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General Information: Financial Aid and Awards
Financial assistance is offered to a majority of doctoral students and to some master’s students during their period of study. Various fellowships as well as assistantships between 25% – 67% provide a stipend and a waiver of the tuition and service fee. Students who wish to be considered for financial assistance should contact the graduate office listed under “College of Education Graduate Contacts” for more information. Students may not hold more than one full fellowship during any given semester.
In addition to fellowships, assistantships and tuition and service fee waivers offered by departments, other forms of financial aid and non-monetary recognition awards are available to graduate students in education. Below are brief descriptions of the various forms of financial aid and recognition awards for graduate students in education.
Graduate College Funding Opportunities
Conference Travel Grants For Graduate Students
Graduate College Dissertation Travel Grants
College of Education Awards
All award recipients will be expected to attend the student recognition banquet to meet their donor(s) as well as write a letter and thank their donor(s).
Babcock Fellowship
incoming (master’s or doctoral level) underrepresented minority student who intends to pursue full-time graduate study (minimum of 12 hours per semester) on the Urbana campus in the College of Education. The Wanda Taeschner Babcock Fellowship recipient will receive a taxable stipend of $9,500 payable over 9-months as well as a tuition and service fee waiver for two consecutive years. Student must maintain satisfactory and continuous progress toward his/her degree objective. The nominating department must provide a minimum of a 25% assistantship which is optional for the student to accept. The College of Education and its departments are encouraged to identify and recruit top candidates for this unique Fellowship. Guidelines are available through the departments and the Student Academic Affairs Office.
Letitia Walsh Fellowships
A Letitia Walsh Fellowship for study in education is awarded annually to recruit an incoming doctoral student who intends to pursue full-time enrollment (minimum of 12 hours per semester) on the Urbana campus. Eligible candidates may include University of Illinois students who are applying for a new degree. The primary criteria for selection are academic merit, professional experience and potential for contributing to the field of education. The Letitia Walsh Fellowship recipient will receive a taxable stipend of $10,000 payable over 9-months as well as a tuition and service fee waiver for two consecutive years. The nominating department must provide a minimum of a 25% assistantship which is optional for the student to accept. The College of Education and its departments are encouraged to identify and recruit top candidates for this unique Fellowship. Guidelines are available through the departments and the Student Academic Affairs Office.
More Scholarship & Award information
Graduate Assistantships
Assistantships are awarded to students admitted and enrolled for graduate study and are available in departments and operating units both within and outside the College of Education. Graduate students and advisers should be guided by the Graduate College policy on graduate assistants.
Students should contact the department or unit in which they are applying for assistantship application requirements. Assistantships are work assignments for specified percentages of time, with duties determined by the hiring unit. Assistantship stipends are taxable.
The normal assistantship within the College of Education is 50% FTE. For a student to receive an appointment above 50%, the adviser and employing faculty or staff member must make a request justifying the additional time above 50% and stipulate that the additional work will not impede the student’s progress toward his/her degree. Requests for exception should be sent to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Student Academic Affairs Office.
Information on tuition and fee waiver benefits for graduate assistants can be found in the Campus Assistantship Policies section of the Graduate College Handbook. Graduate assistants are responsible for paying all other assessed fees except those listed in the Graduate College Handbook. Students holding an assistantship between 25% - 67% during the spring semester are entitled to an automatic tuition and service fee waiver for the following summer session.
Information on health plans can be found at the Student Insurance Office.
Stand-alone Tuition and Fee Waivers
A limited number of stand-alone tuition and service fee waivers are available on a competitive basis. All assessed fees other than the service fee are the students’ responsibility. Students should consult their departments for specific application procedures and deadlines. Among the factors and evidence considered in the review of applications for tuition and service fee waivers are grade-point average, professional and academic experience, evidence of academic or professional distinction, and publications and scholarships.
Education Alumni Association Outstanding Student Medallion
The Education Alumni Association Outstanding Student Medallion (non-monetary award) is presented annually to a Bachelor's graduate, a Master's graduate, and a Doctoral graduate at the College of Education Convocation. The recipients are recognized publicly at the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards banquet in the spring, and also deliver the convocation address on behalf of their class. Their name is also placed on a permanent plaque in the College of Education building. Criteria for selection include outstanding scholarship, service to the College of Education and campus, and potential leadership in the field of education. Nominations, due in mid-March, are solicited from faculty and staff. The Awards Committee of the Educational Alumni Association makes the final selection.