Fellowships and Financial Aid

Tuition Reduction Fellowships (TRF)

Columbia together with LSE provide substantial fellowships to over half of our incoming students through our Tuition Reduction Fellowships (TRF). TRF awards range in amounts up to a maximum of 75% of recipients' tuition in the first year of the program. The program also offer a limited number of 25% TRF awards for the second year at the LSE.

Please note, if you are awarded an academic year Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, a Fulbright Scholarship, or any other tuition-based funding that covers full tuition for the academic year, your Columbia University TRF offer will be annulled. 

McKeown Fellowship

We are honored to dedicate a Tuition Reduction Fellowship in memory of the late Adam McKeown, one of the founders of the dual degree program. During his all-too short career, Professor McKeown had a lasting impact on how we research and teach international and global history. His scholarship transcended national boundaries and traditional methodologies, and his historical research connected with multiple disciplines, especially sociology and international law. 

The McKeown Fellowship will be awarded to an incoming student whose interests and ideas correspond with Professor McKeown's aim to foster more path-breaking scholarship inside the academy. He was a champion of students with unique points of view and non-traditional experiences. The recipient of this award will be academically strong; we aim to review candidates from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds for this award.

This individual award will offer 2/3 of Columbia's tuition for the first year of the program to one student per year. 

Application Details
To apply for a TRF, we ask that you please request a copy of our application by emailing [email protected]. The application is comprised of several questions that help the committee understand your current circumstances and need for assistance.

We strongly encourage all TRF applicants to apply by the early deadline (January) as we will disburse all available funding during the first admissions round.  If remaining funding becomes available, awards may be made during the second round of admission after the March deadline. It is therefore to the candidate's advantage to apply by the January deadline in order to have the best chance of receiving TRF funding.   

Scholarship decisions will be based on both need and merit. Although merit is a consideration, you do not need to list your accomplishments in your TRF application, as scholarship applications will be read alongside your general application. Please note that TRF applications are confidential and will only be viewed by the necessary staff at Columbia and LSE.

Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (FLAS)

Many prospective students choose to apply for the U.S. Department of Education’s Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship Program (FLAS), in conjunction with their applications to the dual Master’s degree program. The FLAS fellowship competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students who are U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a full-time program (either domestic or overseas) that combines modern foreign language training with international or area studies.

The graduate student FLAS tuition grant is $18,000 with a stipend of $20,000 for the academic year. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will top off the remainder of tuition. 

The deadline for the FLAS Fellowship is February 6, 2025. 

Applicants who are applying to the FLAS Fellowship Program MUST submit their MA/MSc application by the January early deadline AND notify the MA/MSc program office by writing to [email protected] with your name and selected language.  

If you have questions or require further information, please read the FLAS FAQs. The FLAS coordinator is Sandra Peters ([email protected]).

Note for second year: American students may apply through Columbia University to have the FLAS cover their year at the London School of Economics. Further information will be sent to admitted students during the first year of the program.

More information on external fellowships and financial aid at Columbia can be found on the website of the GSAS Office of Financial Aid. To contact the office, please call 212-854-3808 or send an email to [email protected].