Funding Provisions

The East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellowship does not provide support for spouses and dependents. No additional stipend payment or travel allowance is made on the basis of marital status and the amount received will not adequately support a family. Degree fellows are required to come to Honolulu alone for the first semester of the award to become acquainted with the Center, the University of Hawai‘i, and the Honolulu community, before arranging to have their families join them from abroad.

Degree fellows who plan eventually to bring their families should be fully aware of the high cost of living in Honolulu, the limited availability and high cost of off-campus housing, and especially the difficulty in finding employment opportunities for spouses.

The Center provides limited assistance in the following ways:

•  During the period of the fellowship, the Center may arrange dormitory space for the spouse by providing a double room beginning the second semester of the award. The degree fellow is responsible for the additional cost of a double room beyond the single-room rate.

• If a degree fellow is joined by dependent children below the age of 18, the family must reside off-campus as the Center’s residence halls are not allowed to house minors. Beginning the second semester of the award, the degree fellow living off-campus with family is eligible for an off-campus housing allowance equivalent to the rate of the single room in the East-West Center residence hall.

• The degree fellow is responsible for all other costs for the spouse and children.

Subject to funding availability, funding for field study and conference presentations is offered to graduate degree fellows on a competitive basis during their study period. 

East-West Center estimates the living expenses for food and other personal expenses to be approximately $870 US per month. Thus, after the Fellowship stipend of $500, applicants need to plan for, at a minimum, an additional $370 US per month, or $4,400 per year. (Please refer to the Tax Information page, as some students may need more funding to compensate for tax liabilities).

Degree fellows are responsible for all personal and academic expenses not covered by the Graduate Degree Fellowship, including but not limited to the following:

• Cost-sharing for health insurance (if participant selects a health insurance plan that costs more than the health insurance subsidy).

• Travel to and from home country and Honolulu.

• Visa fees

These items and all others not included in the Graduate Degree Fellowship provisions are the responsibility of the student. Students are encouraged to seek and obtain financial support for one or more of the above categories from other sources where possible. 

Additional financial need and the availability of funding from other sources should be noted in the GDF application. The funding information provided in this section of the application will only be used after the merit-based selection of finalists is completed.

Policy on Work: A student may request permission to work on campus to earn funds that can contribute toward meeting living expenses. Under certain circumstances, students may be eligible to work additional hours during official school breaks and school vacations.