Financial Aid for Graduate Students
The Department awards its most promising students financial support in the form of teaching and research assistantships.
- Ph.D. students in all fields are appointed as Department graduate teaching and research assistants.
- Ph.D. students in American Politics may be supported through the Dauer Chair.
- Ph.D. students in Public Policy (or M.A. students in Public Affairs) with substantive interests in housing policy are considered for support through the Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing. Contact Michael J. Scicchitano for more information.
- Ph.D. students in Public Policy (or M.A. students in Public Affairs) with substantive interests in health policy are considered for support through the Institute for Child Health Policy.
- Ph.D. students may be awarded Manning J. Dauer Fellowships as supplements to their assistantships.
- M.A. students in Political Campaigning are considered for assistantships through funds appropriated and donated to that program.
- M.A. and Ph.D. students with backgrounds in survey research may be appointed to hourly positions in the Florida Survey Research Center.
In addition, the department nominates students for consideration for the following awards:
- Alumni Fellows - the most prestigious and competitive awards for Ph.D. students at the University of Florida
- O. Ruth McQuown Scholarship - for women graduate students
- Madelyn Lockhart Fellowship - dissertation support for women doctoral candidates
- Title VI Foreign Language & Area Studies Fellowships - for M.A. and Ph.D. students who are interested in combining African or Latin American area studies with the study of language.
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dissertation Fellowships
Minority Applicants:
- African-American Ph.D. applicants are encouraged to apply for McKnight Doctoral Fellowships through the Florida Education Fund, 201 E. Kennedy Blvd., Suite 1525, Tampa, FL 33602 (813) 272-2772
The deadline for the McKnight Doctoral Fellowships is January 15, therefore qualified applicants should apply before they submit their materials to the Department of Political Science.
Under the Academic Common Market, residents of thirteen southeastern states who are admitted to our M.A. Program in Political Campaigning, our M.A. Program in International Development Policy and Administration, or our Ph.D. program (with a concentration in African Politics), may be eligible to waive out-of-state tuition fees. For more information, contact the Academic Common Market Coordinator in your state.
Students are encouraged to seek further information on financial aid from the UF Graduate School Financial Aid website and to download an application for a graduate fellowship and/or assistantship.
All applications for financial assistance (fellowships, graduate assistantships, and graders) in Political Science are filed directly with the Graduate Secretary, and are due January 15.
The retention of fellowships and assistantships is predicated on satisfactory academic progress as well as satisfactory performance of assigned tasks. The Department does not guarantee continuous funding for graduate students, nor any minimum number of semesters of aid. Most assistantships and fellowships, however, are extended for a duration of four years. Students holding at least quarter-time graduate assistantships or pre-doctoral fellowships paying at least $3,150 per semester are eligible for in-state or out-of-state tuition waivers up to the minimum credits required for full-time enrollment. Tuition waivers for each semester will be granted to qualifying assistants and fellows, provided they maintain a 3.0 GPA and are employed on or before the first day of classes through the end of final exams. Tuition waivers do not cover fees associated with registration.
International students from non-English speaking countries who apply for department assistantships must take the TSE (Test of Spoken English).
Contributions enable us to assist our graduate students in many ways, including fellowships, research awards, and support for research related travel. If you are interested in supporting the Political Science graduate program, please contact Cynthia Butler at the University of Florida Foundation (352-846-3447).
