Graduate students in the department of linguistics are typically supported for the full five years of their graduate study. Students must remain in good academic standing in order for their support to be renewed each year. Most students receive mixed types of support over the course of their five years, for example, a graduate assistantship or fellowship for the first two years, teaching assistantships for the next two, and then a dissertation fellowship for the final year. All of these options include full tuition remission and paid health benefits. In addition to the information that follows, further information about graduate student funding at Rutgers can be found by clicking here.

Fellowships
Fellowships have no teaching or other duties associated with them. Students are typically provided with fellowships for their first two years and/or their final year, to enable them to concentrate on their program of study or their dissertation.

Teaching Assistantships
Teaching assistants in their first year of teaching are usually assigned to lead discussion sections for one of the large introductory courses in linguistics, and then go on to teach one course per semester on their own. Teaching assistantships are a valuable source of teaching experience for our graduate students. Some students may also teach in foreign language departments or in the Rutgers Writing Program.

Graduate Assistantships
Graduate assistantships require a student to work in support of the grant-supported research of faculty members, usually 15-20 hours per week. The number and type of graduate assistantships available each year varies according to the research programs and grants of the faculty members. Graduate assistantships can provide valuable research experience in addition to financial support for graduate study.

Outside funding
We encourage applicants to pursue outside sources of support. Graduate fellowships from government and private sources often provide a higher stipend for living expenses, and also help the department by making it possible to offer better support to more of our students. Following are some of the more well-known sources of funding for graduate study:

  • International Fulbright Commission
  • National Science Foundation
  • Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program
  • American Association of University Women
  • The Andrew W. Mellon Fellowships in Humanistic Studies and the Social Sciences
  • Humanities Research Council of Canada (for Canadians).  
  • The Rutgers University GradFund website provides detailed information on outside funding sources and support for students prior to and during the application process.

International Students
We welcome applications from international students.  All applicable University Fellowships, Teaching Assistantships, and Graduate Assistantships are open to non-citizens.