Scholarships

Our department offers or sponsors several scholarships around an array of criteria to enable more opportunities and more experiences to be available to our students. 

How to Apply?

All applicants must submit a Statement of Purpose and two Letters of Recommendation by sending documents to Hector Silva at russian-slavic-studies@arizona.edu. Please include your name and the name of the award in your subject line. 

For those who provide recommendation, please include student's name in your subject line.

B.G. Thompson, Jr. Study Abroad Award Fund

The B.G. Thompson, Jr., Fund was established in 2012 to honor the memory of Tucson attorney and appraiser B.G. Thompson, Jr., whose daughter received her Master’s from the UA’s Department of Russian and Slavic Studies. Mr. Thompson was a welcoming host and friend to Russians he met in Tucson, and he continually encouraged his daughter over the course of her career in the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia. Declared major in RSSS.

Value of Scholarship: up to $1,400 pending funding availability

Eligibility:

  • Have at least one academic year in residency left at UA before graduation at time of application
  • Must be a declared major in Russian and Slavic Studies or be a student in the MA Russian program
  • Have applied or been accepted into a Study Abroad program

Application deadline: TBD

Buchheim Scholarship

The Russian and Slavic Studies Department and the School of Government and Public Policy invite applications for the Robert W. Buchheim Scholarship. This award is for UA undergraduates who are declared majors in Russian and Slavic Studies and the School of Government and Public Policy (Criminal Justice Studies, Political Science, Law, Public Management & Policy). Preference will be given to students who demonstrate an interest in working in the Foreign Service or a comparable area of work. This scholarship is made possible through the generosity of Helen and Robert Buchheim. 

Value of Scholarship: up to $1,400 pending funding availability

Eligibility:

  • Must be a declared major in Russian and Slavic Studies and the School of Government and Public Policy
  • Preference will be given to students who demonstrate an interest in working in the Foreign Service or a comparable area of work

Application deadline: TBD

SILLC Global Award Fund for Study Abroad

The competitive SILLC Global Award Fund benefits UA undergraduate students in good standing who are declared majors in any of the SILLC disciplines. Recipients must use the award the summer, fall, and/or spring immediately following date of the award.

Value of Scholarship: $1,500.00

Eligibility:

  • The applicant must be a UA undergraduate student.
  • Must be a declared major in any of the following SILLC disciplines (minors are not eligible):
    • Africana Studies
    • Classics (Classical Civilization, Greek, or Latin)
    • East Asian Studies (Includes Japanese and Chinese)
    • French and Francophone Studies
    • German Studies
    • Italian Studies
    • Religious Studies
    • Russian and Slavic Studies
  • Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
  • No less than one academic year in residency left at UA before graduation at time of application.

Application deadline: February 5th 2025

MORE INFORMATION

The Florence Borozan Memorial Award for Russian and Slavic Studies

The Florence Borozan Memorial Award for Russian and Slavic Studies honors Florence Borozan, a distinguished alumna of the Russian and Slavic program at the University of Arizona.  This award is made possible by the most generous gift of an endowment created by Sam Borozan, Florence Borozan’s son.

Value of Scholarship: Up to $1,500 pending funding availability

Eligibility:

  • full time undergraduate or graduate students with a minimum 3.0 GPA,
  • making satisfactory progress toward their degree, and
  • enrolled in coursework in Russian and Slavic Studies at the University of Arizona
  • no major or minor requirement

Application deadline: TBD

The Teresa Polowy Memorial Scholarship Award

The Teresa Polowy Memorial Scholarship Award honors Dr. Teresa Polowy, professor of Russian and Slavic Studies at the University of Arizona.  During her twenty-five years of teaching at the University of Arizona, Dr. Polowy worked with countless students, fostering interest and passion in Slavic languages and cultures. The Russian and Slavic Studies Department at the University of Arizona, along with countless friends and colleagues, honors Dr. Polowy’s legacy and the impact she made on our field and on the lives of those she knew through the Teresa Polowy Memorial Scholarship Award for undergraduate students.

Value of Scholarship: Up to $750 pending funding availability

Eligibility:

  • UA undergraduate students who will be continuing at UA in the next academic year and who have taken at least one RSSS course at the time of their application.   No major or minor requirement.
  • Preference will be given to students majoring in Russian and Slavic Studies and those who have taken RSSS 328 and/or have demonstrated active interest in the area of Gender and Slavic Studies.
  • No major or minor requirement.

Application deadline: TBD

Valentin and Evgenia Dunkel Award for Russian and Slavic Studies

The purpose of this award is for students to develop a research project in the context of an independent study that is focused on a specific area of Russian culture. Students interested in applying should propose a project on an artifact / topic of Russian culture including, but not limited to: Russian painting, architecture, decorative arts, photography, theatre, industrial design or musical composition.

This award was made possible thanks to a gift in honor of Valentin and Evgenia Dunkel.

Value of Scholarship: up to $1,000 pending funding availability

Eligibility:

  • UA students majoring or minoring in Russian and Slavic Studies (full-time juniors or seniors) and graduate students are eligible to apply.
  • Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 to be considered for this award.

Application deadline: TBD