ARIT FELLOWSHIPS IN THE HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES IN TURKEY
PLEASE NOTE: ARIT remains committed to supporting and growing the fields of Turkish Studies and Archaeology in the United States and in Türkiye. Due to federal funding cuts, however, ARIT needs to rethink what fellowship support for travel and research we can offer. The details of the next competition and awards are still being finalized, and we ask for your patience until we can announce them.
ARIT will continue to assist scholars in Turkiye, helping with research permissions, providing local support through our Istanbul and Ankara centers, and building networks and connections for research. We look forward to learning about the innovative projects that our community is developing.
2026-2027 DELAYED
Announcement
Application format
THE FELLOWSHIPS: The American Research Institute in Turkey will offer ARIT fellowships for research in Turkey for the 2026-2027 year. Grants for tenures up to one academic year will be considered; applications for projects of shorter duration, as brief as one or two months, are also supported. Stipends will ranged from $2,500 – $5,000. ARIT offers research and study facilities as well as connections with colleagues, institutions, and authorities through its branch centers in Istanbul and Ankara. ARIT funding for these awards is limited for the coming year.
ELIGIBILITY: Scholars and advanced graduate students engaged in research on ancient, medieval, or modern times in Turkey, in any field of the humanities and social sciences, are eligible to apply. Student applicants must have fulfilled all requirements for the doctorate except the dissertation by June 2026, and before beginning any ARIT-sponsored research. Non-U.S. applicants who reside in the U.S. or Canada are expected to maintain an affiliation with an educational institution in the U.S. or Canada. For questions of eligibility, please check with the ARIT office in Philadelphia.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE: In order to be considered, applicants should provide complete information. Application materials and three letters of recommendation must be submitted by the due date TBD. Please download, save, and complete the application form linked above. Submit your application by e-mail to aritoffice at gmail.com. Letters of reference should support the value of the proposed research and the applicant’s capacity to carry out the project. Graduate student applicants must provide a copy of their graduate transcript. Supporting documents may be sent to the American Research Institute in Turkey, University of Pennsylvania Museum, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia PA 19104-6324. For further information call (215) 898-3474, or e-mail to aritoffice at gmail.com. .
RESEARCH PERMISSION: ARIT fellowship applicants are responsible for obtaining the appropriate research permits and visas. In general, researchers should seek permission to carry out research directly from the director(s) of the institution(s) where they intend to work, including most libraries housed within Turkish museums. For archival and library research with tenures of less than three months, some foreign scholars may enter on a tourist visa and apply for the research permit and visa from within Turkey; or they may choose to procure a research visa via the Turkish Embassy in advance of their arrival. For tenures longer than three months, scholars should apply for a research permit and in addition secure a research visa prior to entering the country. Non-U.S. researchers should consult the Turkish Consulate for specific procedures.
Researchers who wish to work with collections and certain libraries housed within Turkish museums should make their applications through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate for Cultural Heritage and Museums. If the material they wish to study is part of an excavation or survey, researchers must submit a letter with their permit application that is signed by the project director giving permission to carry out the research. The application regulations and format for researchers are posted on the ARIT research permit page. ARIT may withhold payment of fellowship stipends if official research permission is not obtained.
The fellowship program of the American Research Institute in Turkey is funded by the US Department of State Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Council of American Overseas Research Centers, and the Friends of ARIT.
