present original research at an academic conference. Recipients will be awarded $1,500 towards travel and conference accommodations.
Weir Honors Fellowships in Asian Studies
Become fluent in Mandarin and gain practical, independent work experience in China, home to one of the world’s oldest civilizations and the 21st century’s fastest-growing economy. Weir Fellows spend the spring semester in Beijing for intensive language study and then complete an eight-week summer internship in either Beijing or Shanghai, exploring careers in fields such as banking, law, journalism, public health, and historic preservation. The Weir Honors Fellowships in Asian Studies are administered by Honors Carolina.