Funding

Financial aid is available in the form of Graduate Assistantships and Graduate Fellowships.

Students admitted into the PhD program are guaranteed full financial support for five years, subject to maintenance of satisfactory progress in the program. Support for PhD students is typically in the form of teaching assistantships or fellowships and includes tuition, health insurance, and a stipend to cover living expenses.

While students admitted to the MA program are not guaranteed financial support, opportunities for partial or full funding in the form of fellowships or teaching assistantships often arise. We are dedicated to helping our MA students secure the highest possible amount of funding from department internal or external sources.

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistantships include:

• Teaching assistantships
• Research assistantships
• Administrative fellowships

A teaching assistant helps with the teaching duties under the supervision of an academic staff. In some cases, teaching assistants may be assigned primary responsibility for teaching a course. A research assistant helps with carrying out research under the guidance of a principal investigator. An administrative fellow helps with the administrative duties of a program within the department.

Graduate assistantships are academic appointments available to graduate students. In addition to an hourly wage, students working as graduate assistants may be eligible for other benefits, including a tuition benefit. To be eligible for graduate assistantships, you must have already been admitted to the University of Minnesota Graduate School and be registered for a minimum number of credits. A limited number of graduate assistantships are available through our program for applicants with appropriate background and experience. In addition, some students have had success in finding teaching assistantships in other programs and departments on campus.

You may apply for graduate assistantships in the foreign language programs here at the University of Minnesota's College of Liberal Arts such as Russian, Korean, French, and Italian, etc. There are also opportunities available in the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA).

For more information, current openings, and for questions about eligibility to hold any of these appointments, see the policies published on the Graduate Assistant Employment office website.

I had a job working ten hours a day, Saturday and Sunday, the first year of the MA program. It was difficult, but the workload from the program was never more than was reasonable. My daughter, our first child, was also born a week before the program started, so I really was very busy! Nevertheless, the workload was manageable (though rigorous at the same time), partially because our professors and advisors were always so responsive and helpful. Further, I got a significant amount of TA work the second year of the program which meant that I didn't have to work weekends that year, which was a huge help.

Zachary Lorang, alumnus

Graduate Fellowships

Graduate fellowships are awards based on academic merit. Our students may be considered for nominations for a graduate school fellowship.

Center for Cognitive Sciences Fellowships

Applicants with a strong interest in cognitive science and strong academic qualifications may be nominated for three-year fellowships awarded by the Center for Cognitive Sciences (though this is restricted to US citizens because the funding is from the US government). Notification of fellowships is generally made in March.

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships

The Institute for Global Studies makes a number of fellowships available to new and continuing graduate students at the University of Minnesota through the FLAS program. We encourage you to apply for funding through this program. You are eligible to receive funding for language study during the academic year and/or during the summer for intensive language courses. Academic year fellowships provide a stipend and some selected fees.  Summer fellowships are also possible and include stipend plus some program costs.

FLAS fellowships can be used for the study of any modern foreign language, but in conformity with Title VI regulations of the US Department of Education priority will be given to students who propose to study a less-commonly-taught language.

Graduate Research Partnership Program (GRPP)

This Graduate Research Partnership Program is administered by the department and made possible by funds from the College of Liberal Arts. It offers a stipend 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.

Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (DDF)

The purpose of the Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (DDF) program is to give outstanding final-year PhD candidates who are making timely progress toward the degree, an opportunity to complete the dissertation within the upcoming academic year by devoting full-time effort to research and writing. DDF recipients receive a stipend plus tuition for thesis credits and health insurance. A departmental nomination is required. The number of nominations the department can submit varies from year to year.

Diversity of Views and Experiences (DOVE) Fellowship

The Graduate School Diversity Office administers the DOVE Fellowship. The fellowship is awarded to approximately 20 first-year students from underrepresented groups (US citizens or permanent residents). The fellowship provides a stipend, tuition at regular graduate school rates (up to 14 credits per semester), and subsidized health insurance for one academic year.