The Regional Studies-East Asia Fellowship Program is a full fellowship from the Harvard-Yenching Institute for students admitted to Harvard’s two-year RSEA A.M. program. Recipients study the languages, societies, and cultures of East Asia in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The fellowship is intended for Asian nationals who plan to pursue a Ph.D., build an academic career, and return to Asia to teach after graduate study. Eligible RSEA admits are considered automatically by the RSEA Admissions Committee.
Benefits & funding
- Harvard tuition for the two-year RSEA master’s degree.
- A living-expense stipend and medical insurance.
- Round-trip airfare from Asia.
- Support applies to consecutive years of study, and the program must be completed within two years.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be Asian nationals; HYI does not publish a definitive country list, so the structured nationality field uses a geographic interpretation of Asia.
- Applicants must be committed to pursuing a Ph.D. for an academic career and plan to return to Asia to teach after graduate study.
- Applicants must gain admission to Harvard’s RSEA A.M. program; fellowship consideration is automatic and there is no separate application.
- Applicants who hold degrees, or are currently enrolled in degree programs, at English-medium universities outside Asia are ineligible.
- The RSEA application requires a GRE General score; non-native English speakers must meet the stated English-proficiency route unless covered by the bachelor’s-degree waiver.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
Afghanistan · Armenia · Azerbaijan · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Bhutan · Brunei · Cambodia · China · Cyprus · Georgia · India
+ 38 more
Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Israel · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Malaysia · Maldives · Mongolia · Myanmar · Nepal · North Korea · Oman · Pakistan · Palestine · Philippines · Qatar · Russia · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · South Korea · Sri Lanka · Syria · Taiwan · Tajikistan · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Türkiye · Turkmenistan · UAE · Uzbekistan · Vietnam · Yemen
Education required
Bachelor
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Application process
- 1Confirm that you meet the HYI nationality, academic-career, return-to-Asia, and educational-history conditions.
- 2Create or reuse one GSAS Applicant Portal account and select the Regional Studies–East Asia A.M. program.
- 3Submit the application, statement of purpose, personal statement, transcripts, GRE score, English writing sample, three recommendations, and any required TOEFL or IELTS score by the deadline.
- 4Await the RSEA Admissions Committee’s decision; every eligible admitted candidate is automatically considered for the HYI fellowship, and direct solicitation is not permitted.
Program timeline
September 2026
The GSAS degree application opens for the 2027–28 academic year.
RSEA application deadline.
December 1, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET
The RSEA master’s program begins.
Fall 2027