Funding

All students admitted to the MA or PhD program, both domestic and international students, are offered a guaranteed funding package, contingent on satisfactory progress toward degree. The funding package provides payment of tuition up to 14 credits per semester, partial payment of the health insurance premium, and a stipend.  Summer funding is also part of the guaranteed package.  Students entering the MA program will receive two years of guaranteed funding.  Students entering the PhD program will receive five years guaranteed funding. 

For incoming graduate students, funding is normally provided through teaching assistantships, as well as appropriate fellowships and research assistant positions as they become available. Once a graduate student is ABD, they may have the opportunity to be the primary instructor (graduate instructor) for an undergraduate course. Graduate instructor positions, fellowships, and TA or RA positions are all considered to be part of the funding package.

Questions about graduate student
funding opportunities?
Contact the
Graduate Program Coordinator (geog-dgs@umn.edu)
for more information.

Department Opportunities

Fellowships

During our admission process, the graduate committee will nominate appropriate applicants for the CLA Graduate Fellowships, the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change (ICGC) Fellowship, and the Diversity of Views and Experiences (DOVE) fellowships, based on the applicant's file. These fellowships are by nomination only and cannot be applied for by applicants; however, applicants should indicate in their applications if they believe they would be good candidates for any of these fellowships.

Teaching/Research Assistantships

Most of the department’s support for graduate students takes place through these appointments:

  • Teaching assistants (TAs) help teach students in a specified course or courses under the general supervision of faculty or academic staff. TAs grade papers, lead labs and discussion sections, and hold office hours. They may also be assigned primary responsibility for an entire course.
  • Research assistants (RAs) carry out activities connected with research studies assigned by the supporting department or principal research investigator.
  • Graduate Instructors. It is the desire that all GES ABD graduate students have an opportunity to be lead instructor in one of the department's undergraduate courses.

Graduate Research Partnership Program (GRPP)

The Graduate Research Partnership Program award is administered by the Department of Anthropology and is made possible by funds from the College of Liberal Arts. This award offers a $4000 stipend for expenses to support collaborative summer research conducted by a graduate student in partnership with a member of the faculty. Applications are reviewed by the Graduate Studies Committee. The number of awards the department can offer varies from year to year. The deadline for applications is usually in late March.

Other Opportunities

Students are encouraged to apply for financial support outside the department as well as outside the University. Refer to the Graduate School for both internal and external funding opportunities.

International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) Financial Aid

In an effort to assist international students who are experiencing financial hardship due to unforeseen circumstances, ISSS offers a very limited amount of financial aid to international students. ISSS international student funding is designed to assist with the cost of tuition and fees only; international students must document that they are employed in an effort to cover their living expenses.

Additional Financial Aid

Students who are admitted to the graduate program who need additional financial aid should check out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and other grant and loan opportunities at the Office of Student Finance and OneStop's Financial Aid Resources.