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Financial Aid

All EEB Ph.D. students in good standing receive financial aid from the Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior for some portion of their program via Graduate School Fellowships, Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships, summer stipends, or research grants. Some students are also supported through special NSF programs, such as the GK-12 and IGERT programs (see below). Many students also acquire their own funding from outside fellowships and grants. Although the details of the funding package for each student admitted to the program are worked out on a case-by-case basis, funding our graduate students is one of our top priorities; in the past, we have had sufficient resources to support every EEB doctoral student in good standing for the duration of their graduate study (i.e., five years). Our current doctoral students are supported by a mixture of Graduate School Fellowships, NSF Fellowships, Teaching Assistantships and Research Assistantships.

Graduate School Fellowships offer a first-year stipend for the strongest doctoral students recruited to the University of Minnesota. Because EEB students are extremely successful in University-wide competition, a large number receive this fellowship. In 2008-2009, Graduate School Fellowships will provide a $22,500 salary for 9 months, health insurance, and tuition coverage for up to 14 credits per semester. Students who are awarded a one-year Graduate School Fellowship in EEB are guaranteed four additional years of support and students who are awarded a two-year Graduate School Fellowship are guaranteed three additional years of support. This support comes in the form of Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships and final year Graduate School fellowships, contingent on satisfactory progress. The Graduate School provides additional awards and scholarships for students enrolled in its programs.

The EEB graduate program participates in two training grants, an IGERT and the GK-12 program.

Students who do not receive Graduate School or other Fellowships may still be admitted to the program if a faculty advisor can provide Research Assistantship support. In this case, the student is supported through some combination of Research and Teaching Assistantships and is encouraged to apply for additional fellowship support once in the program. Although in this case the number of years of guaranteed support varies depending on the individual financial package that is arranged with the advisor, as mentioned above, in the past, we have had sufficient resources to support every EEB doctoral student in good standing for the duration of their graduate study (i.e., five years).

Teaching Assistantships are awarded as 1/4 time or 1/2 time appointments. A 1/2-time Teaching Assistant teaches 20 hours per week and, in 2008-2009, will receive $18,378 - $17,503 for the 9-month academic year. A 1/4-time Teaching Assistant teaches 10 hours per week and receive $9,189 - $8,751 for the 9-month academic year. In addition, the University of Minnesota waives tuition and provides health insurance benefits; students with a 1/4-time Teaching Assistantship have 1/2 of their tuition (up to 7 credits) and 47.5% of their health insurance covered, and pay resident rates for the balance. Students with a 1/2-time appointment receive a full tuition waiver (for up to 14 credits) and 95% health-insurance coverage.

Research Assistantships are awarded according to the needs and resources of individual faculty. These appointments are normally funded through research grants, provided to students working in areas related to the professor's interest, and arranged in consultation with the faculty. Nine-month Research Assistantships receive the same pay, tuition and health insurance benefits as Teaching Assistants.

The current support levels quoted here increase regularly from year to year. In addition to the basic support provided by these academic-year fellowships, most EEB graduate students receive summer salaries funded by a departmental block grant from the Graduate School, endowments like the Birney Memorial, or additional research assistantships from faculty grants.

Graduate student Kendra McLauchlan completed her Ph.D. with Professor Sarah Hobbie and studied the changes in former agricultural soils in the Prairie Pothole region of western Minnesota, 40 years after conversion to grassland. (Courtesy of Kendra McLauchlan)