Financial Aid and Funding

North Campus.

Assistantships, Scholarships, and Fellowships

PhD students who wish to apply for financial aid for Fall 2025 enrollment are encouraged to complete their applications well before the January 1, 2025 deadline. Their supporting materials (transcripts, recommendations, etc.) must also be submitted by January 1, 2025. At this time, MA students are not eligible for financial aid.

Approximately two-thirds of our active graduate students have been funded from a variety of financial resources. Some appointments include various forms of assistantships. Several scholarships and fellowships are also available.

PhD Funding Opportunities

  • 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.
Departmental Funding Opportunities for PhD Students
  • Teaching Assistantships: The Department has fifteen state-funded teaching, grading, research and student assistantships which currently provide a starting stipend of approximately $20,000 annually plus a tuition waiver
  • Hourani Endowment Fellowship: Qualified applicants with an interest in ethics are eligible for Hourani Endowment Fellowships which supplement other assistantships with a stipend top off award of $2,000.
  • Dissertation Fellowship: The College of Arts and Sciences offers Dissertation Fellowships of $4,000 annually for students in the third stage of the doctoral program.
  • IGERT Fellowship: Qualified applicants with an interest in cognitive science are eligible for an IGERT Fellowship offered jointly with the NCGIA.

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