FAQ: Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies

ACLS supports academic research in the humanities or interpretive social sciences. For long-term fellowships, the ultimate goal of the project should be a major piece of scholarly work by the applicant. 

ACLS does not fund creative work or the performing arts (e.g., novels, films, performance, or musical composition), textbooks, or translations without a scholarly apparatus of commentary and annotation. 

Proposals in the social sciences are eligible only if they employ predominantly humanistic approaches and qualitative methodologies. Mixed methods approaches and proposals in interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary humanities and related social sciences are welcome. Please see this section of our website for further information. 

Yes. All topics and themes (in the humanities or interpretive social sciences) related to the history, societies, cultures, and languages of China in all periods are welcome, including research on Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Tibet, and Xinjiang, in all periods. 

Yes. The program supports the study of Chinese cultures, histories, and societies in all periods. Research on Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Tibet, and Xinjiang is eligible. Research may also be conducted on Chinese cultures, histories, and societies outside these areas, as required by the research plan. In such cases, reviewers will consider the quality and intensity of the content of the project that relates to China. Diaspora studies projects with no connection to communities and cultures in China are unlikely to be funded. 

No. Fellows and grantees are not and should not be considered employees, contractors, or agents of ACLS. ACLS is unable to provide advice on visas. Please seek assistance from a qualified professional advisor and/or the appropriate office at your institution. 

You can find a sample application on each competition’s webpage. 

For early career fellowships and travel grants, completed applications must be submitted through the ACLS Online Fellowship and Grant Administration (OFA) System by the deadline specified for each competition.  

It depends. Within the Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies, you may apply to only one individual competition per year: the Travel Grant in China Studies, the Early Career—Long-Term Fellowship, or the Early Career—Flexible Fellowship. This restriction applies only within China Studies; it does not prevent you from applying to other ACLS programs in the same year. Keep in mind that if you are selected for more than one ACLS award, you may only accept one, per ACLS’s policy against holding multiple ACLS awards concurrently.

No. You may not hold multiple ACLS fellowships or grants in the same competition year (e.g. China Studies Early Career Fellowships, China Studies Travel Grants, ACLS Fellowships). 

Yes. For Early Career—Long-Term Fellowships, Early Career—Flexible Fellowships, and Travel Grants, awardees may accept other non-ACLS sources of funding. You may apply to these ACLS programs and outside fellowships and grants at the same time. 

Yes. Please make sure that you spell–check all submitted texts and documents. Please review your submission several times for spelling, grammar, and punctuation. It is always worthwhile to ask a colleague to proofread. 

Proposals to the Luce/ACLS Program in China studies are read by experts in China studies from a variety of disciplines in the humanities or interpretive social sciences. 

The projects ultimately selected vary widely. While there is not one model to follow for a successful application and we do not provide examples of proposals that receive funding, you are encouraged to view information on previous awardees and brief project descriptions here. For more guidance, please see Writing Proposals for ACLS Fellowship Competitions by Christina M. Gillis. 

The fellowship/grant is awarded to an individual scholar. However, we can arrange payment through the scholar’s institution upon request. In that case, the institution is not permitted to deduct funds for overhead or indirect costs from the individual’s fellowship. See Information for Institutional Administrators. 

Yes. From ACLS’s perspective, the use of an AI tool to research or write a proposal is not much different from hiring a professional grant writer or seeking help from a university’s grants officer, which has always been allowed. The applicant is, and always has been, responsible for any errors, omissions, hallucinations, or acts of plagiarism that are submitted for peer review. As a best practice, we encourage applicants to indicate in their proposal where and how they used AI tools to provide full transparency to ACLS and our reviewers. In our experience, reviewers appreciate the honesty from applicants as it builds trust that the applicant’s project will be completed in a thoughtful and ethical manner.

No. You may not apply. To be eligible for the China Studies Early Career Fellowships, you must have a PhD that was officially conferred between January 1, 2018, and November 5, 2026. 

While the stages and timing of PhD completion vary from institution to institution, ‘conferral’ refers to the official issuing of the diploma by your university. Defense, filing, and submission of the dissertation are usually earlier stages in this process, and for the purposes of eligibility for this program will not suffice. Please confirm your official conferral date with your university registrar before reaching out to ACLS with questions about this criterion. 

Generally, no. Applicants who are not US or Canadian citizens or permanent residents must hold a long-term, regular research or teaching appointment at an institution in the United States or Canada. If you have a confirmed appointment that has not yet begun, you may apply, provided that the appointment will begin by the start of your fellowship period. Any work authorization required for the appointment is arranged through the appointing institution, not through ACLS. 

If your “affiliated scholar” designation is an honorary or courtesy affiliation rather than a long-term, regular research or teaching appointment, you are not eligible. If your position is a formal, renewable appointment with defined institutional responsibilities AND the position is scheduled to begin by your fellowship period, you are eligible. You may apply before the appointment begins, but any required work authorization is arranged through the appointing institution, not ACLS. 

Yes. Provided your appointment meets the same standard required of other non-citizen/non-permanent-resident applicants: a long-term, regular research or teaching appointment held by the start of your fellowship period. If your position is renewed on a recurring basis (for example, semester-by-semester or year-by-year), you may still meet this standard, provided you can demonstrate an established pattern of renewal. If you are not a US or Canadian citizen/permanent resident and you hold a position that is less than a year and non-renewable, please email [email protected] before applying. 

Yes to both. The award may be used to write up research already completed in the field, and it may also support follow-up research in the US and Canada conducted alongside that writing. 

The work plan should provide the rationale for time requested for fieldwork/writing along with any plans for follow-up research. 

It depends on your tenure status, not your title. You must hold a PhD conferred (officially awarded) between January 1, 2018, and November 5, 2026, and you must not have submitted tenure materials for review by the application deadline. 

Our policy is that ACLS fellowships provide salary-replacement stipends. 

Early Career Fellowships stipends may be used for research costs (e.g., travel, access to online archives, conference participation, hiring of research assistance outside of the US or Canada) and living expenses, including childcare or eldercare. 

Travel to China is not required. Moreover, travel to and research on Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Tibet, and Xinjiang are eligible with equal priority to China. Research on Chinese cultures and societies conducted outside these areas will also be considered. In such cases, the application essay must convincingly explain why the use of the sources proposed is appropriate and how the project contributes to the field of China studies, broadly conceived. 

No. Eligibility is based on your PhD’s official conferral date, not your defense date. If your degree will not be officially conferred until after November 5, 2026, you are not eligible for this cycle, even if you have already defended. 

No. You must either be a graduate student enrolled in a PhD program at a university in the US or Canada, or hold an affiliation with an institution in the US or Canada. 

Yes. A visiting scholar position is a qualifying affiliation with an institution in the United States or Canada, provided that your application shows that you will have a confirmed position at the start of the grant period. If your visiting scholar status will have ended before the beginning of the grant period, please email [email protected] before applying. 

If you submitted an application in the 2025-26 competition year, you may use that log-in for the 2026-27 competition year and carry forward information from the “Common Profile” section. You will need to fill out all the remaining sections. 

This will vary, depending on how much work you have prepared before you begin the application process. Simply filling in the form will probably take at least an hour, if not two. In addition, you will need to submit your application essay and supporting documents. For graduate students applying for a travel grant, you will also need to secure a referee to write a letter in support of your application. You should start the process at least several weeks before the deadline to determine what is required and to start preparing your materials. 

No. You may work in multiple sessions, though you will need to save your work after you finish each section of the application. 

You may estimate the amount you expect to receive or fill in nothing. You can enter this amount in the section asking you to list other major funding sources to which you ARE APPLYING in the current year for your present research proposal. Should you be offered a Luce/ACLS fellowship, you will need to provide ACLS with the specific amount(s) for any other funding you will receive during the fellowship period. 

No. Your application will be evaluated as submitted. 

A reference letter is only required for graduate students applying for a travel grant. The reference letter must come from the applicant’s dissertation advisor or a faculty member eligible to be the advisor. 

You can check the OFA system to see if your reference has been submitted. If your letter has not been submitted by the deadline, you should contact the writer of the missing letter. If your designated referee cannot write the letter, you may ask someone else to write for you and add them as a reference in the OFA system. However, please note that once the required letter has been submitted for your application (regardless of which of your referees submits a letter), no more will be accepted. Consider carefully before requesting a replacement letter. 

No. Your reference letter must be submitted through the ACLS Online Fellowship and Grant Administration (OFA) System by your referee.