Most of our incoming Ph.D. students receive fellowship or assistantship funding that is guaranteed for five years conditional on satisfactory progress in the program. We will consider applications from students who have already secured an outside source of funding for one or more years. 

Many students entering our graduate program receive financial aid from one of two sources. First, the Department is able to offer one-year fellowships from the Graduate School to many of our funded first-year students. These fellowships include a stipend of approximately $28,311 per year, university health insurance, and full tuition remission, but do not require students to work as teaching or research assistants. Fellowships are converted to assistantships after the first year. Other funded first-year students are awarded assistantships. These assistantships usually require about 15 hours per week of service as a teaching or research assistant and come with a stipend of approximately $28,311 and an attractive package of benefits including health insurance and full tuition remission.

Students entering the program with financial support from the department are guaranteed support through their fifth year, contingent upon (1) satisfactory performance of duties, and (2) satisfactory progress towards the Ph.D. Students who enter the program without support can become eligible for support by compiling an above-average record in their coursework and comprehensive exams, and by demonstrating potential for research, although availability of such funding is contingent on departmental needs and resources.

Many students are able to supplement their academic-year stipends by teaching summer or winter classes for the department, or by working off-campus during the summer or winter breaks; our department's proximity to Washington, DC, gives our students an advantage in getting internships in nearby government and international agencies.  

In addition to fellowships and assistantships, the Department supports the professional development of our students by helping cover the cost of travel to professional conferences at which students present their research, and can help with research expenses such as costs of purchasing a data set. Students on the job market get help with expenses such as mailing, copying, and travel to the annual professional meetings at which interviews are held.

Fellowships in Support of Diversity and Inclusion: The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) values diversity and inclusion and believes science and science teams benefit from diverse groups of faculty and trainees who bring diverse interests, perspectives, interpretations of, and solutions to human problems.  Therefore, BSOS offers recruitment fellowship designed to enhance the diversity of our doctoral student population.  Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents.  Students who wish to be considered for these recruitment fellowships must submit diversity and inclusion essays with their application material.  This is an optional essay and is not required as a condition for your application to be considered for admission.  Also, only admitted students will be considered for this support.  For information, please click here.