Selected National Resources

National Resources for Research

  • American Association for Applied Linguistics Dissertation Award

    Description: The Dissertation Award began in 2016 to acknowledge a dissertation that demonstrates research excellence, transcends narrow disciplinary fields, and has impact on and implications for the field of applied linguistics as a whole.

    Eligibility: Nomination eligibility is for those who have completed dissertations during the two calendar years preceding the award call. The 2027 award nomination is closed.
  • American Association of University Women- American Doctoral Fellowship

    Description: American Fellowships support women scholars who are completing dissertations, planning research leave from accredited institutions, or preparing research for publication.

    Eligibility: Female U.S. citizens and permanent residents in the final year of writing their dissertation.

    Amount: $25,000
  • Boren Awards for International Study (Administrated through IRIS)

    Description: Boren Fellowships, an initiative of the National Security Education Program, provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. graduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests, and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

    Eligibility: U.S. citizens enrolled in graduate degree programs.

    Amount: Up to $25,000
  • Duolingo Research Grant – 2026 application program closed.
  • Education Testing Service (ETS): TOEFL Grant for Doctoral Research in Language Assessment

    Description: This grant program supports the timely completion of doctoral research in foreign or second language assessment. Ph.D. candidates around the world working on dissertation research in language assessment are encouraged to apply. The dissertation research can focus on any language.

    Eligibility: PhD students with an approved dissertation proposal specializing in second or foreign language assessment.

    Amount: Up to $3,000. Deadline for 2027 is Dec. 14, 2026.
  • Education Testing Service (ETS): TOEFL Young Students Research Program – Graduate Student Research Grants

    Description: The Graduate Student Research Grants under the TOEFL® Young Students Series are designed to support foundational research that promotes high-quality language assessment related to young English learners between the ages of 8 and 15.

    Eligibility: Graduate students with a focus on language testing or assessment, applied linguistics, or a related field.

    Amount: Up to $10,000. Deadline for 2026 has passed.
  • Education Testing Service (ETS): Jacqueline Ross TOEFL Dissertation Award

    Description: To recognize doctoral dissertation research that makes a significant and original contribution to knowledge about second or foreign language tests and testing and/or the use and development of such tests and testing.

    Eligibility: Graduate students with a dissertation project they intend to present at LTRC.

    Amount: $2,500 + travel accommodations to LTRC. Deadline for 2026 has passed.
  • The International Research Foundation for English Language Education (TIRF) – Doctoral Dissertation Grants

    Description: Since 2002, TIRF has supported students completing their doctoral research on topics related to the foundation’s priorities.

    Eligibility: Doctoral students who have been advanced to candidacy in their PhD studies.

    Amount: Up to $5,000. 2026 program now closed.
  • Language Learning Dissertation Grant Program

    Description:The Language Learning Dissertation Grant Program is aimed at facilitating the research work of doctoral candidates in the language sciences. Language Learning seeks to receive and review proposals for dissertation studies that are within the mission, scope, and areas of research published in the journal. Please note there is only one dissertation grant application deadline, specified below, and that up to 10 applications will be funded in total.

    Eligibility: Applicants should be at the level of “advanced candidacy” (i.e., have completed required courses and comprehensive exams), and their dissertation proposal should have been approved by the relevant departmental authorities at their institutions.

    Amount: Up to $2,500. Applications open July 5-11, 2027.
  • Midwest Association of Language Testers (MwALT) Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Language Assessment Research

    Description: The award is to recognize research that has been carried out by a graduate student in a master’s or doctoral program. Students are encouraged to submit papers that investigate any area of language assessment that involve quantitative and/or qualitative analysis, such as data-driven empirical work or conceptual work (e.g., a literature review, meta analysis, etc.). Projects may address world languages, less-commonly-taught foreign languages, or English as a second or foreign language. The project may have been carried out in the context of a graduate-level course or may be from an original independent project conducted for academic credit (e.g., a course project, a qualifying research paper, a dissertation pilot study). The project must be in final form as a written paper at the time of submission. Research projects not eligible for this award are doctoral dissertations, projects directed by faculty, or papers co-authored with faculty. 2026 program now closed.
  • NFMLTA/MLJ Dissertation Writing Support Grants

    Description: Instituted in 2013 by the NFMLTA and the MLJ, this award helps support graduate students in the fields of applied linguistics and language education at the dissertation writing stage. These grants can provide resources at any stage of dissertation writing, e.g., data gathering, data transcription, data analysis, or write-up of the findings.

    Eligibility: Applicants must be enrolled in a doctoral program at a US university (though they do not need to be American citizens), and must have completed all program requirements other than their dissertation.

    Amount: $2,500. 2026 program now closed.
  • NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship

    Description: The Dissertation Fellowship Program seeks to encourage a new generation of scholars from a wide range of disciplines and professional fields to undertake research relevant to the improvement of education. These fellowships support individuals whose dissertations show potential for bringing fresh and constructive perspectives to the history, theory, analysis, or practice of formal or informal education anywhere in the world.

    Eligibility: Be candidates for the doctoral degree at a graduate school within the United States. US citizenship is not required.

    Amount: $30,000. Application deadline for 2027 is October 6, 2026.
  • The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans

    Description: The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans is a non-partisan organization that is proud to honor the contributions of continuing generations of immigrants and refugees to the United States. 

    Eligibility: Must be new Americans, immigrants or the children of immigrants at the time of their selection. Applicants must be planning to be enrolled in a full-time degree-granting graduate or professional program in the United States in the 2027-2028 academic year. The Fellowship is open to all fields of study and one can apply when applying to graduate school or in the early years of graduate school.

    Amount: Up to $90,000. The 2027 application will open in Spring 2026.

 

National Resources for Travel

  • American Association for Applied Linguistics Graduate Students Award

    Description: The Graduate Student Award is a merit-based award that supports attendance of AAAL graduate student members at the annual conference. The number of awards varies based on the availability of funds. Graduate students who are eligible to apply will be notified by the conference chair by early November and may submit their application once they have confirmed their intention to attend the conference.

    Eligibility: MA and PhD students presenting at the annual AAAL conference. Acceptance is based on the quality of their proposal for a paper or poster presentation. Only available for single-authored submissions. Previous award recipients are not eligible to submit. If recipients are unable to attend the conference, they will not receive the award.
  • NFMLTA/MLJ Conference Presentation Support Grants

    Description: This grant supports graduate students in the fields of applied linguistics and language education at the dissertation writing stage. It funds discrete projects at any stage of dissertation writing, including but not limited to instrument development, transcription or translation services, data gathering, coding and analysis, etc. The grant is closed for 2026.
  • Amount: Up to $2,500
  • TESOL International Association – Leadership Mentoring

    Description: The Leadership Mentoring Program (LMP) helps TESOL members become more involved in the work of the association. Preference is given to individuals from underrepresented groups within TESOL. This program pairs selected individuals with experienced TESOL leaders who mentor recipients throughout the year as the partnership works together to contribute their time and expertise to TESOL and its varied activities and projects. The application deadline for 2026 was Sept. 15.

    Eligibility: TESOL members in good standing who are interested in becoming more involved in the work of TESOL International Association.

    Amount: Free registration to the annual TESOL convention; U.S. $1,000 for lodging expenses during the convention; A mentoring relationship with a TESOL leader.

 

Other