Grants & External Scholarships

The Dean's Grant for Student Research supports Master's and Doctoral students conducting projects that advance education and scholarly inquiry at Teachers College.

• Eligibility: Current Teachers College Master's or Doctoral students
• Award: Up to $2,000
• Selection: Competitive; approximately five to eight grants are awarded each year

For eligibility requirements and application information, visit the Office of the Vice Dean for Research, which administers the program, or email deansgrants_studentresearch@tc.columbia.edu.

The Doctoral Dissertation Grant recognizes and supports outstanding doctoral research. Current Doctoral students who have defended or are preparing to defend their dissertation may be eligible.

Eligibility Criteria

• Be currently enrolled and registered for the semester in which you apply and in good academic standing.
• Have a fully certified and approved dissertation proposal, with IRB approval on file with the Office of Doctoral Studies.
• Have defended or be on track to defend your dissertation during the semester for which you are applying.

Award: Ed.D. students may receive $6,250. Ph.D. students may be eligible for an additional $1,500 to help offset tuition charged during the semester in which they defend their dissertation.

Application Requirements

Submit the application to the Office of Financial Aid during the applicable Fall or Spring application period. Your application must include:

• A written statement describing:
  • Your dissertation topic, including the rationale, research questions, and methods for data collection and analysis.
  • The current status of your dissertation.
  • Your anticipated timeline for completing and defending your dissertation.
• A one-page recommendation letter from your Teachers College faculty dissertation sponsor addressing the importance of your research question and confirming that your proposed timeline is feasible.
• A current Curriculum Vitae.

2026-2027 Application Timeline

	Fall 2026	Spring 2027
Application available	September 16, 2026	February 2, 2027
Application deadline	October 14, 2026	February 24, 2027
Decision release*	November 11, 2026	March 24, 2027

*Decisions will be released on or after the date referenced above.

Columbia University offers partial scholarships to qualified elementary school teachers in Districts 5 and 6 who are pursuing a Master's degree at Columbia University or Teachers College. Awards range from 6 to 18 tuition credits per year.

Visit Columbia Neighbors for eligibility information and application instructions.

The Karen Baldwin Research Dissertation Grant in Women's Health supports Doctoral students whose approved dissertation research focuses primarily on Women's Health, including sexuality and gender studies.

Eligibility Criteria

• Be currently enrolled as a Doctoral student during the term in which you apply.
• Have an approved dissertation topic that is clearly related to Women's Health and a reasonable timeline for completion and defense.
• Be in good academic standing at the time of application and throughout the academic year in which the grant is awarded.

Application Requirements

Applications are available during the Spring semester and must be submitted to the Office of Financial Aid. Applicants must include:

• A statement of no more than three pages that includes:
  • Working dissertation title and brief abstract.
  • Date or proposed date of the dissertation proposal hearing.
  • Proposed dissertation defense date.
• A current Curriculum Vitae.
• A letter of recommendation from your faculty advisor supporting your dissertation research and proposed timeline for the proposal and defense.

Spring 2027 Application Timeline

	Spring 2027
Application available	February 2, 2027
Application deadline	February 24, 2027
Decision release	March 24, 2027

 

The Provost's Grant for Conference Presentation and Professional Development may help students offset eligible costs associated with attending professional conferences and presenting their research.

For eligibility requirements and application information, contact TC NEXT.

Students enrolled in a teacher certification program at Teachers College may be eligible for funding through the Teachers Opportunity Corps (TOC) program, which is funded by the New York State Department of Education.

Visit the Office of Teacher Education to learn more about eligibility and application requirements.