Student Awards

Khyentse Foundation Buddhist Studies Doctoral Fellowship

The Center for Buddhist Studies and the Department of East Asian Studies have been selected by the Khyentse Foundation Academic Development Committee for their Doctoral Student Financial Support program. The Foundation provides $25,000 USD annually to support one or more students over a total of 4 years. From 2020 to 2023, this funding has supported talented students engaged in high-quality research, with some already completing their dissertations and securing employment. The foundation has renewed its support for another 4 years, from 2024 to 2027.

The Khyentse Foundation started this new program with the goal of supporting Buddhist Studies doctoral students. Although academic settings and programs differ by country, continent, and even region, KF has identified common themes and has determined several ways in which they believe they can help these students, especially during their dissertation research and writing. We are grateful to the Khyentse Foundation for this timely award. In addition, Khyentse Foundation is currently supporting our Hangzhou Buddhist Culture project, Khyentse Foundation Buddhist Studies Lecture Series, and the Khyentse Foundation Student Award.

Khyentse Foundation Buddhist Studies Student Award
Khyentse Foundation Doctoral Fellowship for Ph.D. program in Tibetan & Japanese Buddhism

We are excited to invite applications for our Ph.D. program in Tibetan Buddhism and Japanese Buddhism in the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona. This opportunity is further enriched by the continued generous support from the Khyentse Foundation Doctoral Fellowship. This merit-based fellowship provides vital financial support to emerging scholars in Buddhist Studies. Starting in 2024, the funding is also available to support incoming new students specializing in Buddhist Studies, with a special focus on Tibetan and Japanese traditions. 

This is a fantastic opportunity for doctoral candidates who wish to pursue cutting-edge research in Buddhist Studies with the backing of a world-class research institution and the generous financial support of the Khyentse Foundation in addition to regular financial aid offered by the University of Arizona and the Department of East Asian Studies. We warmly encourage all qualified candidates to apply and take advantage of this exceptional opportunity to advance their research under the mentorship of leading scholars at the University of Arizona. For more information on the application process, program details, and fellowship opportunities, please contact the Center for Buddhist Studies (buddhist-studies@arizona.edu) and indicate your intention to apply in your application materials.

Lingyin Buddhist Studies Doctoral Fellowship

Thanks to the generous support of Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, China, the Center for Buddhist Studies at the University of Arizona establishes two graduate studies fellowships, each worth $10,000, to support two qualified Ph.D. students (not visiting or affiliated students), to complete a major project towards the completion of their degrees. These projects should be related to the Hangzhou Buddhist culture in a broad sense and may include writing a thesis or conducting research which will result in publication, collecting materials, compiling databases, fulfilling an advanced language requirement, etc. Fellowships should not be used for the completion of course work or exams. Upon receiving this fellowship, the recipients will automatically become junior fellows in the Center and have access to the resources provided by the Center. Applicants should be in good standing in the College of Humanities or have been accepted as incoming students during the year which the fellowships will be awarded. In addition to filling out an information sheet, applicants should prepare a two-page statement which outlines the project they plan to complete during the academic year, transcripts from the past two years, a writing sample, and two names of recommenders with contact information to testify to their research abilities. The deadline for submission is March 15 and the results will be announced in May. Recipients are allowed to combine this fellowship with other funding sources. If combined with COH support, the amount of award will be roughly equivalent to a 0.25 FTE GAT fellowship for the academic year, during which the awardees should not accept any other employment.  A prospective applicant can receive this fellowship no more than three times. For submission and inquiry, please contact Buddhist-studies@email.arizona.edu.

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Lingyin Buddhist Studies Undergraduate Study Abroad Travel Award

Thanks to the generous support of Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, China, the Center for Buddhist Studies at the University of Arizona establishes ten Undergraduate Study Abroad Travel Awards for students enrolled at the University of Arizona. Each award is $1,000. Awardees will be selected and supervised through the Department of East Asian Studies. The Center for Buddhist Studies will make the announcement of winners every year in May. For details, please contact the Department of East Asian Studies at east-asian-studies@email.arizona.edu.

Lingyin Buddhist Studies Best Graduate Research Paper Award

Thanks to the generous support from Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou China, the Center for Buddhist Studies at the University of Arizona establishes a Buddhist Studies Best Graduate Research Paper Award for graduate students who demonstrate superb research abilities through writing and publishing. Applicants and recipients should be current graduate students enrolled in a graduate program in any college or department at the University of Arizona, rather than visiting or affiliated. The total amount of the award is $5,000, which can be shared if multiple awardees are selected. Applicants must be the primary authors of their works and should submit a polished research paper in English (between 30 to 40 pages double-spaced or between 5,000 to 8,000 words). The subject should be related to the Hangzhou Buddhist Culture or Buddhism in general. Being published, accepted or reviewed for publication in academic journals or edited volumes will be considered strong evidence of excellence, which should be submitted along with the application. A committee will be formed to judge all submissions based on their merit. The deadline is March 15 and the result will be announced by May. In addition to the paper and an information sheet, applicants should submit an abstract of 250 words, a short cover letter, evidence of publication or acceptance if available, and CVs to Buddhist-studies@email.arizona.edu.

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