Prospective Graduate Information - Financial Aid

All students admitted to the Ph.D. program receive five years of support and all master’s students receive two years. This support is contingent upon state funding, satisfactory progress toward degree, satisfactory performance in an assigned teaching capacity at KU, and, in the case of students whose native language is not English, passing a spoken English test. Most stipends are $16,000 or more for a nine-month, half-time appointment (20 hours a week). Some positions qualify for complete tuition waivers; all positions at least qualify for lower, in-state tuition rates. Prospective students should speak with their potential faculty mentor for more information regarding financial support.

Fellowships

University fellowships include the Madison A. and Lila Self Graduate Fellowships, the Honors/First Year Fellowship for entering graduate students, and Summer and Dissertation Fellowships for resident graduate students. The department Graduate Committee nominates candidates for these fellowships. Students should also be aware of government and private foundation fellowship opportunities.

Assistantships

The Department offers Teaching Assistantships, most of which involve teaching in undergraduate laboratories. The Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center offers Curatorial Assistantships for work directly related to curation of specimens in research collections. Research Assistantships are offered by individual professors in connection with sponsored research programs.

Most fellowships are for the academic year, whereas assistantships are assigned on a semester-to-semester basis. Applicants seeking financial aid from KU must complete admission files by December 15 to be considered for support. Financial support varies during the summers, but opportunities for teaching, research, and curatorial assistantships and Graduate School Summer Fellowships usually are available.