Financial Support for Graduate Students

The School has a limited budget paid by Florida taxpayers to provide financial support to graduate students on a competitive basis. This support is in the form of fellowships or assistantships and tuition payments. The School does not have financial support for research expenses. Some students obtain research assistantships and tuition payments from research grants administered by faculty. Such opportunities may arise during applicants' discussions with faculty about research interests and advisement.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition Payments

Graduate students who are appointed on fellowships or assistantships through the SNRE will have their tuition paid by the School, up to 9 course credit hours each in the Fall and Spring semesters and 6 credit hours in the Summer semester.

Out-of-State Tuition

Out-of-state graduate tuition costs approximately four times as much as in-state tuition. U.S. citizens who are not Florida residents can become eligible for the in-state tuition rate by obtaining a Declaration of Domicile, Florida driver's license, and various other documents at least 12 months prior to applying for residency. These records should be in your possession before the Fee Payment Deadline of your first semester. Then you should submit a Request for Change in Residency Status form to the Office of Admissions, no later than the Fee Payment Deadline for the semester in which you seek reclassification. Requests received after this date will not be reviewed. The procedure for applying for Florida residency is described in the Graduate Handbook. This step may save many thousands of dollars over the course of your program of study. If you are eligible to seek Florida residency for tuition purposes, but you do not do so, the out-of-state portion of the tuition (matriculation fee) will be billed to you personally, not paid by the University.

Non-Waivable Fees

In addition to tuition, there are non-matriculation fees (building, trust fund, resident and non-resident student financial aid, activity, athletic, and health fees) charged on a per-credit-hour basis. These are not waived nor paid by the School and thus are the student's responsibility.

UF Fellowships and Scholarships

Graduate Student Travel Grants

Eligibility varies for these travel grants for graduate students (2020 Travel Grant Application).

Dissertation Completion Scholarships

Doctoral students who are U.S. citizens and who need funding for their final semester to graduate may apply to the Graduate School for the Supplemental Retention Scholarship or the Auzenne Dissertation Award.

Foreign Language and Area Studies Academic Year Fellowships (FLAS)

These fellowships are for graduate students who are studying select foreign languages. To be considered for these fellowships, you must apply directly to the program. For Brazilian Portuguese or Haitian Creole, see the FLAS Academic Year Scholarships guidelines administered by the Center for Latin American Studies. For languages of Africa, see the FLAS Fellowships guidelines administered by the Center for African Studies. For European languages, see the Center for European Studies. 

Graduate Research Fellowships

These are the highest graduate student awards available at the University. These prestigious awards support students seeking a doctoral degree. Successful applicants have an outstanding academic record, a strong commitment to the field of study, and demonstrate potential in research and creative activities. Awards provide a full four years of support. Application and selection are administered by the School.

Grinter Fellowships

These fellowships provide supplemental funding to recruit outstanding doctoral students, in cases where assistantship funds are insufficient. The awards are added to assistantships and they may continue for multiple years, ordinarily for the duration of the student's assistantship funding. Application and selection are administered through the School.

Tropical Conservation and Development Graduate Fellowships (TCD)

These fellowships are for master's or doctoral students. The majority of recipients are from Latin American and Caribbean nations. Recipients are required to participate in TCD Program-sponsored activities and to complete the 12-15 credit TCD interdisciplinary concentration. To be considered for these fellowships, you must apply directly to the program. For details see the TCD Graduate Fellowship guidelines.

Water Institute Fellowships

The University of Florida Water Institute offers doctoral fellowships to join interdisciplinary faculty teams working on complex, emerging issues in waters and watersheds. Specific subjects vary from year to year. The 4-year fellowships include a $25,000 stipend, tuition waiver, and health insurance. Fellows will be supported by an internal research grants program and will benefit from international field experiences and integrative activities that enhance interdisciplinary skills. Applicants must have a master's degree in natural sciences, social sciences, or engineering with a strong demonstrated interest in water issues. For more information and the online application visit http://waterinstitute.ufl.edu/WIGF

Assistantships 

Assistantships provide pay for work as a teaching or research assistant. The School generally funds one-third-time assistantships that pay the conventional rate paid by the department where the advisor is located. Ordinarily, the assistantship work carries a responsibility to work as a teaching assistant for one academic year, ordinarily done in the student's first year, and then research duties are assigned by the advisor for subsequent semesters. Students appointed on assistantships must be registered for at least 9 course credit hours each in the Fall and Spring semesters and 6 credit hours in the Summer semester, for a total of 24 credits per year.

Support For International students

International students are eligible to be considered for fellowships or assistantships provided by the School, which are available to all applicants on a competitive basis. International students also are eligible to be funded by research grants administered by their faculty advisors.

In cases where international students bring their own funding through a scholarship or fellowship, the School tries on a case-by-case basis to provide complementary funds, for example for tuition, if needed to make the proposed program of study feasible.

To encourage Fulbright or LASPAU scholars from Latin American or Caribbean countries, the School will consider committing to provide future funding after the external scholarship lapses, if an advisor wants to recruit the applicant to his or her research group.

Florida law provides that a student who is a citizen of a Latin American or Caribbean country and has a U.S. federal or state-funded fellowship or scholarship is considered a Florida citizen for tuition purposes. This means that such students qualify for the in-state tuition rate, rather than the out-of-state tuition rate.

Non-UF Environmental Fellowships