Fellowships, Assistantships, Traineeships, Stipends, and Grants

Students who wish to be considered for fellowships must follow the guidelines for the specific fellowship as well as application deadlines for their program. Graduate Teaching and Research Assistantships are awarded by departments/programs.

Tuition scholarships accompanying Graduate Teaching, College, Research, and Student Affairs Assistantships do not cover audits or physical education activity courses, nor do they cover courses numbered below 5000 with the exception of 3000- or 4000-level courses for which prior approval of the Graduate College to take them was obtained..

Students are responsible for paying all mandatory fees- currently $1,028 per semester.

Graduate Teaching and/or Research Assistantships

Graduate Teaching and/or Research assistantships are awarded through many of the departments and programs offering graduate work; Graduate Research Assistantships are also available when a faculty member receives a grant from a source external to the university. For AY 2023-24, 9-month appointments have minimum stipends of  $20,088  for master's and $24,000  for doctoral students; 12-month appointments have minimum stipends of $27,850 for master's and $32,000  for doctoral students. Some programs have stipends higher than the minimum.

Graduate Teaching, Research or Research/Teaching assistants must maintain full time enrollment of a minimum of nine credits (or GRAD 9030) per semester. In addition to the stipend, the assistantship award includes payment for the Single Student Health Insurance Premium and a tuition scholarship for up 9 credits per semester (and up to 5 credits in summer if on a 12-month assistantship) during the period of the assistantship. University comprehensive fees and a Graduate Student Senate fee are the responsibility of the student.   

Approximately 20 hours of research and/or teaching effort per week is required of Graduate Teaching, Research or Research/Teaching assistants, and assistants must expect that more than one academic year will be necessary to complete the requirements for the master's degree. If a Teaching or Research/Teaching assistant is a candidate for the doctoral degree, at least four calendar years must be anticipated for completion of the academic program. Generally, assistants are appointed in the departments in which they are doing graduate work.

Graduate Administrative Assistantships

The Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration (HESA) M.Ed. program manages Graduate Administrative Assistantships across the University exclusively for HESA M.Ed. students. Housed within a variety of campus departments, HESA graduate administrative assistantships are designed for graduate students to gain valuable administrative, advising, or program development experience while supporting UVM’s commitment to student development through both curricular and co-curricular initiatives. Graduate students in these roles are empowered to use a diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice lens while working in a particular campus context.  
Applicants to the HESA M.Ed. program are contacted directly about the application and selection process for Graduate Administrative Assistantships. Graduate students outside of the HESA M.Ed. program should reach out to the Graduate College to inquire about availability of any Graduate Administrative Assistantships that may be open to the general graduate student body. 
Stipend, benefits, enrollment requirements, and expectations for Graduate Administrative Assistants are the same as those for Graduate Research or Teaching Assistants. 

Graduate Fellowships/Traineeships

Graduate Fellowships/Traineeships are available in some departments through grants from various state and federal agencies. Fellowships/Traineeships may include a stipend,  tuition scholarship and payment of the Single Student Health Insurance premium.

Travel Mini-Grants

The Graduate College provides mini-travel grants to help students underwrite the cost of attending conferences where they will present papers or posters based upon their research. The Mini-Grants Program is administered by the Graduate Student Senate. Funds are awarded three times per year. The student's home department must provide a match. Further information on the Mini-Grants Program is available at the GSS website.

Small Grants for Research Support

The Graduate College has funds for small awards (up to $750) to graduate students to support their thesis or dissertation research. These awards are limited to students in programs  where extramural support is typically not available and resources from their program or academic college/school are not available.

Other Fellowships

Fellowships established by private donors or through departmental resources are available periodically in some departments. Please check the website for the program in which you are interested for this information.  In addition, the Graduate College has several awards for students in specific disciplines. Please see the Student Awards page on the Graduate College Website for further information.