Financial Assistance

A number of fellowships, scholarships, and assistantships, for both teaching and research, are available to graduate students in both master's and Ph.D. degree programs in Economics. Application is made at the departmental level (not to the Graduate School) no later than January 1 for awards to be given for the following fall semester. Assistantships, however, sometimes become available later in the year. Therefore, applications are considered when they are received, even though the formal deadline is passed.

You should send, or have sent, the following items directly to the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Economics if you wish to be considered for financial assistance:

1. A completed "Application for Financial Aid" form.
2. One complete set of official transcripts from every college or university you have attended (also diplomas for international applicants).
3. A brief biographical sketch indicating your educational goals and professional interests.
4. Letters of reference from three persons able to evaluate your prospects as a graduate student.
5. Graduate Record Examination scores.

Note. Limited funds are available for financial assistance and are allocated on a competitive basis.

The sources and types of financial awards are as follows:

• The Graduate School offers several types of awards to students nominated by the Department of Economics. These awards include
  • Graduate Fellowships (for both master's and doctoral students)
  • Dissertation Research Assistantship Awards
  • Graduate Dean's Fellowships (for both master's and doctoral students), as well as other Minority Fellowships
  
  
• Depending upon budgetary considerations, the Department of Economics is able to offer a number of teaching assistantships and research assistantships to students whose work and records merit such assistance.

All award nominations to the Graduate School, as well as teaching and research assistantships within the department, are screened by the Financial Awards Screening Committee (FASC) within the Department of Economics. The FASC also advises the Department Chair on the renewal of financial awards.

Note. A student may not receive more than two calendar years of graduate student support while a master's level student nor more than four calendar years of graduate student support while a doctoral level student.