How to fund your graduate degree

Deciding to pursue graduate education is an important decision. That’s why the Graduate School is committed to assisting prospective and current students with finding ways to fund their education. While the top three ways to receive funding support are through assistantships, fellowships, or scholarships, there are alternative ways to find support whether through loans or other third party sources. 

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Assistantships

Learn more about assistantships at UMaine and see if you qualify for a federal work-study position

Other Options

Learn more about other financial options at the Financial Aid Office

Fellowships

Learn more about fellowships at UMaine

Scholarships

Learn more about scholarships at UMaine

What is included in university funding

Stipend

The minimum award for an academic year position, based on 2022-2023 figures is:

  • $17,000 USD for master’s students
  • $20,000 USD for doctoral students

Tuition

Most university funding provides a tuition waiver for 6-9 credit hours per semester. 

Students are responsible for covering the fees associated with tuition costs. 

Health Insurance

UMaine covers up to half of the university health insurance benefit for eligible students (GA/RA/TA and fellows).

Eligibility for university funding

Several types of awards and assistance are available for new and continuing graduate students at the University of Maine. 

All new applicants who wish to be reviewed for awards or other UMaine financial assistance must have submitted and completed a graduate degree application by January 15. Most awards are based on academic performance, requiring at least a 3.0 graduate GPA, rather than financial need. 

For more information, please contact the Graduate School or the graduate coordinator in your department of interest.

Tuition costs

The University of Maine graduate tuition costs are visible on the Bursar’s Office website. Note: tuition costs are subject to change each academic year.

Fall 2022 & Spring 2023 tuition & mandatory fees

Summer 2021 tuition and mandatory fees

For new students, we have created an Estimated Graduate Tuition and Fees Calculator to aid in budgeting potential costs. Keep in mind, this is purely an estimate and actual costs will depend on program, residency, and credit load. 

How to find open positions & funding opportunities

Open Positions

Open assistantship positions can be found through the following avenues:

  1. CareerLink: instructions on how to use CareerLink.
  2. Academic programs: check with the graduate coordinator for your program for available financial support.
  3. Offices on campus (work-study and non-work-study).
    • Common offices with work-study positions include, but are not limited to: Office of Admissions, Graduate School, Bodwell Volunteer Center, Student Affairs, International Programs, Student Financial Aid, and Student Employment
  4. Asking other faculty, staff, and students in areas of interest to you.

Funding Opportunities

Note: the following list does not reflect all potential open positions or opportunities.

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