Financial Resources

The Department of Psychology guarantees five years of full financial support for all students who are admitted to the PhD program, contingent upon satisfactory performance and degree progress.  Learn more on Funding Opportunities.

The University of Minnesota encourages a diverse representation of perspectives and provides specific funding opportunities for underrepresented groups. Our students have received many competitive university and national fellowships. The Department of Psychology actively pursues admission fellowships for incoming PhD students with diverse viewpoints and experiences and works with nominees to support their development of nomination materials. Students are also encouraged to apply directly to fellowship opportunities, including those listed below.

Admission Fellowships (Program Nomination Required) 

Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change Fellowships

The Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change (ICGC) seeks to foster an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural community of faculty and students committed to studying global change, especially as seen in the Global South and in communities of color within North America. During the application review process, the Department of Psychology faculty identifies nominees for ICGC’s admission fellowships from the pool of applicants who will be offered admission. 

Nominees should have backgrounds and interests that identify them as outstanding students who are clearly committed to the interdisciplinary study of the global south in the context of global change. We encourage the nomination of exceptionally capable students, especially from the global south and groups traditionally underrepresented in graduate education. Applicants to the Psychology PhD program may express their interest in a departmental nomination for an ICGC fellowship by submitting a Request for Departmental Nomination form to psyapply@umn.edu by December 1.

Diversity of Views and Experiences Fellowships

The Diversity of Views and Experiences (DOVE) Fellowship Program seeks to assist graduate research programs to promote a diversity of views, experiences, and ideas in the pursuit of research, scholarship, and creative excellence. This diversity is promoted through the recruitment and support of academically excellent students with diverse ethnic, racial, economic, and educational backgrounds and experiences. The DOVE fellowship includes a $25,000 stipend, academic year tuition at the general graduate rate for up to 14 credits per semester, subsidized health insurance through the Graduate Assistant Health Plan for up to one calendar year, option to attend the Graduate School Diversity Office’s Summer Institute (includes $4,000 stipend and health insurance coverage), and a minimum of $1,000 for research/conference travel funding.

The Department of Psychology nominates two admitted students for the DOVE fellowship each year to compete in a University-wide competition. The Diversity Statement (see the Application Checklist), which is required for all applicants to the Psychology PhD program, is weighted heavily in the department’s two-stage review process for identifying DOVE fellowship nominees.      

Additional Fellowship Opportunities (Apply Directly) 

We encourage our current and incoming PhD students to apply to competitive fellowships that support graduate students from underrepresented backgrounds and/or fund social justice-oriented research, including:

We have also had students successfully obtain funding from different community resources. We recommend that you search within your community for these resources.  The Department of Psychology also announces opportunities to current students when they become available.

Tri-Psych Graduate Student Diversity Fund

The Tri-Psychology Departments—Educational Psychology, Psychology, and the Institute of Child Development—at the University of Minnesota are deeply committed to supporting underrepresented students in the psychological sciences. Together, they strive to create welcoming, affirming, and inclusive spaces and seek to foster respectful exchanges of ideas that allow all involved to embrace the power of diverse perspectives and backgrounds.

The goal of this award is to build community and facilitate cross-departmental collaborations among tri-psych graduate students of color and/or student groups otherwise underrepresented in postsecondary education. They seek innovative proposals that provide opportunities to encourage and support students, gain insights from shared and differing experiences, and build stronger relationships across departments. Current students are emailed annually with a call for applications. 

Learn about the four recipients of 2023 Tri-Psych Graduate Student Diversity Fund grants and their projects.