Fellowships

The Center offers several fellowships for UC Berkeley students. The Financial Aid Office administers many need-based financial aid programs. The Graduate Division Fellowship Office, academic departments and professional schools administer other merit based programs. Information is available through the web links provided.

Award for Best Undergraduate Thesis in African Studies

A prize of $250 will be awarded to the best senior thesis written by a UC Berkeley undergraduate on a topic related to Africa. The thesis can be written in any discipline or major. Applicants must submit an online application form, along with submitting a copy of the paper or thesis and a letter of recommendation from a faculty advisor to asc@berkeley.edu.

Language Fellowships

Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships

[The UC Berkeley Center for African Studies is not currently offering these fellowships. This section is for informational purposes.]

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships provide funding to students to encourage the study of critical and less commonly taught foreign languages in combination with area studies, international studies or international aspects of professional studies. These fellowships are funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Education under Title VI of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, and the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008. The purpose of the FLAS program is to promote the training of students who intend to make their careers in college or university teaching, government service, or other employment where knowledge of foreign languages and cultures is essential.

Read more about the FLAS Fellowship. Contact asc@berkeley.edu for questions.

FLAS UCB Graduate Student Application Page and Portal

All other applicants, including UC Berkeley undegraduates, should use the following link. You will be asked to create an account before creating an application -- other applicants

Research Fellowships

The Center directly administers three fellowships for graduate students and one for undergraduates. See deadlines at the bottom of this page.

Andrew and Mary Thompson Rocca Fellowship

The Center for African Studies offers two types of Rocca fellowships providing funding to UC Berkeley graduate students at different points in their doctoral studies.

Emeka Kalu Ezera Fellowship

Africa Research Travel Grant - currently inactive

Through a generous donation, we are about to offer a few awards ($500 - $2500) to help defray costs for graduate student research travel to Africa.

*To access this CAS application form, you first must be logged into a browser with a CalNet ID.

Geist and Rosberg Fellowships for Undergraduates

The Center for African Studies is pleased to announce the 2021 competition for undergraduate fellowships to support travel to Africa for research and study. Fellowships of up to $3,000 are awarded as a memorial to Carl Rosberg, founder of Berkeley's Center for African Studies and a pioneer in the study of African politics, and Judith Geist, who earned a PhD from Berkeley's Political Science Department and followed in Rosberg's footsteps with her work in East Africa.

CAS Fellowship and Award Deadlines for 2024:

Undergraduate:

  • Geist and Rosberg Fellowship Application:  Friday, 23 February
  • Award for Best Undergraduate Thesis in African Studies: Friday, 3 May

Graduate:

  • Rocca PreDissertation and Dissertation Fellowships (past)
  • Emeku Kalu Ezera Fellowship (past)
  • Africa Research Travel GrantWe do not anticipate awarding this in 2024.

Tuition & Stipend Programs

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

This program provides comprehensive scholarships and support to students from Sub-Saharan African countries. For more information, visit the program's website.

Other CAS Fellowships

Cowell Fellowship (currently inactive)

The Center also administered the Cowell Fellowship from 2000 to 2009. This fellowship was specifically for Ph.D. graduate students at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The Fellowship recipient spent 6 to 12 months at UC Berkeley working with a UC Berkeley faculty mentor, taking courses (especially seminars and methodological courses), and conducting research using library and archival resources. Upon completion of the year at Berkeley, the Fellows returned to Tanzania and completed their degrees.

Non-CAS Fellowships

Institute of International Studies Fellowships

Many undergraduate and graduate students studying Africa have also received dissertation and pre-dissertation fellowships from the Institute of International Studies at UC Berkeley. For funding opportunities see: https://iis.berkeley.edu/fellowships-grants/resources

International House 

Other Resources