Funding

There are a number of ways to help finance your graduate education at The University of Texas at Austin. There are Graduate Fellowships offered through the Office of Graduate Studies, departmental awards, non-UT grants and fellowships, and of course, federal aid. In the cases of Graduate Fellowships and departmental awards, all decisions are made by the Admissions Committee at the time of admissions. All applicants who are being considered for admission will automatically be considered for these fellowships. No separate applications are required, unless noted.

Graduate Fellowships

Brief descriptions of available fellowships are below.  Please see the Graduate School site for more information.

Graduate School Recruitment Fellowships

These fellowships are prestigious awards offered by the Graduate School to attract top quality graduate students to UT-Austin. Candidates for University Fellowships must rank within the top 10% of all students in their specific discipline, with particular attention placed on GRE scores.

Stipend: In most cases, a one-year award of $10,000 for 9 months, $500 for medical expenses + in-state tuition.

Diversity Fellowships for Incoming Students

The following are competitive fellowships given to outstanding students who might contribute to or benefit from the diverse educational environment of the program. Each award includes a stipend of $16,000 for nine months, health insurance assistance and tuition assistance (tuition billed at the in-state rate plus a supplement, currently $3784, to cover required tuition and fees). Please visit the Graduate School site for more information about eligibility requirements and awards.

Graduate School Diversity Recruitment Fellowship

Graduate School Diversity Mentoring Fellowships

McNair Scholars Graduate School Fellowship

South Texas Graduate School Fellowship

West Texas School Fellowship

Graduate School Diversity Recruitment Supplement

These fellowships are similar to the Graduate School Diversity Recruitment Fellowship in eligibility and requirements but are given to students who receive a GRA or TA position from the department. This award is for a supplemental stipend of up to $6,000 over nine months but does not include assistance for insurance, tuition or fees.

Harrington Graduate Fellowships

These fellowships are awarded on the basis of scholastic record and outstanding human qualities; including academic performance, character, and leadership. Harrington Doctoral Fellowships are awarded to entering graduate students admitted to a program leading to a doctoral degree at UT Austin. Doctoral Fellowships range from one-year to three-year awards. A Harrington Doctoral Fellow can earn a Master's Degree in the process of completing the doctoral work.

Stipend: $36,000 in addition to full tuition and required fees, student medical insurance, and a $2,000 allowance for miscellaneous expenses. For more information, please visit the Office of Graduate Studies Harring Fellows web page.

Departmental Awards

Rhonda L. Andrews Memorial Award

Rhonda Andrews was an anthropologist who specialized in the curation and analysis of perishable materials such as basketry and textiles. She analyzed fragile materials from such famous archaeological sites as Meadowcroft Rockshelter, Antelope House in Canyon de Chelly, Walpi, Jarmo, Nan Ranch and Hinds Cave.

In 1996 Basil and Joyce Andrews established a fellowship in Anthropology honoring the memory of their daughter, Rhonda L. Andrews. The Rhonda L. Andrews Memorial Award is intended to support graduate students in Anthropology who have completed research and are at the stage of writing their dissertations. The Memorial Award is $2,000.

To apply:

Please submit a curriculum vitae and a two to three-page letter of application to the Graduate Coordinator in Anthropology. In your letter, please provide a brief summary of your dissertation research, a concise outline of the dissertation and your progress on it to date, and the expected date of completion.

Past Recipients:

• 2010-11 Halide Velioglu
• 2009-10 David Hyde
• 2008-09 Shawn Marceaux
• 2007-08 Lidia Marte
• 2006-07 Mieke Maria Curtis
• 2005-06 Gene Mirus
• 2004-05 Brandt Peterson
• 2003-04 Benjamin T. Chappell
• 2002-03 Apen Ruiz
• 2001-02 Rachel Meyer
• 2000-01 Stephanie May
• 1999-2000 Calla Jacobson
• 1998-99 Susan Lepselter
• 1997-98 Kenneth Brown

Peyton and Douglas Wright Fellowship

This is a $1000 award intended to allow archaeology graduate students to undertake a research project leading to the Masters or PhD degrees. The purpose of this fellowship is to provide support for specific scholarly investigative projects. The fellowship is intended to cover costs associated with research projects.

Your application should include:

• an application form (download a PDF version (9K) or you may also obtain a hard copy from the Graduate Coordinator)
• a description of the proposed research (no more than two double-spaced typed pages)
• a one-page resume including a description of any special qualifications of the applicant to conduct the proposed project
• an itemized budget

Preference will be given to applicants who have applied for research funds from outside of the University. Please submit your completed application to the Graduate Coordinator by the announced deadline (generally in April). Successful applicants will be expected to submit a five-page report on their acomplishments at the completion of the field research.

Peyton Wright was a graduate of the Department of Anthropology and a professional archaeologist. In his memory, his family and friends established a fellowship program in 1998 to aid other students in completing their graduate work in Archaeology.

Past Recipients

• 2010-11: Carla Klehm
• 2006-07: Lisa Kraus
• 2005-06: Kirsten Atwood
• 2004-05: Lesley Kadish
• 2003-04: Peggy Brunache, Chet Walker & Clay Schultz
• 2002-03: May Jo Galindo
• 2001-02: Richard Meadows & Kerri Barile
• 2000-01: Terry Powis
• 1999-00: Carmen "Apen" Ruiz

Teaching Assistantships

Since there are only a limited number of teaching assistantships available, incoming students should not expect this type of financial support from the department during their first year. However, a large percentage of graduate students are funded through teaching assistantships once they are admitted and have demonstrated academic promise (at the departmental level, the largest single source of financial aid is the teaching assistantship). Stipends range between $13,086 and $14,418 for a nine-month period; additionally, TAs are entitled to a tuition benefit (currently $3784), resident tuition rates, and health insurance benefits. NOTE: Candidates whose native language is not English must pass the English Proficiency Assessment and Orientation administered by the University before they may be appointed.

Graduate Anthropology Scholarships

These are small, competitive scholarships of $1,000 that enable the student to pay tuition and required fees at the resident rate for one academic year. The department has only a very limited number of these scholarships to award, but they are effective in reducing the cost of tuition for out-of-state students. These scholarships are not available to first-year students.

FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Studies) Fellowships

These fellowships are administered through the following language centers. Only applicants possessing high academic qualifications and wishing to specialize in a particular language area should consider applying for this fellowship. Eligible applicants should make sure to apply for the FLAS at the time of their application to the department. More information can be obtained by contacting one of the area and language-studies centers that offer courses relevant to your interests. Stipend: $14,000 for one academic year + tuition and fees.

• The South Asia Institute (512-471-5811) supports the study of modern South Asian languages taught at UT-Austin (e.g., Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Urdu). Please visit their website for more information and to obtain an on-line application.
• The Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (512-471-7782) can fund language study in the following: Bulgarian, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Romani, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Uzbek, and Yiddish. Study of other languages requires petitioning to the Department of Education. Please visit their website for more information and to obtain an on-line application.
• The Institute of Latin American Studies (512-471-5551) can fund language study in Portuguese and Quechua, and possibly other languages by special arrangement. Please visit their website for more information and to obtain an on-line application.
• The Center for Middle Eastern Studies (512-471-3881) can fund language study in modern Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, or Turkish. Please visit their website for more complete information.

Externally Funded Fellowships

The Anthropology department strongly encourages and helps graduate students to obtain outside fellowships and grants. Many of our students have won prestigious awards such as Ford Foundation grants, Fulbright-Hays grants, National Science Foundation research grants, Social Science Research Council fellowships, and Wenner-Gren grants, among others. It is essential that you submit applications for graduate funding as you apply for admission to graduate programs. Information about many fellowships can be found on the Graduate School web site.

Student Employment

Campus Employment is an effective alternative for those not receiving financial awards or wishing to subsidize any aid they do receive. For information on campus employment, contact the Office of Personnel Services and Employee Relations (you may also complete the mandatory employment application online at this site); their phone number is 512-471-3656. The UT-Austin Office of Student Financial Services also provides information on work-study opportunities and employment resources around Austin at their web site (http://www.hirealonghorn.org/).

Federal Aid

For a list of financial aid programs, scholarship sources, student loan information, and student employment opportunities, please go to the web site of the UT-Austin Office of Student Financial Services (512-475-6282) http://www.utexas.edu/student/finaid.