How to Apply for Financial Aid

Financial Aid is available from the Department of Anthropology and the University Financial Aid Office. Some forms of financial aid also carry a full or partial tuition waiver.

Teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and departmental and college scholarships are awarded through the Anthropology Department. To apply for these sources of financial aid, download a departmental financial aid application and submit with 3 letters of reference written on the official form.

General University sources of financial aid (loans, work study, etc.) and related information (tuition, residency, etc.) are available from the University Financial Aid Office.

Departmental, College, and some external sources of funding are described below.

Sources of Financial Aid

Teaching Assistantships
Research Assistantships
Hiatt Scholarships
Anderson Fellowships
Non-University Fellowships
Dissertation Research Awards
Travel Funds
Other sources of funding

Teaching assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis. TA stipends are currently $5,000 per semester (subject to change) plus tuition waiver . If you did not receive assistance during your first year, you are encouraged to apply again. They are normally awarded for a maximum of four semesters.

Prospective students who submit a departmental financial aid application are automatically considered for a teaching assistantship. Matriculated students, including those who currently hold financial aid, must apply for these awards by February 1 of each year. They will not be automatically renewed. In addition, matriculated students should request letters of recommendation from three faculty members to accompany their application.

Financial aid may be withdrawn from awardees under the following conditions: a) failure to maintain required minimum grades, b) failure to adequately fulfill work obligations, c) failure to make adequate progress toward a degree. In cases where a teaching assistant resigns, leaves the program, or fails to meet academic or work obligations, the Department Chair and Graduate Advisor will select a replacement.
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Research Assistantships are available as a result of grants awarded to the department faculty, and are available by arrangement with the faculty member in question. RA stipends are determined by the faculty member. Research Assistantships may include a tuition waiver.
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Hiatt Scholarships: The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences offers four Hiatt Scholarships to "traditionally under-represented" graduate students. These are awarded to students who will "enhance the ethnic and cultural diversity of the graduate student body". Applications require transcripts plus a letter from the student describing past academic performance, need, community service activities, and future career plans. Students must be nominated for this award; if you think you might qualify and would like to be considered for this award, please contact Ursula Hanly (801-581-6251; This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ).
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Anderson fellowships are offered through the Department of Anthropology on an occasional basis. Students who submit a departmental financial aid application are automatically considered for this award.
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Non-University Fellowships: Graduate students are encouraged to apply for external funding. Useful sources for anthropology students include the following:

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships. These NSF fellowships provide three years of support to graduate students and prospective graduate students in a variety of fields, including anthropology.

Wenner-Gren Foundation Fellowships. The Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research offers several fellowship programs, including those for fieldwork and for students from countries where anthropology is underrepresented.
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Dissertation Research Awards:The University offers several fellowships to support graduate research. These include Graduate Research Fellowships ($12,000 plus tuition) for research in any field, the Marriner S. Eccles Graduate Fellowship ($12 ,000 plus tuition) for research on politics, public policy and the economy, the Barbara and Norman Tanner Graduate Fellowship for the Prevention of Violence, and more. Deadlines vary, but are usually in January or February. For more information, click here.

Graduate students are also encouraged to seek dissertation funding from external sources, including NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants, the Wenner-Gren Foundation Dissertation fieldwork grants, and the Social Science Research Council.  The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation has some grants to support the write-up phase, including one for research on women.
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Travel Funding: Funding is available for travel to conferences, especially if you are presenting a paper or poster. There is usually a better chance of obtaining funding if you apply early in the academic year. There are two main sources of travel funding: the ASUU and the Graduate School.

To request travel funds from ASUU, send the Anthro Graduate SAC Chair the following information: your name, name of conference attending, location, reason for attending (i.e., how attending will benefit you and the department), and an itemized list of anticipated expenses. If you get funding, you will need to save all of your receipts so that you can get reimbursed. Funding typically includes support for up to 50% of travel and registration expenses. Funding may also be available for non-conference expenses.

Travel funds are also available through the Graduate School and the Department. The Graduate Travel Award Instructions and Application form can be downloaded from the Graduate School form site. The maximum award is $400, $200 from the graduate school matched by an equal amount from the department (as of 2006). The Graduate School also requires that you save all of your receipts, and will reimburse you after you travel. You may apply for both awards simultaneously.
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