Student Funding Opportunities
Undergraduate Student Funding Opportunities
The office of Undergraduate Research & Scholarly Activity (URSA) is UAF's resource for the development and promotion of experiential learning activities that engage undergraduate students to support UAF's goal to become a leading student-focused research university.
Undergraduate research and creative activity at UAF covers all disciplines, from climate sciences to music, engineering, anthropology, life sciences, art and theater.
For general information on fellowships and scholarships:
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Graduate Student Funding Opportunities
For more information about funding opportunities to support your graduate studies, please review the following information where you will find a list of opportunities, including information about applying for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship in Anthropology. Below you will also find a list of "Other UAF and Alaska funding sources." Review the information carefully and consider applying to as many of those as you are eligible for.
Lastly, information about competitive scholarships available to all UAF graduate students can be found at /finaid/scholarships.php. Contact the Financial Aid Office if you have questions about applying for scholarships and/or student loans (uaf-financialaid@alaska.edu).
Departmental Funding
Teaching Assistantships
The department awards roughly 10 to 15 Teaching Assistantships on a competitive basis each semester. New and continuing students must reapply EACH SEMESTER by the appropriate deadline (see below). TA applications are processed separately from the admissions application and must be sent directly to the department's Graduate Studies Coordinator. Once the faculty meet to make award decisions, the department will notify each applicant by email.
We typically support MA students for 2 academic years (4 semesters) and PhD students for 3 years (6 semesters), but this is ultimately contingent on College of Liberal Arts funding. Generally, our graduate students are successful in securing other funding for additional years to complete their degree, but we have sometimes awarded TAships beyond the 2-3 year maximums depending on the availability of funds and the student's progress. Several faculty have also been able to award Research Assistantships through their own grants.
A TAship includes a biweekly stipend for 15 hrs/week of TA work (assisting with course preparation and other instructional duties as assigned), student health insurance, and a tuition waiver up to 10 credits per semester.
Deadlines
Deadlines for TA applications to the Anthropology department are:
- March 15: for consideration for a fall award
- October 15: for consideration for a spring award
NOTE: These departmental deadlines may differ from those listed on other UAF web sites.
Given the modest stipend, many students choose to supplement their income with student loans and/or other employment. Though, with a TAship, faculty expect students to prioritize their TA work, which means that meetings with their TA supervisor, attendance in the course, and other work required by the faculty supervisor must be prioritized over other employment. Note that there are limitations on seeking additional university employment during a TA contract period.
For example, the university only allows students to work for the university system up to 20 total hours per week during regular fall and spring semesters. Some anthropology graduate students choose to apply and work an additional 5 hours elsewhere on campus (e.g., the Museum of the North) during the TA contract period. However, this changes the employment tax situation and anyone who obtains such a position should speak with the HR coordinator (Ellen Cruse) at the College of Liberal Arts for more information.
If you wish to be considered for departmental funding, please fill out the application (new students or returning students) and send it to syamin@alaska.edu.
Other UAF and Alaska funding sources
Many of our students have also been supported through the UAF IGERT PhD Programs: Resilience and Adaptation (). Students are admitted to the IGERT program but may declare anthropology as their home department. Students interested in one of these programs with an anthropology focus should contact a member of the anthropology faculty to discuss their options.
An excellent multi-year external source of funding open to all early career graduate students, the purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States.
A major sources of funding for graduate student research, the U.S. National Science Foundation offers hundreds of funding opportunities — including grants, cooperative agreements and fellowships — that support research and education across science and engineering.
Another major source of graduate funding since 1923, the SSRC has awarded more than fifteen thousand fellowships to researchers around the globe. Council fellowship programs are strategic – they target specific problems, promote individual and institutional change, and expand networks.
The Wenner-Gren Foundation is committed to playing a leadership role in anthropology. We help anthropologists advance anthropological knowledge, build sustainable careers, and amplify the impact of anthropology within the wider world. They offer a number of funding opportunities for doctorate students.
The Leakey Foundation exclusively finds research related to human origins. It awards around $1,500,000 in grants annually to grantees at science and education institutions around the world through five separate grant programs awarded twice annually.
Other sources of funding for travel, graduate education, and thesis/dissertation research:
Find funding options to support your grad studies. Learn how to apply for assistantships, scholarships, tuition assistance and loans. Be sure to check out the Dissertation and Thesis Completion Fellowship for additional funding opportunities.
The ÌÀÄ·ÊÓƵ is a Land, Sea, and Space Grant university and an international center for research, education, and the arts, emphasizing the circumpolar North and its diverse peoples. UAF integrates teaching, research, and public service as it educates students for active citizenship and prepares them for lifelong learning and careers.
The NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research () is a nationwide research and education effort administered by the National Science Foundation. The mission of NSF EPSCoR is to help the NSF to "strengthen research and education in science and engineering throughout the United States and to avoid undue concentration of such research and education."
As a tribute to their contributions, the David and Rachel Hopkins Scholarship is awarded
to a UAF, UAA, or UAS graduate student conducting interdisciplinary Quaternary research
in or on Beringia or the greater North Pacific Rim. Fellowships are offered to students
each academic year.
The University of Alaska Museum of the North recognizes the need to support research on our collections by interested students and scholars. The Museum offers a small number of grants and fellowships to students for research related to our collections.
For general information on fellowships and scholarships:
Looking for information on donations?