TOEFL^® Grant for Doctoral Research in Language Assessment

Application closed.
The deadline to apply for the TOEFL^® Grant for Doctoral Research in Language Assessment has passed. The next round of applications will open in Spring of 2025.

We’re happy to announce the 2025 TOEFL^® Grant for Doctoral Research in Language Assessment.

Purpose

This grant program supports the timely completion of doctoral research in foreign or second language assessment. Ph.D. candidates around the world working on dissertation research in language assessment are encouraged to apply. The dissertation research can focus on any language.

Award value

Up to $6,000 (payable in U.S. dollars only)
Up to 10 awards each year — one award per student

Eligibility

To be eligible you must be a Ph.D. candidate who:

is currently registered in a doctoral program
has completed all coursework and candidacy requirements for the degree
has a committee-approved dissertation proposal related to second or foreign language assessment
has not received another grant or award from ETS funding the proposed dissertation research

Note: Due to United States and European Union governmental sanctions, ETS may not be able to make payments to individuals or organizations in certain countries. The specific countries are determined by the United States and European Union governmental agencies and are subject to change. If your application is from one of these countries, you may be notified that your application cannot be considered for a TOEFL Grant or Award at this time.

Important dates

Application deadline: October 15, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time
Award notification: December 15, 2024

Applicants must submit the following:

A completed application form (PDF) filled out digitally.
A 250–500-word summary of the dissertation research.
A copy of the approved dissertation proposal.
A budget plan in detailed, line-item format with an explanation of how the requested funds will be used (e.g., participant payment, reimbursement of raters, software purchase, travel expense for data collection, etc.).
Note: Expenses related to conference attendance, dissemination of results, tuition, or other academic fees are not allowed.
A letter of recommendation, written on letterhead, sent via email to TOEFLGrantsandAwards@ets.org from the chair/PhD advisor of the dissertation committee. The letter should include confirmation that the student has completed all coursework and candidacy requirements and is a student in good standing. The subject line of the email should be “2025 TOEFL Grant for Doctoral Research - Recommendation Letter (LAST NAME OF APPLICANT)”.

All application materials must be submitted via email as separate attachments to TOEFLGrantsandAwards@ets.org with the subject line “2025 TOEFL Grant for Doctoral Research Application Submission (LAST NAME OF APPLICANT)”. Please do not combine application materials into a single file. All application materials, including a letter of recommendation, must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on October 15, 2024.

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

The research topic is relevant to foreign or second language assessment.
The rationale for conducting the research is clearly stated.
The literature review is adequate and sufficient.
The research questions are clearly stated.
The methods are described in detail (including participants, context, instruments, and data collection and analysis) and are appropriate for answering the research questions.
The budgeted items are appropriate to the proposed research.
A strong letter of recommendation from the dissertation committee chair.

Questions?

Please contact TOEFLGrantsandAwards@ets.org for questions regarding the grant program.

TOEFL® Grant for Doctoral Research in Language Assessment

Purpose

Award value

Eligibility

Important dates

Application materials

Application process

Evaluation criteria

Questions?

TOEFL^® Grant for Doctoral Research in Language Assessment