Types of Funding | Graduate College

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en" dir="ltr" prefix="og: https://ogp.me/ns#"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <meta name="description" content="Most graduate students fund their years of graduate study not through a single funding source but through multiple sources. Listed below are the most common sources of funding. For additional details, visit “Funding Graduate School” in our GradLIFE blog.Assistantships Assistantships entail performing work in exchange for a stipend. Assistantships are provided in terms of percentage of full-time effort (“FTE”), and they range from 1% to 100% FTE, with the most common being 50% FTE (20 hours/week). Tuition waivers are generally provided for assistantships that are between 25% and 67% FTE. There are four kinds of assistantships:Teaching Assistantships - TAs provide instruction, either by teaching their own classes or helping professors teach classes.Research Assistantships - RAs help professors conduct research and are usually paid through a professor’s grant. Graduate Assistantships - GAs usually perform administrative duties to assist a particular department or administrative office. Pre-Professional Graduate Assistantships - PGA duties allow students to gain experience closely related to their field of study and career preparation. Most assistantships are awarded through your home department. The Assistantship Clearinghouse lists some additional assistantship opportunities.Learn more about assistantships. FellowshipsFellowships are competitively awarded funding packages that officially do not require work in exchange for a stipend. Instead, fellowships generally allow the awardee the freedom to devote 100% of his/her time to research and coursework. Fellowships usually pay a generous stipend, and if that stipend is $10,000 or greater, the awardee may become eligible for a tuition waiver (waivers are not available to students in cost-recovery and self-supporting programs). Fellowships are divided into two categories, depending on their source:Internal fellowships are those that are provided by a unit on campus such as a department, a research center, the Graduate College, etc. Some units advertise their fellowships on their websites. For details, students should contact the units directly. External fellowships are provided by a source external to campus, e.g., a private foundation, corporation, governmental agency, professional association, etc. External fellowships usually carry significant prestige, and the Graduate College houses an office dedicated to helping Illinois graduate students compete for these awards. Visit the Office of External Fellowships for details. One key resource offered by this office is the Fellowship Finder database, one of the nation’s most comprehensive and current list of fellowships and grants for graduate students.Learn more about fellowships. Extracurricular EmploymentSome students may wish to work in more traditional positions either on campus or off campus. See the listing of campus job boards.LoansPrivate loans and unsubsidized federal loans are available to graduate students. Students pursuing loans should consult with the Office of Student Financial Aid. 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</div> </header> <div class="content-container"> <div class="layout-sidebar-first"> <div class='region region-sidebar'> <div id="block-custom-gradsidenavblock" class="block block-grad_side_nav_block block-block-custom-gradsidenavblock block__custom-gradsidenavblock"> <ilw-section-nav> <a href="/funding" class="ilw-section-nav--root" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/1950">Funding</a> <a href="/funding/funding-employment/funding-types" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4352" class="is-active" aria-current="page">Types of Funding</a> <a href="/funding/assistantships" title="Assistantships and their accompanying tuition waivers provide graduate students with financial resources." data-drupal-link-system-path="node/1963">Assistantships</a> <a href="/funding/fellowships" title="Information on fellowships and grants." data-drupal-link-system-path="node/1951">Fellowships</a> <a href="/funding/external-fellowships" title="Finding external grants and fellowships." data-drupal-link-system-path="node/1956">External Fellowships</a> <a href="/funding/funding-employment/tuition-and-fee-waivers" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4356">Tuition & Fee Waivers</a> <a href="/funding/funding-employment/understanding-taxability" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4357">Understanding Taxability</a> <a href="/funding/loans" title="Information regarding student loans." data-drupal-link-system-path="node/1966">Loans</a> <a href="/funding/campus-job-boards" title="Sources for job opportunities." data-drupal-link-system-path="node/1977">Campus Job Boards</a> <a href="/funding/funding-employment/financial-wellness" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4351">Financial Wellness</a> <a href="/resources/faculty-staff" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2154">Additional Resources for Faculty and Staff</a> </ilw-section-nav> </div> </div> </div> <main role="main" class='area main'> <div class='area highlighted'> <div class='region region-highlighted'> <div data-drupal-messages-fallback class="hidden"></div> </div> </div> <div class="container main-container"> <div class='layout-content '> <div class='region region-breadcrumbs'> <div id="block-custom-breadcrumbs" class="block block-system_breadcrumb_block block-block-custom-breadcrumbs block__custom-breadcrumbs"> <ilw-breadcrumbs> <a href="/">Graduate College</a> <a href="/funding">Funding</a> <span>Types of Funding</span> </ilw-breadcrumbs> </div> </div> <div class="region region-page_title"> <div id="block-custom-page-title" class="block block-page_title_block block-block-custom-page-title block__custom-page-title"> <h1> <span>Types of Funding</span> </h1> </div> </div> <a id="main-content" tabindex="-1"></a> <article class="node node-page node--full" class='node node-page'> <div> <div class="field-sections multiple"> <div class='items field-sections-items'> <div class='item'> <div class="paragraph paragraph-body"> <div class="field-body"> <p>Most graduate students fund their years of graduate study not through a single funding source but through multiple sources. Listed below are the most common sources of funding. For additional details, visit “<a href="https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/6397/753559">Funding Graduate School</a>” in our GradLIFE blog.</p><h2>Assistantships </h2><p>Assistantships entail performing work in exchange for a stipend. Assistantships are provided in terms of percentage of full-time effort (“FTE”), and they range from 1% to 100% FTE, with the most common being 50% FTE (20 hours/week).  Tuition waivers are generally provided for assistantships that are between 25% and 67% FTE. </p><p><strong>There are four kinds of assistantships:</strong></p><ul><li>Teaching Assistantships - TAs provide instruction, either by teaching their own classes or helping professors teach classes.</li><li>Research Assistantships - RAs help professors conduct research and are usually paid through a professor’s grant. </li><li>Graduate Assistantships - GAs usually perform administrative duties to assist a particular department or administrative office.  </li><li>Pre-Professional Graduate Assistantships - PGA duties allow students to gain experience closely related to their field of study and career preparation.   </li></ul><p>Most assistantships are awarded through your home department. The <a href="https://grad.illinois.edu/clearinghouse">Assistantship Clearinghouse</a> lists some additional assistantship opportunities.</p><p><a href="https://grad.illinois.edu/funding/assistantships">Learn more about assistantships</a>. </p><h2>Fellowships</h2><p>Fellowships are competitively awarded funding packages that officially do not require work in exchange for a stipend. Instead, fellowships generally allow the awardee the freedom to devote 100% of his/her time to research and coursework. Fellowships usually pay a generous stipend, and if that stipend is $10,000 or greater, the awardee may become eligible for a tuition waiver (waivers are not available to students in cost-recovery and self-supporting programs). </p><p>Fellowships are divided into two categories, depending on their source:</p><ul><li>Internal fellowships are those that are provided by a unit on campus such as a department, a research center, the Graduate College, etc.  Some units advertise their fellowships on their websites. For details, students should contact the units directly. </li><li>External fellowships are provided by a source external to campus, e.g., a private foundation, corporation, governmental agency, professional association, etc.  External fellowships usually carry significant prestige, and the Graduate College houses an office dedicated to helping Illinois graduate students compete for these awards. Visit the <a href="https://grad.illinois.edu/funding/external-fellowships">Office of External Fellowships</a> for details. One key resource offered by this office is the <a href="https://apps.grad.illinois.edu/fellowship-finder/">Fellowship Finder database</a>, one of the nation’s most comprehensive and current list of fellowships and grants for graduate students.</li></ul><p><a href="https://grad.illinois.edu/funding/fellowships">Learn more about fellowships</a>. </p><h2>Extracurricular Employment</h2><p>Some students may wish to work in more traditional positions either on campus or off campus. <a href="https://grad.illinois.edu/funding/campus-job-boards">See the listing of campus job boards</a>.</p><h2>Loans</h2><p>Private loans and unsubsidized federal loans are available to graduate students. Students pursuing loans should consult with the <a href="https://osfa.illinois.edu/">Office of Student Financial Aid</a>. </p><p><a href="https://grad.illinois.edu/funding/loans">Learn more about student loans</a>.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </main> </div> <ilw-footer> <a slot="site-name" href="/">Graduate College</a> <div slot="social"> <div class='region region-footer_social'> <div id="block-custom-socialmediaicons" class="block block-block_content:d7866e85-7061-4bad-a6cd-a67a0f7db1e7 block-block-custom-socialmediaicons block__custom-socialmediaicons"> <div class="social-icons"> <div class="paragraph paragraph-icon icon-only"> <a href='https://www.facebook.com/GradCollegeIllinois' title='Facebook'> <i class="fa-brands fa-facebook-f"></i> <span class='icon-label ilw-sr-only'>Facebook</span> </a> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph-icon icon-only"> <a href='https://twitter.com/GradCollegeIL' title='X (Twitter)'> <i class="fa-brands 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Types of Funding | Graduate College