Wadsworth African PhD Fellowships in Anthropology 2025 for African Students

The Wadsworth African Fellowships are intended to provide support for African students undertaking study leading to a Ph.D. at a South African university that can provide them with international-level training in anthropology (including biological anthropology and archaeology). Currently applications to the University of Witwatersrand or The University of Cape Town are given priority.

Application Deadline: 15th December 2024

Eligible Countries: African countries

To Be Taken At (Country): South Africa

Eligible Field of Study: Anthropology

Type: Fellowship

Eligibility: 

1. The Wadsworth African Fellowship is intended for young African scholars who may not otherwise be able to pursue a doctoral degree in anthropology. Normally, applicants will be under 35 years of age at the time they begin their fellowship. They must be citizens and residents of an African country at the time of application. They must also be members of an underrepresented group in academic anthropology/archaeology.
2. Applicants must be prepared to demonstrate their reasons for choosing their Host Institution (the institution where they plan to study). Currently applications to the University of Witwatersrand and the University of Cape Town are given priority.
3. A Host Institution can have only two active Wadsworth African fellows. Because anthropology can be taught in a variety of departments (Social Anthropology, Archaeology, Anatomy, etc.) it is expected that there will normally be only one active fellow per department at any time.
4. Applicants may have already begun their training for the doctoral degree at a South African university but they must demonstrate why their funding circumstances have changed and why they now do not have sufficient funding to complete their degree.
5. Students who have advanced beyond their first year of doctoral studies/training are not eligible to apply.
6. At the time they submit their application, candidates must have an application for doctoral admission pending at a South African institution that will provide training.
7. The applicant must have a Host Sponsor, or supervisor, who is a member of the South African institution at which the candidate plans to pursue training. The Host Sponsor must be willing to assume responsibility for overseeing the candidate’s training. A Host Sponsor cannot sponsor more than one applicant per funding season.
8. The applicant must have a Home Sponsor who is a member of the institution at which the applicant received his or her prior degree/s. The Home Sponsor must be prepared to supply a letter of reference for the applicant. In some cases the Host Institution may be the same institution where the applicant received his or her prior degree/s. If this situation applies, the Home Sponsor should be the Head of a relevant department at the Host Institution or another member of the academic staff who is familiar with the applicant, but who will not be acting as the Host Sponsor.
9. Applicants may submit only one application per funding season. They may not apply through two or more Host Institutions/Departments at the same time.
10. If the Foundation receives more than one application for a single South African department, the Foundation will contact that department to have them prioritize their applicants for potential funding.
11. Applications exclusively seeking support for fieldwork expenses and/or dissertation write-up are not accepted. Applicants should apply to the Dissertation Fieldwork Grant program for fieldwork expenses. The Foundation only funds dissertation write-up for Wadsworth African Fellows who have received funding for training purposes from the Wenner-Gren Foundation prior to undertaking their fieldwork.
12. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds in addition to the Wadsworth African Fellowship to complete their training at the Host Institution.
13. If a Wadsworth African Fellowship is awarded, the applicant must agree to comply with the Requirements and Conditions of the Wadsworth African Fellowship.

Selection Criteria: 

1. The Foundation is looking for applicants who are talented scholars, who may not otherwise be able to pursue a doctoral degree and who show potential for developing the field of anthropology in their home countries. Priority will be given to applicants from underrepresented groups in academic anthropology.
2. Applicants must show evidence of academic excellence in their prior training in anthropology or a related discipline.
3. Applicants should make a convincing case for choosing the Host Institution and the program of training they will receive at the Host Institution.
4. The Foundation places considerable importance on the reference from the Host Sponsor. Applicants are encouraged to make personal contact with the Host Sponsor prior to applying for the Wadsworth African Fellowship and to develop with that sponsor an appropriate program of training and study leading to the doctoral degree.
5. Priority is given to applicants with well-articulated training and research goals. It is also important to demonstrate a good fit between the Host Institution, Host Sponsor, and the applicant’s research goals.

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award: The annual fellowship is $17,500 and can be used towards travel, living expenses, tuition, student fees, insurance, books, research expenses, and any other relevant categories of expenditure while studying at the Host institution. A separate application can be made for an additional year of funding to support dissertation write-up.

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Duration of Program:  The fellowship is renewable for up to two additional years upon successful completion of each preceding year’s study.

How to Apply: Final decisions are made by January 15. Application materials are available 3 months before the application deadline. Applicants must use the most recent application form. They must also submit their application materials using the Foundation’s online submission procedure as well as send two printed copies to the Foundation by regular mail. See the link to ‘Application Procedures’ below for more information.

• Application Procedures
• Access The Online Application

Visit the Program Webpage for Details