USA Scholarships
CASBS Fellowship 2028 - Up to $83,000 Stipend
CASBS Fellowships fund a residential academic year at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences on Stanford's Alta Road campus, where a multidisciplinary cohort spends September through late May in reflection, writing, and weekly seminars. The Center welcomes scholars from anthropology, economics, law, psychology, and neighboring fields, including work in the humanities and sciences when it speaks to human behavior. For the 2027-28 fellowship year, applications run through 30 October 2026, decisions go out by mid-February 2027, and first-time fellows may receive a Center stipend capped at $83,000 to top up sabbatical or base salary, usually with matching funds from home institutions.
What is the CASBS Fellowship?
CASBS Fellowships are Stanford's long-running residential year for scholars who want time to think, not a laboratory bench or a teaching load. The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences sits on Alta Road above the main Stanford campus, and each cohort mixes anthropologists, economists, psychologists, legal scholars, and neighbors from the humanities or natural sciences whenever the work touches human behavior. You apply for the 2027-28 year through October 2026, arrive the day after Labor Day 2027, and stay in the community through late May, with many fellows lingering until the Center shuts for summer in June.
Money works differently here than at a straight postdoc fellowship. CASBS is built around sabbatical logic: most first-time fellows bring salary from their home university plus grants, and the Center may add a stipend of up to $83,000 so your total support matches your normal base pay, subject to the published cap and matching-fund rules. Returning fellows are welcome to apply again but must self-fund. Non-local first-timers can also receive housing and relocation subsidies scaled to how far they move, while fellows already living within fifteen miles of campus receive neither.
The social contract matters as much as the CV. Weekly seminars, daily lunches three or four days a week, and a strict residency radius keep the cohort in the same conversation. San Francisco and Berkeley are explicitly too far. You cannot pick up a course at a nearby university, and CASBS will not subsidize health insurance, so plan J-1 visa insurance if you are coming from abroad. Priority in selection goes to first-time fellows who seem ready both to lead discussions and to listen across disciplines.
If you are comparing other year-long institutes, the Harvard Radcliffe Fellowship 2027 guide covers a stipend-first model in Cambridge, the Stanford Science Fellowship 2027 guide funds early postdocs in the natural sciences on the same campus, and the Hoover Fellowship 2027 guide is a salaried policy research appointment nearby. Official rules and the live portal link sit on Stanford CASBS apply page.
Eligibility
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✓At least three to four years past the doctorateCASBS states plainly that it does not offer postdoctoral fellowships. You need a PhD, JD, MD, an equivalent foreign degree, or a comparable professional reputation, and you should be several years beyond that training before you apply.
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✓Strong research record for your career stageThe Center looks for faculty members or independent researchers with a high level of achievement, including a solid publication record adjusted for rank. Excellence alone is not enough; the committee also weighs how you will engage a mixed cohort.
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✓English and interdisciplinary appetiteYou must communicate clearly in English and be genuinely interested in regular cross-disciplinary conversation. Lunch three or four days a week, weekly seminars, and speaker events are part of the deal, not optional extras.
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✓Full residential commitment near StanfordFellows must live within fifteen miles of the Center for the fellowship term. San Francisco, Berkeley, the East Bay, and San Jose do not qualify. You cannot hold a concurrent teaching appointment or take on commitments that pull you away for long stretches.
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✓Matching financial support for most stipendsExcept in unusual cases, a Center stipend requires firm assurances of matching funds from sabbatical leave, grants, or other sources. Returning CASBS fellows are expected to fund themselves and are not eligible for Center stipends.
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✓International scholars on a J-1 visaCASBS welcomes applicants from any country who can enter on a J-1 visiting scholar visa. You need proof of health insurance for the visa process, and neither Stanford nor CASBS provides healthcare coverage to fellows.
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✓Priority for first-time fellowsThe selection committee gives priority to scholars who have never held a CASBS fellowship before. Past fellows may reapply, but roster decisions also balance disciplines and cohort chemistry, and awards are not transferable to a later year.
Benefits
- Center stipend cap Up to $83,000
- Typical stipend formula Up to 50% of prior-year base salary
- Lower-earner exception May exceed 50% if base under $100,000
- Matching funds requirement Usually required
- Stipend paid to fellow directly Not assignable to employer
- Returning fellows Self-funded, no Center stipend
- Housing subsidy For many non-local fellows
- Relocation subsidy Outside SF Bay metro area
- Work space at CASBS Included
- Stanford library & sports privileges Via Stanford fellow ID
- Health insurance from CASBS Not provided
- Semester-only awards Possible in special cases
Document checklist
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✓Online application via Stanford portalEverything is submitted through applycasbs.stanford.edu. You can save progress in multiple sessions, but once you hit final submit you cannot reopen the file.
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✓Curriculum vitae (three pages max)PDF only. Include education, positions, your most important publications (with English translations for foreign titles), major honors, grants converted to US dollars, and significant service on boards or committees.
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✓Project statement (three double-spaced pages max)PDF only. Answer two questions: your most impactful scholarly work to date and what you plan to focus on during the fellowship year, including originality and relevance to contemporary social issues. Add a one-line summary phrase for indexing.
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✓Two reference lettersTwo experts in your field upload letters directly through the portal. Interfolio is not accepted. Reference requests can go out after you save the application; letters are due a few days after the application cutoff.
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✓Salary and funding worksheet fieldsEnter your nine-month academic base salary or last twelve-month non-academic salary in US dollars, list anticipated non-CASBS support for the fellowship year, and estimate the total from those sources.
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✓Optional partner-program statementIf you are in the pipeline for a named partner fellowship (CUHK, NUS, RJ, Taiwan STSS, or similar), add a 150 to 250 word statement on fit. Interest in a partner slot does not change the main CASBS review or guarantee that slot.
How to apply
Deadline and timeline
FAQ
What are CASBS Fellowships?
CASBS Fellowships are residential year-long appointments at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University in California. Scholars from the social sciences, humanities, and related fields live near campus, attend weekly seminars, share daily lunches, and work on books, articles, or other projects while engaging a deliberately mixed cohort.
When is the CASBS Fellowship application deadline for 2027-28?
Stanford CASBS lists 30 October 2026 as the deadline for applications to the 2027-28 fellowship year. Applicants are notified by email around mid-February 2027. Reference letters typically remain open for a few days after the application cutoff, so confirm the exact date in the portal when you apply.
How much is the CASBS Fellowship stipend?
First-time fellows may receive a Center stipend to supplement sabbatical or base salary support. The stipend generally cannot exceed half of your prior-year base salary and is capped at $83,000, though fellows earning less than $100,000 may qualify for a larger share under published exceptions. You still need matching funds from your home institution or grants in most cases.
Is the CASBS Fellowship a postdoc?
No. CASBS says it does not offer postdoctoral fellowships and expects candidates to be at least three to four years past the doctorate, with a track record appropriate to faculty or senior independent researchers. The FAQ explicitly steers early-career faculty toward applying after tenure when they can think more broadly.
Can international scholars apply for CASBS Fellowships?
Yes. The Center encourages diverse backgrounds and institutions worldwide. International fellows must be eligible for a J-1 visiting scholar visa and must carry health insurance that satisfies US visa rules. CASBS does not provide healthcare subsidies.
Where do CASBS fellows have to live?
You must reside within fifteen miles of the Center at 75 Alta Road, Stanford, California. Major Bay Area cities such as San Francisco, Berkeley, and San Jose fall outside that radius. Local fellows already inside the radius do not receive housing or relocation subsidies; distant relocators may receive both.
Can I teach during a CASBS fellowship year?
No. Fellows may not hold a concurrent teaching appointment or other commitments that cause prolonged absences. You are expected at lunch most weekdays and at weekly seminars, with travel limited to what is absolutely essential.
What documents do CASBS Fellowship applications require?
You submit a PDF CV of no more than three pages, a PDF project statement of no more than three double-spaced pages, optional partner-program text if applicable, and two reference letters uploaded directly by your referees. The form also collects salary figures and anticipated non-CASBS funding for the fellowship year.
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