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Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Grant

The DDRA program offers approximately 150 awards each year for six to 12 months to support dissertation research outside of Western Europe. Research topics can vary, but must relate to area studies or modern foreign languages and serve to deepen the nation's capacity and knowledge base in areas not typically included in US curricula. These grants are funded by the US Department of Education and administered by individual institutions like Michigan State University. Only US citizens are eligible to apply for these federal fellowships. 

DDRA Events & Deadlines

  • DDRA Application Information and Timeline Overview
    • Posted Thursday, November 14, 2024
    • Recording and slides available; please contact Project Director
    • Prerequisites:
      • Attended or watched first application information session
      • Already in the process of applying for a DDRA
  • Intent to Apply Deadline
    • November 15, 2024
    • Email Project Director confirming your intent to apply
  • DDRA Budget and Travel Information Session
    • Will be posted by November 22, 2024
    • Recording and slides will be available from Project Director
      • Prerequisites:
        • Attended or watched first application information session
        • Watched second timeline information session
        • Already in the process of applying for a DDRA
    • MSU Interim Deadlines
      • See (and download) timeline document in Application/Competition Timeline section below for required interim deadlines for budget, human subjects statement, CV, narrative, bibliography, etc. 
    • MSU Mandatory Deadline
      • Thursday, January 2, 2025 at noon
      • Applicants must submit entire section of the G6 application, which will then be reviewed by MSU’s Office of Sponsored Projects
    • National Deadline
      • Wednesday, January 15, 2025
      • This is the Project Director/institutional deadline; the applicant deadline is two weeks prior. The Office of Sponsored Projects requires two weeks to review budgets and grant applications

    Applicant Support

    • MSU's Fulbright Program Advisor, who also serves as the Fulbright-Hays Project Director, is available to assist applicants with brainstorming, learning more about the program, and making sure all application components are completed.
    • Students should work closely with their dissertation advisers to develop competitive applications. Portions of the application are completed online by students, while the campus adviser completes other sections and coordinates the submission with MSU's Office of Sponsored Programs.
    • Once you have confirmed your intent to apply, the Project Director will provide support materials such as narrative writing tips, budget templates, information on traveling with dependents, sample documents, and more.

    Eligibility

    • Applicant must be a US citizen or permanent resident at the time of application
    • Applicant must be a doctoral candidate (ABD status) by the time the award begins, typically in a field related to foreign languages or area studies
    • Applicant must possess a high level of language proficiency (a language evaluation is required for each language of research)
    • More information about eligibility can be found on the eligibility page of the DDRA website.

    Benefits

    Round trip international airfare, maintenance allowance based on living costs in the host country (including allowances for dependents if applicable), supplemental health and accident coverage, funds to support research (e.g., books, copying, local travel for interviews), and tuition or affiliation fees (in some cases).

    Important Dates

    Application/Competition Timeline

    Download a detailed timeline with deadlines for 2025 applications.

    • Begin by exploring the DDRA website, including subpages and FAQs.
    • Note that these dates all depend on the publication date of the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA), which is unpredictable and has historically varied by several months. Once the NIA is published, the process moves very quickly, so prepare well in advance.
    • Fall semester:
      • Brainstorm and discuss your plans with your dissertation advisor; make contact with faculty or other researchers in desired host institution, draft project description, contact MSU Fulbright Adviser to express interest
    • October 30, 2024: Notice Inviting Applications published (several months earlier than the anticipated February 2025 date)
    • In rapid succession after NIA publication (current deadlines for these steps appear in the detailed timeline): 
      • Request letters of reference
      • Request letter of affiliation
      • Request language evaluation
      • Submit draft of human subjects statement to Project Director
      • Submit draft budget to Project Director
      • Submit CV to Project Director
      • Submit draft narrative to Project Director
      • Submit draft bibliography to Project Director
      • Request transcript(s)
      • Submit final budget to Project Director so it can be approved by the Fiscal Officer and the Office of Sponsored Projects
    • January 2, 2025 by noon ET: Submit finalized application to Project Director via online G5 system. The Project Director then works with MSU's Office of Sponsored Programs to finish the institutional portions of the grant proposal.
    • Week of January 13, 2025: Project Director submits application to G5 before national deadline of March 29, 2024.
    • August-September 2025: Grant winners are notified

    DDRA Application Components

    • A DDRA application has two primary sections; the Project Director completes information relating to MSU, and each student applicant completes an individual section via the federal government's online G6 system. Students submit their sections to Project Director, who reviews them and submits the entire global application to the Department of Education.
    • Components in the student section for the DDRA application include:
      • Extensive biographical data (e.g., name, contact information, birth date, details of your academic background, occupational experience, extracurricular activities, publications, and previous international experience)
      • Abstract and 10-page project description
      • Bibliography of sources relevant to proposed research (2 pages)
      • Detailed budget (following template provided by Project Director)
      • CV (tailored to this project)
      • Transcripts (MSU and any previous degrees)
      • Affiliation letter from host institution
      • Three letters of recommendation (submitted online by referees; one letter must be from dissertation adviser)
      • Foreign language evaluation(s)

    Learn More