Fellowships and assistantships

Fellowships are available to new and currently enrolled graduate students at the University of Minnesota. The Graduate School Fellowship Office administers University fellowships. You do not need to work on campus for these positions. For more information, go to fellowships and grants.

Graduate Assistantships are available to new and currently enrolled graduate students at the University of Minnesota. Graduate Assistant Employment, a division of the Office of Human Resources, administers University-wide graduate assistantships. Employment opportunities offer teaching assistantships, research assistant assistantships, or administrative fellowships. For more information, go to the Assistantships website.

Traineeships may be available to new and currently enrolled graduate students at the University of Minnesota. Traineeships are usually developed and offered at the departmental level. Please contact your department for further information regarding trainee opportunities.

Do these awards impact my financial aid eligibility?

If your financial aid package includes a federal or private educational loan, your total aid from all sources cannot exceed your financial aid estimated cost of attendance.

Graduate assistantships

Depending on your graduate assistantship appointment, the value of tuition coverage is based on the standard charges for the general graduate tuition rate. This value counts as financial aid and may reduce your federal student loan eligibility. The hourly wage of your assistantship is a salary and does not count as a financial aid award. 

Fellowships and traineeships

The value of Payroll Fellowship or Traineeship reflected in the Payroll System is added to the Financial Aid award. This value counts as financial aid and may reduce your federal student loan eligibility. A Payroll Fellowship or Traineeship is similar to a scholarship; it is not an employment position through the University of Minnesota Tax Management Office. 

Non-Resident Tuition Waiver

The non-resident tuition waiver amount reflected in the financial aid award should be the difference between the non-resident and resident tuition amount for a full-time student within their program of study. How the Office of Student Finance finds out is either from the student or from student accounts.