Financial Support Applications & Deadlines for History PhD Students_New

Financial Appointment Request Form

To apply for financial support from the Department of History, all current, registered graduate students are expected to submit the Financial Appointment Request Form and the required supporting documents listed below.

Forms have specific deadlines. Please refer to the Deadlines chart below or the Academic Deadlines for History Graduate students webpage for the dates.

Required Supporting Documents and Forms

Letters of Reference and History Reference Form

All students applying for financial support should supply a letter from their advisor stating their academic progress.

Required letters for specific appointments:

For new teaching assistant applications: 1 letter of recommendation from their advisor.
For renewal teaching assistant (TA) applications: up-to-date letter of recommendation from your advisor. Students may use their TA evaluation letter(s) submitted by the instructor(s). The student must ask the instructor(s) to send the letter(s) to the Graduate Program Coordinator so the letter writer may add any additional comments that are not in the teaching evaluation.
For stand alone teaching appointments: provide a letter of reference from your advisor and a teaching letter of support.
For ABD Fellowship Appointments: Two letters of recommendation, one should be from your advisor.

History Reference Form

For every recommendation letter you request (including advisor’s letter), you will need to submit a History Reference form. The Graduate Program Coordinator will maintain a log of the reference forms and obtain the signatures from History professors only—you must obtain the signature if the letter writer is outside the department.

Deadlines

Please refer to the deadlines chart below for deadlines for when you need to request a letter, the history reference form, and letters of recommendation.

Funding Card

All graduate students on are required to submit a funding card that reports the source of their funding, regardless of whether they are filling out a financial support application. Funding cards should be submitted to the graduate program coordinator.

Annual Progress Review (APR) Self Evaluation

The APR Self Evaluation highlights progress over the past academic year. This should discuss your progress through program stages (prelims, dissertation research progress, plans for pre-defense and defense, etc.). Send it to your advisor, the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Program Coordinator.

CV

Please submit a current and updated CV. Please include any publication information.

Current Academic Record

Please include a printout of your current academic record from Self-Service.

Additional Required Documents and Forms for Specific Appointments

Teaching Assistant (TA) Positions

In addition to the documents listed under required documents and forms, students must complete the TA Application to apply for a teaching assistant position. See Letters of Recommendation above for requirements for letters of reference.

Stand Alone Teaching Appointments

Applicants will rank their preferences for classes on the financial appointment request form. See Letters of Recommendation above for requirements for letters of reference.

If you are selected for a stand-alone appointment, we will then ask for the additional documents listed below:

Copy of the dissertation prospectus
ICES printouts
A detailed course rationale with provisional syllabus. A complete, detailed syllabus is not required; but the submitted material should clearly indicate how the primary purpose of the course would be achieved.
List 3-5 other courses you would be willing to teach.

ABD Fellowship

In addition to the documents listed under required documents and forms, students should also submit a dissertation proposal of no more than 10 pages (the bibliography does not count). See Letters of Recommendation above for requirements for letters of reference.

Deadlines for Department of History Financial Support

Deadlines	Form/Application/Document Due
November 1, 2026	Students must contact faculty for a letter of reference
November 9, 2026, 5:00 PM	History Reference Forms due to the Graduate Program Coordinator
November 13, 2026, 5:00 PM	Annual Progress Review (APR) Self Evaluation due to to your advisor, the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Program Coordinator.
November 30	Faculty Letters of Reference are due to the Graduate Program Coordinator
November 30, 12:00PM	All financial support documents and forms are due to Graduate Program Coordinator
February 19, 5:00PM 2027	Department Summer Pre-Dissertation Travel Grant forms due to Graduate Program Coordinator

Additional Department of History Financial Support Opportunities

Department Summer Pre-Dissertation Travel Grant

The department currently offers a one-time scholarship up to $5000 to support research in support of the dissertation proposal. Students may use this scholarship to finance travel to explore archives, to find collaborators, to travel to research sites in general. The administration of the grant is through scholarship. Up to half of the award may be granted in advance of the trip, while the other half will be granted in reimbursement. The student will need to save all receipts for submission to the department business office upon return.

To apply please submit the following items:

travel request form
3 page proposal with a description of proposed research
CV
Recommendation letter from your advisor (letter from your financial support application will be used)
Detailed and itemized budget. (Download a budget worksheet)

Deadline

Please submit the above documents to the Graduate Coordinator by the date in the deadlines chart above.

Conference Presentation Support

The department currently offers a one-time scholarship of up to $1000 to support travel to present research at a professional history conference. Students may apply to the department for conference funding only once per year but may apply more than once in their career and funding may be available. Funds currently are assured for only one award, however.