USA Scholarships
Big Ten Smithsonian Fellowship 2027 - $45,000 Stipend
The Big Ten Smithsonian Fellowship, run by the Smithsonian Institution with the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA), lets doctoral candidates at the alliance's universities spend 3 to 12 months doing dissertation research at the Smithsonian under a staff advisor. Fellows receive a stipend of $45,000 a year, prorated for shorter stays, and up to $5,000 a year for research costs, while their home university covers tuition and health insurance under its own policy. The Smithsonian and the fellow's university share the cost. Applications for tenures that start between 1 June 2027 and 30 May 2028 close at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on 15 October 2026, and decisions usually arrive in mid-March.
What is the Big Ten Smithsonian Fellowship?
The Big Ten Smithsonian Fellowship gives a doctoral candidate something a campus library cannot: months of hands-on time with the Smithsonian's collections and the people who look after them. The Smithsonian Institution and the Big Ten Academic Alliance set it up so that PhD students at alliance universities could do dissertation research inside the museums and research centres, and both sides pay part of the bill. If your thesis depends on specimens, artefacts, archives or lab equipment the Smithsonian holds, few awards fit as neatly.
The money is solid for a graduate award. You receive $45,000 a year, prorated if you stay less than 12 months, and up to $5,000 a year for research costs. Because your home university is a funding partner, tuition and health insurance follow its policy rather than the Smithsonian's, so ask your graduate school early how that works for you. Fellows can also claim allowances for moving temporarily to wherever their advisor is based.
The current round closes at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on 15 October 2026 and covers tenures that begin between 1 June 2027 and 30 May 2028. You apply through the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program in SOLAA, and results usually come out in mid-March. Since 2017 more than one fellow per campus can be chosen, and the alliance has said a single cycle could produce two dozen or more awards.
The part most applicants underrate is the advisor. You have to name a Smithsonian staff member who could host you, and a proposal that has been talked through with that person reads very differently from one that has not. Find the curator or scientist whose work overlaps yours, send a short, specific email this month, and write the six-page proposal around what they tell you. The reviewers want to see why your research has to happen at the Smithsonian and nowhere else.
Eligibility
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✓Enrolled at a Big Ten Academic Alliance universityYou must be a current student at one of the 18 BTAA members (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska-Lincoln, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers-New Brunswick, UCLA, USC, Washington or Wisconsin-Madison) or at the University of Chicago, which takes part as an affiliate.
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✓Admitted to doctoral candidacyThe Big Ten Smithsonian Fellowship is for ABD students only. You need to have finished all coursework, been admitted to candidacy and met every requirement for the PhD except the dissertation.
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✓Research that fits a Smithsonian fieldYour project must fall within one of the ten areas the Smithsonian lists, which run from ecology, anthropology and earth sciences to art history, materials research, folklife and US social and cultural history.
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✓US and non-US citizens both eligibleCitizenship is not a gate. International doctoral students at BTAA universities can apply on the same terms as US citizens.
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✓Fluent EnglishIf English is not your first language, the Smithsonian expects you to write and speak it fluently, since you will work day to day with staff and collections in the US.
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✓A Smithsonian staff member willing to host youYou have to name a member of the Smithsonian research staff who could serve as your principal advisor. The Smithsonian strongly encourages you to write to that person before applying to check the project is feasible.
Benefits
- Big Ten Smithsonian Fellowship stipend $45,000 a year, prorated
- Research allowance Up to $5,000 a year
- Tuition Per your university's policy
- Health insurance Per your university's policy
- Temporary relocation allowance Eligible
- Smithsonian staff advisor Assigned for the tenure
- Support beyond 12 months Not offered
- Length 3 to 12 months
- Start window 1 June 2027 to 30 May 2028
- Where you work Smithsonian museums and research centres
- Research fields Ten Smithsonian areas
- Awards per campus More than one possible
- Decision Mid-March 2027
Document checklist
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✓AbstractOne page, double spaced, summarising the dissertation research you will do at the Smithsonian.
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✓Research proposalNo more than six double-spaced pages. Explain the question, your methods, and why the work has to happen at the Smithsonian, including which collections, labs or staff you need.
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✓Research timelineAn estimate of how long each phase of the project will take during your full-time tenure.
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✓Budget and justificationWhat you would spend the research allowance on and why. The allowance tops out at $5,000 a year, so keep the request inside that limit.
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✓BibliographyThe literature most relevant to your proposed research.
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✓Curriculum vitaeFour pages at most. Show your degrees, candidacy date, publications, presentations and grants.
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✓Graduate transcriptsTranscripts from your graduate institutions. Unofficial copies are normally fine at the application stage, but check the instructions in SOLAA.
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✓Two letters of recommendationFrom two referees you choose, usually your dissertation advisor and one other faculty member who knows the project. They submit through SOLAA.
How to apply
Deadline and timeline
FAQ
What is the Big Ten Smithsonian Fellowship?
The Big Ten Smithsonian Fellowship is a partnership between the Smithsonian Institution and the Big Ten Academic Alliance. It funds doctoral candidates at alliance universities to spend 3 to 12 months doing dissertation research at the Smithsonian, working with a staff advisor and using its collections, labs and archives. The Smithsonian and the fellow's university share the cost.
How much does the Big Ten Smithsonian Fellowship pay?
Fellows get a stipend of $45,000 a year, prorated for stays shorter than 12 months, plus up to $5,000 a year for research expenses. Tuition and health insurance are handled by your home university under its own policy, and fellows can claim allowances for temporary relocation to the Smithsonian.
When is the Big Ten Smithsonian Fellowship deadline for 2027?
Applications close at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on 15 October 2026. That round covers tenures starting between 1 June 2027 and 30 May 2028, and the Smithsonian usually notifies applicants in mid-March.
Which universities are eligible for the Big Ten Smithsonian Fellowship?
Students at the 18 Big Ten Academic Alliance members can apply: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska-Lincoln, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers-New Brunswick, UCLA, USC, Washington and Wisconsin-Madison. The University of Chicago takes part as an affiliate.
Can international students apply for the Big Ten Smithsonian Fellowship?
Yes. The programme is open to US citizens and non-US citizens, as long as you are enrolled at an eligible BTAA university and meet the candidacy rule. Applicants whose first language is not English need to write and speak it fluently.
Do I need to be ABD to apply?
Yes. You must have completed all coursework, been admitted to doctoral candidacy and satisfied every requirement except the dissertation. Students still taking classes or preparing for qualifying exams are not eligible yet.
Do I need to contact a Smithsonian advisor before applying?
You have to name a Smithsonian staff member who could serve as your principal advisor, and the Smithsonian strongly encourages you to correspond with them first. A proposal with no realistic host is hard to fund, so reach out early and use the reply to shape your plan.
How is it different from the Smithsonian predoctoral fellowship?
Both are handled through the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program and pay the same $45,000 predoctoral stipend. The Big Ten version is limited to students at alliance universities, and your university shares the cost with the Smithsonian, which is why tuition and health insurance follow your home campus's policy.
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