Fellowships, Assistantships, Financial Aid

• Academic year stipends of $23,000 and a full tuition waiver for all full-time, funded PhD students on 10-month academic teaching assistant, research assistant, or graduate assistant appointments.
  • UB’s stipend levels are competitive among public Association of American Universities (AAU) member institutions.
• Additional Fellowship Opportunities:
  • Arthur A. Schomburg Fellowship Program: Candidates are required to be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and must demonstrate how they have overcome a disadvantage or other impediment to success in higher education. Candidates must also demonstrate a commitment to contributing to the diversity of the student body by facilitating and enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in their academic programs and campus activities. Even though financial need is not a requirement for program eligibility, applicants may utilize economic disadvantage as a basis for eligibility. This scholarship program is open to any and all prospective candidates regardless of race, color, national origin, or sex, and is consistent with all current governing federal and state nondiscrimination law. All application submissions will be assessed and evaluated in accordance with the required eligibility criteria. Students may apply for the Schomburg Fellowship on the UB graduate application for their program.
    
  • Presidential Fellowships: To be eligible for Presidential Fellowships, candidates must meet the criteria listed on the Presidential Fellowship page. Both domestic and international students are eligible, if they meet these criteria. For any questions regarding funding for academic year 2025–2026, contact the director of graduate studies or department chair.

A limited number of departmental fellowships and assistantships are available for qualified graduate students. Departmental assistantships include a stipend for the academic year and a full tuition scholarship. 

All full-time degree students are automatically considered for all fellowships and assistantships for their first year. After successful completion of their first year of graduate work in the department, only those students pursuing the PhD degree will be eligible for financial assistance.

Teaching Assistantship (TA) Expectations
Graduate student employees on a full assistantship are generally expected to provide 20 hours of service per week. Employees in this bargaining unit are engaged in professional activities of such a nature that the output produced or the result accomplished often cannot be precisely measured in relation to a given period of time. It is therefore anticipated that there will be fluctuations above and below these general expectations. Your professional activities will generally relate to your program of study. Continuation of your assistantship will be contingent upon satisfactory job performance, as well as satisfactory academic progress toward your academic degree.

Graduate students are eligible for up to $500 per academic year toward expenses related to attending academic conferences.