Graduate Financial Aid

Graduate students and applicants can apply for graduate assistantships, fellowships, and other awards to help cover the cost of their graduate education. Financial need is not a prerequisite for most of these awards.

Funding offers are made when students are admitted to the Ph.D. program.

  • Anthropology Ph.D. students typically receive at least five years (10 semesters) of teaching assistantship (TA) positions funded by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) and distributed by the department, as long as the student is progressing satisfactorily through the program and remains in good standing.
  • Funding from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) – including teaching assistantships, instructor positions, and CLAS fellowships – cannot exceed 12 semesters.
  • Other sources of funding, such as from the Graduate School, research grants, external fellowships, and the department's Dissertation Writing Fellowships, should be arranged if a student will need support for more than six years to complete their degree.

Students completing a terminal Master of Arts in Anthropology are not typically eligible for teaching assistantships.

University Assistantships and Fellowships

Ph.D. students in the Department of Anthropology are eligible for a variety of University assistantships and fellowships. These awards do not require proof of financial need.

Open to Incoming Graduate Students

Graduate School Recruitment Fellowships

Incoming graduate students can apply for several recruitment fellowships available through the Graduate School.

  • The Jorgensen Fellowship is available to outstanding young scholars who have been admitted to doctoral programs at the University of Connecticut.
  • The Harriott Fellowship is available to outstanding young scholars who have been admitted to doctoral programs at the University of Connecticut and show a commitment to enhancing diversity in higher education and/or in their field of study.
  • The Crandall Fellowship is available to outstanding young scholars who have been admitted to master’s programs at the University and demonstrate a commitment to enhancing diversity in higher education and/or in their field of study.

These fellowships are intended to recruit and support the most promising students entering graduate programs at the University of Connecticut, and are highly competitive.

In order to be considered for these fellowships, applicants must indicate that they wish to be considered in the Graduate School’s online application and then nominated by department faculty.

Visit the Graduate School’s Internal Awards page to learn more about the application timeline and criteria for these awards.

Open to Current Ph.D. Students

Conference Participation Award

The Graduate School offers a Conference Participation Award to support students in presenting their research at national or international meetings and conferences, including both in-person and virtual events. This conference participation fellowship in the amount of $750 will be awarded for the semester following the application submission and paid through the student’s fee bill. Applications for this award are accepted in June and December.

Visit the Graduate School’s Conference Participation Award page to learn more about this opportunity and the eligibility criteria.

El Instituto Travel and Research Awards

El Instituto offers three kinds of awards for graduate students:

  1. Pre-doctoral awards ($100-$2000) support pre-doctoral graduate student research or creative projects related to Latina/o and/or Latin American studies. Funds may be used for any purpose that furthers students’ academic progress, including but not limited to direct research, publication costs, travel to archival or ethnographic research sites; supplies, services, and equipment; and conference attendance or educational travel. The pre-doctoral award application deadline is in the early fall, and the application process will be distributed to El Instituto's listserv.
  2. The Whetten Fellowship is a travel award that provides financial assistance on a rolling basis to graduate students for research specializing in Latin American studies.
  3. The Robert G. Mead Fellowship is a research award that provides financial assistance to a graduate student in any discipline specializing in Latin America.

Visit El Instituto’s website to learn more about these opportunities.

Human Rights Institute Fellowships and Research Grants

The Human Rights Institute offers three programs to provide graduate students focused on human rights with funding:

  1. The Dissertation Writing Fellowship is a $5,000 award to a doctoral student who is ABD and actively writing their dissertation with a human rights focus.
  2. The Dissertation Research Fellowship is a $5,000 award to a Ph.D. student who has completed their qualifying exams and dissertation prospectus, to support primary research activities related to human rights issues.
  3. Human Rights Graduate Research Grants support and promote research projects on human rights-related questions and are open to all master’s and Ph.D. students.

Visit the Human Rights Institute website to learn more about these opportunities.

Summer Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship

The Graduate School offers a Conference Participation Award to support students in presenting their research at national or international meetings and conferences, including both in-person and virtual events. This conference participation fellowship in the amount of $750 will be awarded for the semester following the application submission and paid through the student’s fee bill. Applications for this award are accepted in June and December.

Visit the Graduate School’s Conference Participation Award page to learn more about this opportunity and the eligibility criteria.

UConn Humanities Dissertation Scholar Fellowship

The UConn Humanities Institute awards a full academic year fellowship to enable dissertation fellows to concentrate solely on completion of their Ph.D. dissertation. Graduate students must have completed the Ph.D. comprehensive exam, dissertation proposal, and sufficient research by the start of the fellowship period so that they can complete their dissertation during the year-long fellowship.

Teaching during the fellowship year is prohibited. Humanities Dissertation Scholars will have an office and are expected to be in continuous residence at UConn for the term of the award. They are expected to participate in Institute activities including monthly lunches, colloquia, and related scholarly events, and to offer a public lecture on their research during the course of the fellowship year.

Visit the UConn Humanities Institute’s Fellowship page to learn more about this opportunity.

Link to the Graduate Program Handbook

Graduate Program Handbook.

Open to Incoming and Current Ph.D. Students

Graduate Teaching Assistantships

Most anthropology Ph.D. students are awarded a graduate teaching assistantship each semester that includes a tuition waiver, stipend, and health and dental benefits (specifically, the opportunity to purchase highly subsidized medical and dental insurance). Graduate assistants (GAs) are responsible for paying University fees. The stipend is subject to U.S. taxes since GA positions involve work for hire.

Teaching assistantships are typically for 15 hours per week (75% graduate assistantship), though appointments can be for as much as 20 hours per week (100% graduate assistantship) or as few as 10 hours per week (50% graduate assistantship), with pay adjusted accordingly. There are three pay rates for GA positions, varying by experience and the student’s degree program. The levels of pay are published each year on the Payroll Department’s Graduate Assistant Resources webpage. GA positions are governed by a collective bargaining agreement between the University of Connecticut and the Graduate Employee Union.

Per University policy, all teaching assistants (TAs) must present certification of English proficiency in order to qualify for an unrestricted appointment as a graduate teaching assistant with classroom instructional contact.

Anthropology Department Awards

The Department of Anthropology offers several awards and fellowships for graduate students:

  • Summer Research Fellowships help graduate students accelerate progress toward their degrees by providing funds for research, fieldwork, and the study of special methods.
  • Dissertation Writing Fellowships help advanced Ph.D. students finish their dissertation.
  • Conference Travel Fund provides awards for graduate students planning to present their research or attend a conference.
  • Graduate Student and Postdoc Research Fund offers small research awards for expenses like supplies, equipment, or analyses.

Learn more about department awards and how to apply.

External Funding

External fellowships and research awards are available from a variety of sources, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Wenner-Gren Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and more.

We encourage all students who have not yet completed a master’s degree to consider applying for a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, which provides three years of financial support, including a 12-month stipend and tuition benefits. Applications are due in mid-October. Learn more about the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

Please note that the MA Final Exam, Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam, and Dissertation Proposal must be completed before a student applies for external funding to support their dissertation research. Most funding agencies require students to be a Ph.D. candidate in order to receive dissertation research awards.

More Funding Resources