Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Chaser?

Chaser is a student support service of the Graduate School-New Brunswick. We work with Rutgers University graduate students and assist them in identifying and applying for external funding to support their graduate work.

2. Where are you located?

Our office is located at 25 Bishop Place, room 301, on the College Avenue Campus. (Map).

3. What is external funding?

External funding may take many different forms. It will be funding that comes from a source outside of the university such as the federal or state government, a private organization or foundation. The purpose of external funding for a graduate student is to assist you in executing and completing your work, whether it is course work, preliminary research, dissertation research or dissertation write up. Thus, the funding may be a full multiyear fellowship that will cover tuition, student fees and living expenses, it may be a fellowship that will support you during your early years of graduate school while you are taking your courses, or it may be an award to support your dissertation research or write-up. The funding may also be a grant that will support research specific expenses. The external funding may be as much as $30,000 or as low as $250. Since external funding can take many different forms, it is important to research each funder to understand the nature and requirements of the support.

4. Do you have money for me?

We do NOT have money to distribute to graduate students on a merit or need basis. We will assist you in identifying and applying for external funding. Most external funding is merit based and not need based.

5. Who may use Chaser services?

Chaser is a service of the Graduate-School New Brunswick. New Brunswick graduate students may access the Chaser Funder Database, the Chaser Proposal Writing Tutorial participate in Chaser workshops and schedule an individual appointment. Camden and Newark graduate students may access the Chaser Funder Database.

6. I am not a Rutgers graduate student, can you help me?

Chaser services are open only to members of the Rutgers graduate student communities

7. May I just drop in for assistance?

To best serve our students, an appointment is required. You may schedule an appointment by completing the Appointment Scheduler and Information Request Form. Please plan ahead. There may be up to a one month wait for an appointment. If you are currently off campus, arrangements can be made to set up a consultation by phone or email.

8. When I make an appointment, who will be meeting with me?

Depending upon availability, you will be meeting with Teresa Delcorso or one of our Graduate Student Fellowship Advisors. Our Graduate Student Fellowship Advisors are advanced doctoral students who have extensive experience applying for and securing nationally competitive grants and fellowships as well as extensive experience mentoring graduate students through the application process and reviewing and critiquing proposals drafts.

9. When should I begin to apply for external funding?

Applying for competitive external funding is a long process. It may easily be 6 to 9 months from the time you submit an application to the time when you are notified of the results. It is rarely wise, therefore, to apply for funding and expect to have the funds within 1-4 months.

A successful application will be one that is well developed and thought-out. The proposal should display an intellectual maturity, which will develop overtime. Oftentimes, the successful applicant will have worked on their application for 4-6 months.

As you plan your funding scheme, a year in advance of the deadline, you should begin to consider the programs you are interested in, what is required and what the fellowship or grant would provide. At least six months prior to the deadline, you should begin to consider your research proposal. While doing this, keep in mind your needs and goals and the goals of the funder to ensure that you are applying to the most appropriate program.

10. What goes into a funding application?

The application components will vary with the funder. As such, it is critical to read the funder guidelines carefully and to never assume anything about the application. The following are typical elements to a funding application: proposal narrative, application/information sheet, budget, personal statement, letters of recommendation.

11. What should I do to prepare an application?

A funding application requires a lot of preparation. Plan to spend months developing the proposal and seek feedback and critiques from faculty, colleagues and peers throughout the process. Your research idea and methodology needs to be well thought out and developed. You should have already completed some preliminary research or a pilot study to determine the feasibility of the project and your ability to complete the project. In the proposal you should be able to make a compelling argument as to why the project needs to be done, why you are the one to do it and how you plan to conduct the project. Your budget should be well thought out, complete, comprehensive and realistic.

12. When should I ask my faculty for letters of recommendation?

Your faculty members should be involved in your funding application plans from the beginning. To write effective letters of recommendation, the faculty member needs to know well in advance, which applications you plan to submit and what you propose to do. You should plan to discuss with your faculty, your project, its feasibility, significance and your ability to execute the project. Your faculty members should be given as much time as possible to write the letter. As well, your faculty members should be fully involved with the application process, providing you with critiques and insights to the application process.

13. There is a fellowship that I would like to apply for, the deadline is next week, can you help me?

On such short notice, it will be difficult for us to provide you with useful assistance. Most competitive applications are initiated by students at least 4 months prior to the deadline. It is ideal to begin working on an application 6 to 12 months before the deadline.

14. Is it easy to get funding?

In the end, the funding process is a subjective process. There is no fixed formula that will guarantee funding. Many subjective factors may go into the final decision to support a project or not. The internal policies of the funder, such as monies available, interest in themes, desire for geographic diversity, to name a few, may also determine in the end if a project is funded. The funding rate will vary from funder to funder and may be as high as 30% or as low as 2%. Finally, it is not uncommon for a funder to expect the applicant to apply more than one time before being successful.

15. How can Chaser help me?

Chaser is able to assist you in a number of ways. You may register to attend one of our workshops or arrange an appointment for a one-on-one meeting. Chaser is available to assist you with identifying funding options, critiquing and reviewing proposal narrative, personal statements and budgets and to provide guidance in determining the best funding options to pursue.

16. Do you have sample proposals?

Sample proposals are on file in the Chaser office. You may request copies at any time.

17. Do you offer proposal-writing workshops?

Each semester, Chaser runs an education series, which includes proposal-writing workshops. During the semester breaks, we offer an intensive full day proposal-writing workshop. To review schedule of upcoming workshops, go to: http://chaser.rutgers.edu/workshops.html.

18. I am not a United States citizen, are there any external funding options for me?

Yes, there are plenty of options. While there are funders who require that the applicant be a US citizen or permanent resident, there are plenty of other funders who will fund you, regardless of citizenship, as long as you are enrolled in a US University, seeking a degree.

19. I have submitted my dissertation proposal to my committee; can't I just use this proposal for my funding applications?

No, the proposal that you submit to your program committee and the proposal you submit with a funding application are two different documents. While the committee proposal may serve well as a foundation document for your funding proposal, your style of writing and the information you provide may need to be quite different.

20. Why should I apply for external funding?

Applying for external funding may be the only way to get the money needed to complete your research. Even if you do not need funding to support your research and dissertation write up, applying for funding, as a graduate student will provide you with invaluable experience that you will utilize throughout your career. To successfully win an award, even a small one, will bring prestige to your career.

21. May I arrange for a Chaser staff person to come to my department to make a presentation on seeking funding or proposal writing?

Yes, contact the Chaser office to discuss presentation options and to schedule a presentation specifically designed to meet your needs.

22. Where can I get more information on potential funders?

There are many useful resources to assist in identifying potential funders. A good starting point is the Chaser web site: http://chaser.rutgers.edu. The Chaser web site has links to useful articles and guides on funding. As well, it has links to various funder databases that will allow you to search for funding. A key database to utilize is the Chaser Funder Database.