ACSPRI Fellowship Program 2027

PhD candidates at ACSPRI Member Institutions are invited to apply for the 2027-28 ACSPRI Fellowship Program. This year the application process has been streamlined into 2 stages to make it less onerous for most applicants.

Valued at $25,000, the fellowship will help PhD students to achieve their career goals, by providing direct financial support and professional development opportunities.

Fellowship holders will receive an annual bursary for two years and financial support to participate in ACSPRI courses and events.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Interview Process
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineJuly 31, 2026
• Value$25,000
• Study LevelPostdoctoral Fellowships
• SponsorThe Australian Consortium for Social and Political Research Incorporated
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

• $10,000 bursary payment per year for each of 2 years ($20,000 in total);
• a fee waiver for the attendance at an ACSPRI course in each year of the Fellowship (2 courses in total);
• financial support to attend the ACSPRI Biennial Conference.

Total Value approx. $25,000.

Requirements

1. Have not previously received the named scholarship
2. Current full-time or part-time student at an ACSPRI member institution
3. Comply with all instructions for their application to be considered.

Applicants to the ACSPRI Fellowship Program must be enrolled in a PhD program of an ACSPRI member institution, (in either Australia or New Zealand), and must be confirmed candidates, (or near completing the requirements of confirmation). Applicants from the full spectrum of social science disciplines and cognate fields are welcome to apply. This includes the traditional social sciences (e.g., anthropology, economics, demography, psychology, political science, sociology, etc.), the emerging field of computational social sciences/social data science, and applied disciplines aligned with the social sciences (e.g., business, education, public health, social work, etc.).

Applicants in the final year of their PhD are welcome to apply if their award has not been conferred by the July 31 deadline.

Selection Process

Stage 1:
In stage 1, all applicants are asked to complete a short web-based form. The form asks questions about your research, your methods, your motivation and the potential impact of your research. See the selection criteria below and please read these thoroughly, bearing them in mind when answering the required questions. Please note the maximum 250 word limit for each section.

Each applicant must also:

• Upload a current curriculum vitae (please ensure it includes whether you are a full-time or part-time candidate, when your candidature started, and any publications, grants or scholarships you have received
• Confirm (via tick box) they have discussed their application with their supervisor.

Each question in stage 1 will be weighed and scored based on the selection criteria below. Based on previous years, we expect about 250 applicants to apply for the scholarship. Approximately 10 applicants will be asked to proceed to stage 2.

Stage 2 (invited after July 31 deadline, with stage 2 September 30 deadline):
Applicants who have been invited to stage 2, will be asked to submit:

1. A letter of support from their supervisor. Please ensure this is on letterhead and from you primary supervisor
2. A 5 minute (maximum) video presentation articulating the questions submitted in stage 1:

• What is the motivation for your research/why is your research important?
• What is the potential of your research for academic impact?
• What is the potential of your research for impact(s) on policy and practice?
• In what ways is your research approach and method innovative?

Please note: Videos exceeding 5 minutes will not be assessed.

ACSPRI’s Professional staff will review and assess the written applications of stage 1. Successful applicants will be contacted and invited to submit stage 2 of their application. The ACSPRI Executive Committee will judge stage 2 and based on their review, the successful candidate will be selected.

Successful candidates will be asked to give a short presentation about their research at the Biennial ACSPRI Social Science Methodology Conference. ACSPRI will arrange for the candidates to attend as part of their award. The successful videos will be played at the Conference and published on the main ACSPRI and Conference websites.

The ACSPRI Fellowship program receives approximately 250 applicants in each year it is offered. Of those 250 applicants, approximately 10 are selected as finalists. Subsequently, one applicant is chosen from those finalists and awarded the ACSPRI Fellowship in that year of offer.

Application Deadline

How To Apply

For more information, kindly visit the ACSPRI webpage.