Graduate Funding
Department Funding
KU Anthropology is committed to providing four-year funding packages to admitted Ph.D. students. Up to two years of funding may be available for admitted MA students.
Completed application files received by the application deadline will be considered for all funding opportunities for which they are eligible. The following are the most commonly available funding sources available for incoming students. Availability may vary by year.
The majority of departmental funding for graduate students in anthropology comes in the form of Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) and Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) positions. GTA and GRA positions include a full tuition waiver and health insurance with KU paying 75% of the premium. The GTA salary for the 2023-24 academic year is $18,650. GRA salaries may vary slightly.
GTAs are allotted to graduate students annually on a competitive basis. GTA openings for the next academic year are normally announced in the spring semester.
GRA positions are usually recruited and awarded by the individual faculty member conducting the research.
The department has various scholarships available each year for incoming students. Amounts vary, and some may be reserved for specific subdiciplines or topics. Current graduate students are eligible annually for scholarship funds to support research and travel expenses. Additional awards are available for students who demonstrate excellence in academics, scholarship, and teaching.
University Funding
The Office of Graduate Studies distributes University Graduate Fellowships (UGFs) to doctoral programs on an annual basis. Each department may be awarded up to one first-year fellowship for a first-year doctoral student, and one first-year fellowship for a first-year underrepresented domestic doctoral student. The stipend for each fellowship is $26,000. UGFs are distributed as a 9-month GRA positions.
Departments may nominate one exceptional applicant each year for a CDF. Fellows are expected to complete all doctoral degree requirements within five years. The fellowship provides a yearly stipend of $32,550 stipend for four years. Awards are distributed as 12-month GRA positions.
The Allen S. Wilber Scholarship provides funding of up to $9,700 for the study of social sciences or modern languages and literatures at the graduate level. Recipients must complete their undergraduate degree at KU and intend to continue on to graduate study in one of the humanities, social sciences, or international and interdisciplinary studies departments, programs or centers. Eligible academic units may nominate one outstanding KU student who has expressed an interest in or has already applied to their graduate program.
Admitted graduate students from any discipline who wish to study an approved foreign language are encouraged to apply for FLAS (Foreign Language & Area Studies) Fellowships at KU through the KU Area Studies Centers. Graduate Academic Year FLAS Fellowships provide up to $18,000 for tuition and a $15,000 stipend. Summer FLAS Fellowships (both undergraduate and graduate) provide up to $5,000 for summer tuition and a stipend of $2,500. Modest travel funds may be available for summer.
The Kansas African Studies Center supports FLAS students studying Amharic, Arabic, Hausa, KiSwahili, Somali, and Wolof.
The Center for East Asian Studies supports FLAS students studying Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, and Uyghur.
The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies supports FLAS students studying Guaraní, Haitian Creole, Kaqchikel, K'iche' Maya, Miskitu, Portuguese, Quechua, and Yucatec Maya.
Further information is available at Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS)
General
Please contact KU Financial Aid & Scholarships for information on additional opportunities for scholarships, federal financial aid, and grants. All domestic graduate students are strongly encourages to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year, even those not intending to take student loans. International students may also be eligible for certain forms of financial assistance.