Funding Opportunities
All admitted students are considered for financial assistance in the form of graduate assistantships or fellowships. Graduate assistantships provide a nine-month stipend, tuition, some fees, and a medical insurance benefit. Students are assigned to a mix of teaching and research assistant positions during their time in the program.
Our packages are competitive with other universities, and the cost of living in West Lafayette is lower than many areas of the country. See information about the favorable cost of living compared to other universities.
Students who receive funding packages from the department are guaranteed up to five years of support provided they are making normal progress in the program. Departmental funding decisions are based upon academic merit, not financial need.
Additional Department Funding Opportunities
GRAIL Graduate Assistantships
The Governance and Responsible AI Lab seeks one or more graduate assistants to join an active group of faculty, post-docs, graduate, and undergraduate students engaged in research projects that investigate the social, ethical, and governance implications of artificial intelligence. Click HERE to learn more.
PAIR Graduate Assistantships
The Program on American Institutional Renewal (PAIR) seeks one or more graduate assistants with interests in legislatures, courts, executive agencies, and other institutions to join a research group of faculty and students engaged in scholarship that seeks to improve the capacity and functioning of American political institutions. Click HERE to learn more.
CLA Recruitment Fellowships
The Department Admissions Committee nominates applicants for recruitment fellowships. All applicants are considered.
College of Liberal Arts Dean’s Graduate Fellowship Program
This fellowship includes tuition and a stipend of $38,000 per academic year for up to six years combined with annual support for research, professional development, and conference travel. The Dean’s Graduate Fellowship program is designed to elevate research and creative endeavor in the College of Liberal Arts. These high-level, highly-competitive graduate fellowships recruit top-flight graduate students to work alongside - and in support of - faculty whose scholarship will elevate the research profile of the College. Applicants to the Department PhD program may be nominated for this program. Nominees may be required to submit additional materials.
Graduate School Recruitment Fellowships
Fellowships listed below with fewer than five years support from the Graduate School are normally paired with additional department funding in the form of an assistantship to provide up to five years of guaranteed funding, provided the student is making normal progress in the program.
Frederick N. Andrews Fellowship
Lynn Fellowship (For students applying to the interdisciplinary Ecological Sciences and Engineering Program)
Knox Fellowship (MA applicants - 1 year fellowship, 1 year assistantship).
George Washington Carver Fellowship
The George Washington Carver Fellowship is awarded to doctoral-seeking students from historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, or tribal colleges who have demonstrated superior academic achievements and scholarly abilities. Recipients must aspire to a career as a professor of higher education. The Carver Fellowship provides 5 years of support funded by the Graduate School.
Direct Apply Fellowships - Separate application through Graduate School.
Charles C. Chappelle Fellowship,
The Charles C. Chappelle Fellowship provides a one-year fellowship to students with undergraduate degrees from Purdue for the furtherance of postgraduate research at the University. Recipients are selected on the basis of character, intellectual ability and promise of degree attainment. This fellowship, funded by the Graduate School, includes a stipend, graduate tuition scholarships, payment of most fees and a medical insurance supplement. This fellowship is normally paired with an additional four years of support in the form of a PhD graduate assistantship for a total of five years of funding.
Purdue Has Many Sources of Support for Professional Development!
The department, college, and university provide many funding opportunities for research support, conference travel, and summer methods programs. Students in our program typically receive conference travel funding from the department and can apply for additional funding through the college.
The Purdue Graduate School's website has information about additional opportunities for fellowships and assistantships. The Graduate School offers many opportunities, resources, and strategies to assist graduate students in obtaining funding and supporting their research. For example, the Purdue Graduate School's Fellowship Office provides resources for fellowship applicants and current graduate student fellows to promote grant writing skill development for students along with a streamlined system of fund management. The Fellowship Office also oversees direct apply fellowships.
College of Liberal Arts Graduate Research Resources include Bilsland Dissertation fellowships, the Ross Lynn Scholar endowment for RA-ships, and mentoring for graduate students interested in applying for internal and external grants and fellowships.
The CLA PROMISE grant program promotes research opportunities to maximize innovation and scholarly excellence in graduate education. PROMISE supports graduate student research, scholarly activity, and conference travel.
In addition to these opportunities, grant-writing workshops, competitions, internship support and more are available from the Office of Graduate Professional Development
Continuing Student Fellowships
Bilsland Dissertation Fellowship
Ludwig Kruhe Fellowship
The Ludwig Kruhe Fellowship was established as a means for promoting a deeper understanding of global issues and international relations. It is intended for doctoral candidates in one of the following programs: agricultural economics, civil engineering, foreign languages and literatures, history, management, economics, or political science. This fellowship provides a one-year award package for the final year of study that includes a stipend/salary, tuition, payment of most fees, and a medical insurance benefit.
Students in the Political Science Department may also be eligible for
* ICPSR Support for summer training
* IQMR Support for summer training
* PROMISE Awards for research and travel