Financial Assistance

Financial assistance in the form of graduate assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships are available for most graduate students in residence. No separate forms are necessary to apply for financial aid. Stipends usually are awarded for the academic year; summer appointments also are possible.

Tuition Scholarship

Notre Dame provides a tuition waiver to all full-time students receiving either a assistantship or fellowship. See https://graduateschool.nd.edu/funding/ for further details on this substantial benefit.

Department Funding

The Department and its faculty allocate graduate assistantships and research assistantships to many of our students.

Graduate assistantships carry the responsibility of assisting faculty with undergraduate or graduate instruction, with a time commitment of about 12 hours per week.

Students with graduate assistantships or research assistantships normally enroll for 9-12 credit hours per semester with a maximum of 15 credit hours per semester.

Individual appointments and stipends are determined on a competitive basis, with input from faculty advisors.

College and University Fellowships

A number of select College and University fellowships are available to outstanding students, e.g., the Michael J. Birck Fellowship, the Remick Fellowship, the Burns Fellowship, the Clare Boothe Luce Fellowship for Women, and the Arthur J. Schmitt Presidential Fellowship. More details on these fellowships are available at https://graduateschool.nd.edu/funding/select-fellowships/.

Because fellowships do not involve specific duties, they allow fellows to make more rapid progress in their program of studies.

National and International Fellowships

Prospective US students are encouraged to apply for competitive national and international fellowships, such as the National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships. Students who receive these awards may have their stipends augmented as permitted by the donating agency in accordance with departmental policy.

International students should also inquire with their governments as to the availability of financial aid. Augmentation of stipends from these awards may be possible.

Support for graduate fellowships and external funding is provided by the Office of Grants and Fellowships. More information is available at https://graduateschool.nd.edu/graduate-training/research-communication/the-office-of-grants-and-fellowships/