Graduate Funding Opportunities

The application deadline is January 15. Applicants must submit all required application materials by this deadline to be considered for admission with financial support. Recommendation letters may arrive a few days later, but all letters must be received by January 31.

The School of Economics (SOE) offers a limited number of graduate assistantships (GAs) for exceptional applicants. These GAs provide funding support to cover a stipend (at least $1,888.89 per month, typically for 9 months for a teaching assistantship (TA) and 12 months for a research assistantship (RA)), full tuition waiver for up to 9 graduate credits per semester (a full course load), and a credit for 50% of the cost of the UMaine health insurance policy for GAs. To apply for a School of Economics GA submit your application by January 15 and check the appropriate box on the graduate school application. No other action is required to be considered for a SOE GA.

The University of Maine’s Graduate School also has limited funding opportunities. To apply for a Graduate School funding opportunity, follow the instructions on the Graduate School website.

SOE and the Graduate School sometimes offer additional funding on a competitive basis to cover research expenses and travel to present research at professional conferences. Further funding for travel and research expenses is also available through the Grant Program at the Graduate Student Government.

Students receiving standard SOE GA appointments perform teaching and research tasks. This may involve serving as a TA for undergraduate and/or graduate courses or as an RA on a faculty member’s funded research project. Students are given clear expectations about their responsibilities and are expected, on average, to work 20 hours per week. When assigning assistantships, effort is taken to match the student’s interests and background with the research and teaching needs of the school’s faculty. In addition to these standard SOE GA positions, SOE faculty often secure external research grants that support additional RA positions. These GA positions are competitive: in any given year, we may have 2-6 TA and 2-10 RA positions open. For Fall 2024 admission, we received over 150 applications for 10 GA positions. We encourage applications from highly qualified applicants who meet or exceed our admission requirements.

*If you have questions, please review our FAQ page. You can also complete an Application Inquiry form (at the bottom of the FAQ page) or email the Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Keith S. Evans: keith.evans@maine.edu.