We offer dissertation travel grants, conference travel grants and fellowships to our graduate students.

Dissertation Travel Grants

Doctoral students may apply for these grants to subsidize travel and other costs associated with dissertation research, whether for exploring a potential dissertation topic, conducting dissertation research, or making a return trip to gather additional data. Competitions are held during the fall and spring semesters. Further information is available in the Graduate Studies Office.

Conference Travel

Through a combination of Graduate College and departmental support, partial reimbursement for expenses connected with travel to conferences to present papers is available. Competitions are held during the fall and spring semester. Stipends are dependent upon the student’s expenses and the availability of funds. Further information and applications for conference travel reimbursement are available in the Graduate Studies Office.

Fellowships

PhD candidates are eligible to apply for University and Departmental fellowships and Release Time fellowships. The competition is held in the spring for the coming academic year, and winners are usually announced in late March or April. More information on how to apply for such internal fellowships is available in the Graduate Studies Office.

  • Departmental Fellowships:
    • Recruitment fellowships worth $9000 per year, usually offered to first-year students who don't hold a Graduate College fellowship.
    • Several small summer fellowships worth approximately $2500 to $5500 in addition to teaching assistantships for continuing students.
    • We endeavor to provide all international students with summer support of approximately $5000.
  • Graduate College Fellowships:
    • Graduate College Fellowships for U.S. Citizens worth $25000 per year. These are 1-3 year non-teaching fellowships.
    • Illinois Distinguished three-year non-teaching fellowships worth $25,000 per year
  • External Fellowships:
    • Graduate students may be eligible to apply for a number of external fellowships. The Graduate college maintains an extensive and updated database of such fellowships, along with their eligibility criteria, which may be searched through the Fellowship Finder.

  • Dissertation Fellowships:

    • Students in good standing and making good progress toward their degree ordinarily receive at least two courses released from teaching to work on their dissertation. Some receive a year or more of fellowship support. We attempt to make this stipend as close to that of teaching assistants.
    • An occasional student may compete with graduate students across campus for a Graduate College Dissertation Completion Fellowship which carries a $25,000 per-year non-teaching stipend.
       
    Note: Fellowship stipends may be subject to income taxes; see the Graduate College for further information.