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.

Eligibility
What’s included in funding?
finding assistantship positions
Federal Work-Study

Scholarships, much like fellowships, do not require the student to complete 20 hours of work per week. Scholars typically are only awarded tuition coverage.

The Graduate School awards the following scholarships through a highly competitive nomination process. Interested students should contact the graduate coordinator in their academic department.

  • Atlantic Provinces Graduate Scholarships
  • Graduate Trustee Tuition Scholarships
  • Thurgood Marshall Scholarships

Additional scholarship opportunities are available, below are a few options for graduate students. Students should also check with the graduate coordinator for their academic department in case there are departmental scholarships available.

Scholarships Requiring Departmental Nomination

Atlantic Provinces Graduate Scholarships

Three scholarships, which pay a year’s tuition, are available on a competitive basis to graduates of the colleges and universities of the Atlantic Provinces and Quebec. Applicants interested in being nominated for this award should consult their department.

Graduate Trustee Tuition Scholarships

Fifteen to eighteen scholarships, which pay a year’s tuition, are available on a competitive basis to students enrolled in graduate programs. Scholarship recipients are required to register for nine hours of credit each semester. Interested students should seek nominations through their departments of study.

Thurgood Marshall Scholarships

Two to five scholarships, which pay a year’s tuition, are available to graduate students whose socioeconomic background, prior academic or work experience, and/or graduate educational interests would bring a unique perspective to the University of Maine community. Preference for these scholarships is given to individuals from groups that have been traditionally underrepresented at the University of Maine. Scholarship recipients are required to register for nine hours of credit each semester. Interested students should seek nominations through their departments of study.

The University of Maine offers teaching, research, and graduate assistantships for eligible students. TAs and RAs are competitive and typically awarded by academic departments. GA positions are either federal work-study or non-work-study eligible and involve working within offices or departments on campus.

DefinitionS

  • Teaching assistants, or TAs, are those whose primary responsibilities include teaching.
  • Research assistants, or RAs, are those whose primary responsibilities are to perform research.
  • Graduate assistants, or GAs, are those whose primary responsibilities are providing other support (not including teaching or research). There are two types of GA positions:
  • Federal work-study GAs are only open to domestic students who have completed the FAFSA. Federal work-study funding may be available through the Office of Student Employment for graduate students who meet financial and academic qualifications. For more information about whether you might qualify, visit our Federal Work-Study FAQ page.
  • Department-funded GAs are open to all graduate students.
Office of Student Employment
Federal Work-Study FAQs

Graduate School Assistantships

The Graduate School awards the following assistantships through a highly competitive nomination process. Interested students should contact the graduate coordinator in their academic department by November for support in the next academic year.

Chase Distinguished Research Assistantships

Five research assistantships are available annually and are awarded by the Graduate School. The stipend amount is the same as the University’s minimum stipend for the academic year (9 months). A tuition waiver for up to nine hours per semester is included exclusive of courses taken as audit or pass/fail or below 400 level. Partial health benefits are also included. These awards are made on a competitive basis and involve nomination by the department of study and submission of a research proposal delineating the research to be undertaken.

Susan J. Hunter Teaching Assistantships

Susan J. Hunter Teaching Assistantships are awarded to doctoral students. Each TA is required to teach one lower division course normally scheduled to be taught by a member of the graduate faculty. The graduate faculty member must agree to teach a graduate course that otherwise would not have been taught; this course can be delivered during any semester. All TAs will be required to attend several teaching workshops to be held during the Fall semester, run by the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning.

Shared Teaching Assistantships

The Graduate School assists in the coordination of sharing teaching assistants across graduate programs using TA lines which have been offered in the past on an ad hoc basis to meet increased undergraduate teaching needs and funded either through college resources or through resources provided centrally by the Office of Academic Affairs. These awards are made on a competitive basis and involve nomination by the department of study. 

view More assistantships

UMaine Fellowships

Fellowship Database

Find additional fellowships at the following links:

external fellowships

Jane Waldron Doctoral Research Fellowship

The Graduate School offers the Janet Waldron Doctoral Research Fellowship through a highly competitive nomination process. This fellowship is open to all doctoral students, regardless of discipline, and is designed to stimulate research and scholarship at UMaine as measured by research productivity and doctoral-degree graduation rate. Therefore, successful applicants will explicitly address how fellowship support would result in an overall increase in productivity. This JWDRF is intended to provide up to two years (24 months) of support for doctoral students to assist in the completion of their degrees; however, support for the second year is contingent upon budget availability and success in meeting productivity goals.

Interested students should contact the graduate coordinator of their academic department.

Tuition Waivers or Special Rates

The University of Maine supports a number of initiatives to provide tuition waivers or special tuition rates for eligible students.

Third-Party Employer Education Benefits

Many employers offer education benefits to their employees, is your employer one of them? The Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) has a list of some you may not know about on their website.

Loans

See the Office of Student Financial Aid website for information about the types of loans available to graduate students.

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.

Please note that graduate assistants are not normally allowed to be employed outside the University of Maine without permission from their graduate program and the Graduate School.

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.

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.

What’s included in university funding?

stipend

The minimum award for an academic year position, based on 2024-2025 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).

Finding Open Graduate Funding Positions

Open assistantship positions can be found through the following avenues:

  • CareerLink (only available for admitted students with a @maine.edu email address)
  • Academic programs: check with the graduate coordinator for your program for available financial support.
  • Administrative offices on campus (work-study and non-work-study). Offices that commonly support work-study assistantship positions include, but are not limited to: Office of Admissions, the Graduate School, Bodwell Volunteer Center, Student Affairs, International Programs, Student Financial Aid, and Student Employment.
  • Asking other faculty, staff, and students in areas of interest to you.
  • Completing the Graduate Assistant Position Interest Form. This form is for students who have been admitted to a UMaine graduate program and are interested in employment as a graduate assistant. Completing the form does not guarantee that you will be offered a position, but it allows your information to be shared with many different departments that are looking to hire a graduate student.

OPEN FUNDING POSITIONS

Note: This is a list of open assistantship positions that have been shared with the Graduate School. It is not representative of all open positions or opportunities currently available on campus.

View more

Federal Work-Study FAQs

In Summary

Complete the FAFSA each year, as soon as possible. Each new FAFSA application window opens on October 1 and the priority deadline for a maximum award is March 1. You may be eligible now even if you were not eligible in previous years. Contact the Student Financial Aid Office for any aid-specific questions (207.581.1324 or umfinaid@maine.edu).

Federal Work-Study (FWS) provides funds for part-time jobs for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses. It is a form of financial aid that is provided to eligible students through the FAFSA.

Students must complete the FAFSA before March 1 to have maximum eligibility for FWS. Only United States citizens are eligible for FWS funds. Eligible students will also need to have what is called financial need as determined by the FAFSA. This is calculated by the total cost of attendance of the university (COA) minus the estimated family contribution (EFC), calculated by the financial information entered on the FAFSA. All students applying for a federal work-study position must complete the FAFSA and demonstrate a financial need according to the equation above. For more information about eligibility please reach out to the Student Financial Aid Office at 207.581.1324.

Maybe, but you have to complete the FAFSA to be certain! Most students are considered dependents of their parents or guardians during their undergraduate career. However, once a student begins pursuing an advanced degree, the FAFSA considers them an independent student. This can significantly change the way the FAFSA looks at your finances. This means that even if you were not eligible for FWS in your undergraduate years, you may be eligible now!

The FAFSA looks at financial data from 2 years before the application year. Sometimes this data does not accurately reflect the student’s current situation. If this is the case and you have supporting financial data, backing documentation, and a job that requires FWS you may be eligible to file an appeal through the Student Financial Aid Office. Not everyone is eligible for an appeal and it can take up to 30 days for a decision to be made. Before making this decision you will want to contact the Student Financial Aid Office to determine the best course of action.