Eligibility

The APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants are available to all US-based graduate students who are at the point of initiating or are already conducting empirical dissertation research focused on advancing knowledge and understanding of citizenship, government, and politics. 

APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants are intended to support basic, empirically-oriented, research. This grant cannot support applied research. Basic research is experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts, without any particular application or use in view. Although basic research could result in a solution to a practical problem, that is not its primary aim. Applied research is designed to answer specific questions aimed at solving practical problems. Applied research is likely to directly make improvements on existing products, technologies and processes.

• Applicants must be enrolled at a doctoral degree granting university at the time of application.
• Applicants must be enrolled at a university accredited in and having a campus located in the United States.
• Applicants must have completed all preliminary degree requirements at the time of their application, including having successfully completed comprehensive exams and a dissertation prospectus defense.
• Applicants must be sponsored by their dissertation adviser.
• Applicants must be endorsed by their graduate institution. If the grant application is  successful, grant funds will be distributed through the student’s host institution.