We strive to provide tuition plus a stipend for all graduate students during the years in which they are taking courses, subject to their making good progress in the program.  The Department and the University also have funding available for summer language study and preliminary field research. By the fourth year of study we expect students to be undertaking dissertation research with grant support from outside agencies. Finally, the Department and the University make available dissertation year write-up fellowships for students who have completed all research and are in the process of finishing their dissertation.

In addition to our own internal University and Departmental sources of funding, there are considerable resources outside of the University for funding graduate studies, field research, and dissertation write-up.  The Department has compiled and maintains a current list of granting agencies that fund in-residence study, language study, preliminary field research, dissertation research, dissertation write-up, and post-doctoral study.  We expect students to make the fullest use of both this information and that provided by the University computerized grant database services.  Faculty in the Department work closely with graduate students to develop grant proposals for external funding, and our students are exceedingly successful in obtaining outside funding for their work.

Please take the time to look over the various sources of internal and external funding listed below.  Both U.S. citizens and foreign students who plan to apply to the program should pay particular attention to the funding agencies listed below that support graduate course work.  You should seriously consider applying to these agencies at the same time that you are applying to graduate school.  Please note the deadlines for these grant applications.

External Funding Sources for Prospective Graduate Students

We strongly urge prospective students to seek grant and fellowship support from agencies and foundations supporting graduate course work in anthropology.  These are listed below.  You should apply to these at the same time that you are applying to graduate school.  Please note that the deadlines for these grant applications are all in November.

• Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowships for Minorities (deadline: November 10)
  http://www4.nationalacademies.org/osep/fo.nsf/web/homepage?OpenDocument
• Jacob Javits Fellowship Program (deadline: November 17)
  http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/HEP/iegps/javits.html
• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships (deadline: November)
  http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/EHR/DGE/grf.htm
• The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans (deadline: November 30)
  http://www.pdsoros.org/

External Funding Sources for Foreign Graduate Students

Foreign students should consider applying to the following agencies that support graduate studies conducted by foreign students in U.S. universities.  You should apply to these at the same time that you are applying to graduate school.

• Foreign Fulbright Graduate Student Program (apply through US Embassy in home country)
  http://www.iie.org/fulbright/ff/
• Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research (deadline: March 1)
  Professional Development International Fellowships
  http://www.wennergren.org/Dctf.htm

Internal Funding Sources for Graduate Students in Residence

Please make sure to note on your application whether you are in need of financial support from the Department. For guaranteed student loans, you must submit a separate application to the University's Office of Financial Aid (http://www.virginia.edu/~finaid/) before March 31st.

The following list provides a summary of the kinds of financial aid offered to students in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Virginia.

• University Jefferson Scholars Fellowships consist of tuition and fees, a stipend of $16,000 a year, and health insurance for four years. These fellowships are limited in number and involve on-grounds interviews with the selection committee.
• University President's Fellowships consist of tuition and fees, a stipend of $14,000 a year, and health insurance for each of the first three years of graduate study. These fellowships are awarded on the basis of a University-wide competition.
• Dean’s Graduate Awards cover tuition and fees, a stipend of $12,000, and health insurance for one year for minority students. The competition for these fellowships is University-wide.
• Commonwealth Graduate Award provides tuition and fees, a stipend of $10,000, and health insurance for one year for minority students who are Virginia residents. These fellowships are awarded on the basis of a State-wide competition.
• Academic Enhancement Program Fellowships are awarded by the Department, specifically for (1) first-year graduate study, (2) preliminary field research, and (3) dissertation write-up. The amounts are variable.
• DuPont Fellowships are offered in variable amounts to students at all levels.
• Governor's Fellowships are available in variable amounts to students who are Virginia residents.
• Harrison Fellowships are part of the Department of Anthropology endowment and are awarded in variable amounts to archaeology graduate students.
• Huskey Travel Fellowships are offered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences to subsidize travel to conferences where the student is presenting a research paper and for travel to archives and field sites.
• Summer Foreign Language Fellowships are offered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences to provide support for graduate students who are studying foreign languages during the summer.
• FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Studies) Fellowships include full tuition, a stipend of up to $14,000, and health insurance. They are provided by area studies programs (the Center for South Asian Studies and the Center for Russian and Eastern European Studies) with funding assistance from the Department of Anthropology.
• Preliminary Field Research Grants (from Academic Enhancement Program funds and the NSF Ethnographic Research Training Grant) are offered to rising second and third year students to support travel to potential research sites to evaluate the feasibility of conducting dissertation research and to carry out preliminary research. The grants are designed to enhance subsequent dissertation grant proposals.
• Teaching Assistantships are usually offered to second and third year students. TAs lead the discussion sections that accompany the larger undergraduate lecture courses. Teaching Assistantships provide approximately $6,500 per year in salary in addition to a waiver of the in-state portion of tuition.
•  Graderships are available to students in their first three years of study. Students grade exams and papers for undergraduate lecture courses. Graderships provide a salary slightly more than $5,000 plus health insurance, but they do not carry any a tuition waiver.
• Tuition Differentials make up the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition and must be applied to a salary of at least $5,000. A limited number of these are available.
• Faculty Senate Dissertation Year fellowships are offered on a competitive basis to graduate students who demonstrate both scholarly achievement and outstanding performance in teaching. Fellowships include tuition, health insurance and a stipend of $17,000.
• Dissertation Year Write-Up Fellowships are offered by the University and by the Department to cover expenses for one year of dissertation writing. These are available to students who have completed all research and analysis and are actively writing their dissertations, and they include a stipend of $11,000-12,000 and fees.
• Summer Foreign Language Fellowships are offered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences to provide support for graduate students who are studying foreign languages during the summer.
  
• Work Study Funding is available for students who are financially independent and qualify under federal and state guidelines. Students are encouraged to apply for work study funding through the University Financial Aid Office.
• Possible employment opportunities exist in the Department of Anthropology (in the Folklore Archives, Department Library, Archaeology Laboratory, or Department Office) and in other departments in the University.
• Summer School Courses are regularly taught by advanced graduate students in the Department of Anthropology. University lecturer rates apply.
• Grant-funded Research provides additional funding for graduate students through employment as research assistants on grant-funded research projects of the faculty.
• Teaching English as a Second Language: Graduate students in the Anthropology Department are regularly offered salaried teaching assistantships in the English as a Second Language Program that is coordinated by Professor Marion Ross of this Department.
• Our students also have been successful in receiving fellowships and teaching assistantships from interdisciplinary institutes and research centers based at the University of Virginia--including the Carter G. Woodson Institute for Afro-American and African Studies, the Center for South Asian Studies, and the Center for Russian and Eastern European Studies.
• Teaching and Technology Support Partners Program (TTSP): Graduate students in the Anthropology Department may receive salaried teaching assistantships in the TTSP program: these assistantships provide technological (and teaching) support to faculty members.