Funding
The University of Michigan provides many sources of financial assistance to help students meet educational and living expenses. Whether you are a prospective student, a current student, a master’s or doctoral student, we want to make sure you know about the funding available for your graduate education.
The University of Michigan provides many sources of financial assistance to help students meet educational and living expenses. Whether you are a prospective student, a current student, a master’s or doctoral student, we want to make sure you know about the funding available for your graduate education.
The nature of funding varies widely. Opportunities highlighted here range from large competitive fellowships that pay tuition and stipends, to targeted grants that assist with foreign language study, dissertation research, and conference travel, to emergency grants and awards designed to help students manage student loan debt.
Rackham Graduate School administers two types of fellowships, grants, and scholarships. For those requiring a program nomination or allocation, the graduate program submits a nomination on behalf of the student for a competition or allocated award; students may not apply directly for these awards. For the second type, a program nomination is not required and students may apply directly. Please note that students who qualify for need-based financial aid (including the child care subsidy) and receive additional Rackham funding may be subject to a reduction in the original loan amounts or subsidy. Contact the U-M Office of Financial Aid for help evaluating your individual circumstances.
| Name | Deadline | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Institute for Social Research (ISR) – Rackham Summer Training Awards | 3/4/2024 | Student Application | Funds are available from Rackham Graduate School to encourage and support graduate students from the University of Michigan to attend ISR summer programs. Such support, in the form of grants administered by the Institute for Social Research, will be available on a competitive basis to a limited number of graduate students enrolled at the university. learn more… |
| King-Chavez-Parks Initiative, Future Faculty Fellowship Program | 3/4/2025 | Student Application | Intended to increase the pool of traditionally underrepresented candidates pursuing faculty teaching careers in postsecondary education. learn more… |
| Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellow Award | 7/19/2024 | Student Application | The Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellow Award recognizes postdoctoral fellows at the University of Michigan who have demonstrated a breadth of excellence in all areas of research, teaching, mentoring, service, and leadership. This year, three postdoctoral fellows will be named Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellows and awarded $1,000 (post-tax), to be spent as the awardees see fit. learn more… |
| The Gupta Values Scholarship | 9/5/2024 | Student Application | Provides awards of $7,500 for spring/summer supports to students who have demonstrated integrity in the face of challenges, a commitment to human dignity, and a dedication to excellence in all they do both inside and outside the academy. learn more… |
| German Academic Exchange (DAAD) | 10/2/2024 | Student Application | Includes transportation, living expenses, language training, and U-M tuition for Ph.D. students selected to participate in an exchange program with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the University of Michigan for study or research abroad in Germany. learn more… |
| Lurcy Fellowship for Study in France | 10/3/2024 | Student Application | Provides a stipend in the amount of $25,000 to students whose proposed project fits with the goals of the fellowship, which are to promote friendship and understanding between the peoples of the United States and France and, secondarily, between Americans and Europeans in general. learn more… |
| Rackham International Student Fellowships | 10/3/2024 | Program Nominated | Assists outstanding international students, particularly those who may be ineligible for other kinds of support because of citizenship. In addition, the Chia-Lun Lo Fellowship assists outstanding students in Rackham programs who have earned a previous degree from a university in Taiwan. learn more… |
| Rackham Non-Traditional Fellowships | 10/3/2024 | Program Nominated | Designed to aid master’s students who return to graduate school after an extended absence. learn more… |
| Harold and Vivian Shapiro/John Malik/Jean Forrest Awards | 10/17/2024 | Student Application | Provides awards of up to $2,000 to full-time students in any Rackham degree program with the intent of helping them pay interest charges accruing on educational loans while in graduate school. Students must have completed one full term before the fellowship deadline. learn more… |
| Big Ten Academic Alliance/Smithsonian Institution Fellowship | 10/15/2024 | Student Application | One-year fellowships that support research in residence at Smithsonian Institution facilities. learn more… |
| Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund Fellowship | 11/15/2024 | Student Application | Along with Rackham support, provides a stipend of $18,000, full tuition for fall and winter, and health and dental benefits to students with outstanding character and ability who hold promise for achievement and distinction in their chosen fields of study. Open to students pursuing a graduate degree in the humanities, social sciences or natural sciences (including law, medicine, engineering, architecture, or other formal professional training). learn more… |
| Rackham Humanities Research Fellowship | 12/3/2024 | Program Nominated | Established to increase the proportion of doctoral students in the humanities and humanities-related social sciences who complete the Ph.D. and decrease the time it takes to complete the degree. learn more… |
| Susan Lipschutz, Margaret Ayers Host, and Anna Olcott Smith Awards for Rackham Graduate Students | 1/16/2025 | Program Nominated | Supports students who have demonstrated exceptional scholarly achievement, a sense of social responsibility, and an interest in the success of women in the academic community. Students in a Rackham doctoral program must be nominated by their program for this award. learn more… |
| Barbour Scholarship | 1/21/2025 | Program Nominated | Supports women of the highest academic and professional caliber from the countries encompassing the large region extending from Turkey in the west to Japan and the Philippines in the east to study modern science, medicine, mathematics, and other academic disciplines and professions critical to the development of their native lands. learn more… |
| Douglas W. Roblin Predoctoral Fellowship Award | 1/21/2025 | Program Nominated | Douglas W. Roblin made a generous gift in gratitude to the University of Michigan for the education he received, and to support urgently needed research in response to the persistent crises in human health attributable to a range of psychosocial and socioeconomic stressors. The Douglas W. Roblin Predoctoral Fellowship Award is offered to meritorious doctoral candidates in Rackham programs whose research and scholarship address the psychosocial and socioeconomic determinants of human health. learn more… |
| Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship Program | 1/21/2025 | Program Nominated | Supports outstanding doctoral students who have achieved candidacy and are actively working on dissertation research and writing. learn more… |
| Radcliffe/Ramsdell Fellowship | 1/28/2025 | Student Application | Provides awards of up to $10,000 for U-M graduate students who wish to pursue advanced studies in this country or abroad in religious education or in preparation for the ministry. learn more… |
| Rackham Merit Fellowship Program | 2/6/2025 | Program Nominated | Aims to promote the values of diversity and inclusion by encouraging the admission and funding of students who represent a broad array of life experiences and perspectives. learn more… |
| Rackham International Research Awards | 2/15/2025 | Student Application | Supports doctoral and master’s students conducting degree-related research outside the United States and Puerto Rico. learn more… |
| Rackham Language Training Award | 11/12/2024 | Student Application | Assists Rackham doctoral students with language training expenses that contribute to academic progress toward the degree. Study of a language for which instruction is not available at U-M will be prioritized. learn more… |
| Rackham One-Term Dissertation Fellowship | 5/1/2025 | Program Nominated | Intended to speed the process of completing the dissertation by permitting candidates to work full-time on the final stages of their dissertations. learn more… |
| Debt Management Awards | 4/17/2025 | Student Application | Designed to lighten the financial burden for students with sizable loan debt who will pursue public interest careers. learn more… |
| Cost Sharing by Rackham | Ongoing | Program Initiated | Cost sharing is the use of institutional funds to supplement graduate student support (stipend, tuition, GradCare, dental insurance and/or summer support) that is covered by an external sponsor. learn more… |
| Postdoctoral Professional Travel with Children | Ongoing | Student Application | Provides up to a maximum of $750 per postdoctoral fellow per 12 month period for approved travel expenses for children under the age of 6 (up to and including age 5 at the time of travel) that accompany a postdoctoral parent to a professional meeting. learn more… |
| Rackham Conference Travel Grant | Ongoing | Student Application | Provides opportunities for Rackham graduate students to become familiar with, and participate in the life of, their academic professions. learn more… |
| Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program | Ongoing | Student Application | The Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program allows doctoral candidates to pursue a fully supported internship as part of their graduate training. Internships offer students a mentored experience in non-academic settings that is tailored to meet the needs of partner organizations. This initiative provides a crucial experiential learning opportunity for students, while demonstrating the value of their advanced abilities and knowledge to employers in a wide array of fields. learn more… |
| Rackham Graduate Student Emergency Funds | Ongoing | Student Application | Helps meet the financial needs of Rackham graduate students who encounter an emergency situation or one-time, unusual, or unforeseen expenses during their degree program. learn more… |
| Rackham Graduate Student Professional Travel with Children Grant | Ongoing | Student Application | Supports Rackham graduate student parents who incur expenses while traveling with small children (under the age of 6) while attending conferences, workshops, meetings or other academic events as part of their scholarly research or in pursuit of professional career readiness both within and outside of academia. learn more… |
| Rackham Graduate Student Research Grant | Ongoing | Student Application | Support Rackham graduate students who need assistance to carry out research that advances their progress toward their degree. Master's or Precandidate Application, Candidate Application |
| Rackham Postdoctoral Fellows Emergency Funds | Ongoing | Student Application | In recognition of the slowing national and regional trajectory of COVID-19 cases, requests for Rackham Postdoctoral Fellows Emergency Funds related to COVID-19 emergencies will end on May 2, 2022. learn more… |
| Rackham Professional Development Grants | Ongoing | Student Application | Supports Rackham doctoral students seeking careers both within and outside academia by way of short-term experiences that promote the development of professional skills which will further a student’s career goals. learn more… |
New Rackham Awards Management Portal
We are excited to announce the rollout of our newly developed Rackham Awards Management Portal for Rackham grants and fellowships. Phase one of the implementation, including Conference Travel Grants, Emergency Funds, and Research Grants, is underway. Learn more in this FAQ.
Information for Graduate Programs
U-M Library’s Guide to Finding Funding
Visit the University of Michigan Library’s guide to finding scholarships, fellowships, and research grants to fund your U-M education.
Contact Finance and Fellowships
0120 Rackham Building
915 East Washington Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070
Phone: 734.764.8119
Fax: 734.615.7535
Our office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.