Financial Support

Students admitted to the graduate program are guaranteed up to five years of full financial support (up to four years for the MFA; up to two years for the MA). Unlike many other graduate programs, all of UA English’s admitted students qualify for Graduate Assistantships, which include a stipend paid over nine months (currently $16,488), and full payment of up to 15 credit hours of graduate tuition. Individual programs additionally offer one-time or ongoing stipend enhancements from endowed funds, and there are a variety of additional fellowship opportunities as well.

For information regarding current Graduate School policy on Graduate Assistant health coverage, please consult the Graduate School directly. The Graduate School will provide single-coverage health insurance for each qualified assistantship, based on the FTE (Full-Time Equivalency, or number of assigned work hours) of the appointment.

a writing center tutor assists a student with an essay

Graduate Assistantships

First-year Graduate Assistants with fewer than 18 hours of prior graduate coursework in English will be assigned to work in the Writing Center, serve under the supervision of a faculty member as small section discussion leaders for 200-level literature lecture courses, or be assigned other duties as appropriate.

In the second year and beyond, Graduate Assistants usually teach a 1-2 or 2-1 course load of first-year writing (typically two sections in the fall and one in the spring semester). In this first year of teaching, GAs receive ongoing training and support from the department’s composition specialists. Later, GAs are eligible to request other appropriate teaching opportunities, such as literature surveys, advanced composition courses, and creative writing courses.

Fellowships and Awards

New and returning graduate students are also eligible for awards other than assistantships, including

  • Graduate Council Fellowships ($20,000 plus full tuition)
  • Dean’s Graduate Recruiting and Opportunity Awards ($6000 enhancements to the GA stipend, renewable for a total of three years)
  • McNair Graduate Fellowships ($20,000 plus full tuition)
  • National Alumni Association Fellowships ($20,000 plus full tuition)
  • Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Doctoral Scholarships
  • Alumni Heritage Scholarships

There are no separate application processes for these awards; all eligible students receive consideration. More information is here. Other awards, fellowships, special positions, and grants include

  • Excellence in Teaching Awards – Open to all MA, MFA, and PhD students who have taught at least 2 semesters
  • Excellence in Research Awards – Open to all graduate students
  • Outstanding Service Awards – Open to all graduate students
  • Buford Boone Fellowships – Open to all MA and PhD students
  • Harrison Fellowships – Open to all MA and PhD students
  • Truman Capote Fellowships (the number and value of these awards vary each year) – Open to MFA students
  • Prison Arts Fellowships ($10,000 per semester plus tuition) – Open to MFA students
  • Black Warrior Review editorial positions – Open to MFA students

Research and Travel Funding

The department has use of the Henry E. Jacobs Fund and the Miriam Locke Scholarship to help with graduate student research and conference travel expenses. The Graduate School and the College of Arts & Sciences also offer significant assistance with research and travel costs. The Student Government Association and the department’s own English Graduate Organization (EGO) are additional sources of research and travel funding, along with the Capstone International Center, which allocates funding for international research and travel.

Additional Information

More information about Strode Program funding is here.

More information about MFA Program funding is here.