Financial Assistance

How to Pay for Your Graduate Degree

The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies makes every effort to support qualified graduate students in a way that contributes not only to their intellectual growth but also to their financial well-being. The total package offered to selected students is financially competitive with other major institutions because of the quality teaching experience it provides. Graduate student support is divided into four categories:

(1) Fellowships & Departmental Block Grants

Fellowship support in a variety of forms is available for particularly strong candidates. Qualified incoming students in the humanities will be considered for one-year small-department Regents’ Fellowships, which award $14,000, fees and tuition; and for Junior Fellowships from the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, which awards up to $2000. Qualified incoming and continuing students who are U.S. citizens, will also be considered for the Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships, which include a $14,000 stipend and 100% payment of tuition and/or fees. The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies also offers a Kenneth Pai Fellowship which provides full financial support annually to one student working on Chinese literature. Additional department funding is available through small block grants of varying amounts which can be used for fees and/or tuition. These funds are available to qualified new and continuing students. All fellowships are disbursed by the Graduate Division. For eligibility information click here.

(2) Student Academic Appointments

Most financial support for graduate students in East Asian studies comes from teaching assistantships. Students are responsible (with supervision) for teaching a variety of East Asian language courses at various levels. Teaching assistantships currently provide a stipend, fee offset and health insurance for the academic year. Graduate students might also be appointed as readers for the department. You can find more information about applying and becoming a Teaching Assistant at Graduate Division website.

(3) Need-Based Aid

Funds are awarded on the basis of the student’s financial need only (work-study and loan programs). Students apply for need-based aid through the Financial Aid Office. For more information on need based aid see the Graduate Division website.

(4) Extramural Funding

There are numerous federal and foundation fellowship opportunities for graduate students. All students are encouraged to apply for extramural awards and to visit the Graduate Division’s Financial Center for information and links to various extramural funding sources.

Online Application