Funding

For more information about funding opportunities to support your graduate studies, please review all of the information on this page where you will find a list of opportunities, including information about applying for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship in Anthropology. Below you will also find a list of "Other UAF and Alaska funding sources." Review the information carefully and consider applying to as many of those as you are eligible for. Lastly, information about competitive scholarships available to all UAF graduate students can be found at the Office of Financial Aid. Contact the Financial Aid Office if you have questions about applying for scholarships and/or student loans (uaf-financialaid@alaska.edu).


 

Departmental Funding

The department awards roughly 10 to 15 Teaching Assistantships on a competitive basis each semester. New and continuing students must reapply EACH SEMESTER by the appropriate deadline (see below). These are awarded on a competitive basis with students ranked by multiple variables (GPA, timely progress toward degree, previous TA performance, etc.). TA applications are processed separately from the admissions application and must be sent directly to the department's Graduate Studies Coordinator. Once the faculty meet to make award decisions, the department will notify each applicant by email. 

We typically support MA students for 2 academic years (4 semesters) and PhD students for 3 years (6 semesters), but this is ultimately contingent on College of Liberal Arts funding. Generally, our graduate students are successful in securing other funding for additional years to complete their degree, but we have sometimes awarded TAships beyond the 2-3 year maximums depending on the availability of funds and the student's progress. Several faculty have also been able to award Research Assistantships through their own grants.

A TAship includes a biweekly stipend for 15 hrs/week of TA work (assisting with course preparation and other instructional duties as assigned), student health insurance, and a tuition waiver up to 10 credits per semester. Note that there are limitations on seeking additional university employment during a TA contract period. For example, the university only allows students to work for the university system up to 20 total hours per week during regular fall and spring semesters. Some anthropology graduate students choose to apply and work an additional 5 hours elsewhere on campus (e.g., the Museum of the North) during the TA contract period. However, this changes the employment tax situation and anyone who obtains such a position should speak with the HR coordinator (Ellen Cruse) at the College of Liberal Arts for more information.

International students must be enrolled full time (at least 9 credits) to be eligible for a TA award (all others must be enrolled in at least 6 credits, which is considered part-time). Most graduate students with a Teaching Assistantship choose to enroll full time in three x 3-credit courses each semester to maximize the value of the paid tuition. The College of Liberal Arts at UAF has different pay levels for graduate TAs. For information about pay/benefits, please contact the HR Coordinator for CLA, Ellen Cruse (email: ellen.cruse@alaska.edu, or by phone at 907-474-1134). Given the modest stipend, many students choose to supplement their income with student loans and/or other employment. Though, with a TAship, faculty expect students to prioritize their TA work, which means that meetings with their TA supervisor, attendance in the course, and other work required by the faculty supervisor must be prioritized over other employment.

If you wish to be considered for departmental funding, please fill out the application (new students or returning students) and send it to syamin@alaska.edu

Deadlines

Deadlines for TA applications to the Anthropology department are:

  • March 15: for consideration for a fall award 
  • October 15: for consideration for a spring award

NOTE: These departmental deadlines may differ from those listed on other UAF web sites.

 


 

Other UAF and Alaska funding sources

Many of our students have also been supported through the UAF IGERT PhD Programs: Resilience and Adaptation (RAP). Students are admitted to the IGERT program but may declare anthropology as their home department. Students interested in one of these programs with an anthropology focus should contact a member of the anthropology faculty to discuss their options.

An excellent multi-year external source of funding open to all early career graduate students is the NSF Graduate Student Fellowship program (NSFGRFP).

Major sources of funding for graduate student research are: NSF (Dissertation Improvement Grants),Social Sciences Research Council, Wenner Gren and the Leaky Foundation.

Other sources of funding for travel, graduate education, and thesis/dissertation research can be found at the Graduate School, Alaska EPSCoR and the Office of Sponsored Programs.

Other sources of funding for travel, graduate education, and thesis/dissertation research can be found at the Graduate School, Alaska EPSCoR and the Office of Sponsored Programs.

 

National funding sources

An excellent multi-year external source of funding open to all early career graduate students is the NSF Graduate Student Fellowship program (NSFGRFP).

Major sources of funding for graduate student research are: NSF (Dissertation Improvement Grants),Social Sciences Research Council, Wenner Gren and the Leaky Foundation.