Financial Aid & Funding - Graduate Students

Financial Aid

Graduate students may receive financial support in the form of

  1. University fellowships and assistantships;
  2. work-study assistantships;
  3. departmental assistantships;
  4. fellowships and other awards sponsored through federal, state and private grants;
  5. GI benefits; and
  6. student loans.

Though some awards are restricted to incoming graduate students, many, if not most, are available to all graduate students. Students are urged to apply for fellowships available through national, regional, and foundation sources, as well as for those offered by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Graduate School awards university fellowships and assistantships, including the Merit Assistantship Program, the Minority Presence Grant Program, and the Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships. For information on these awards, refer to the Graduate School Record or contact The Graduate School.

The Office of Scholarships and Student Aid administers federal work-study assistantships and student loans. For information, forms, and applications contact the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid.

School of Education Graduate Assistantships

Graduate student assistantships are paid positions offered on the basis of skills and qualifications of the applicant. Students may hold assistantships in the School of Education or in other schools and departments of the University. Each assistantship is separately administered by the funding school/department. Students may be enrolled full- or part-time during the term of the award.

Qualified graduate students may be considered for assistantship positions by program coordinators, faculty committees or principal investigators of grants. At present, only a limited number of assistantships in the School of Education are available.

Please contact your program coordinator for information on available assistantships. The Office of Student Affairs does not have information about specific jobs.

Teaching Assistantships

The recommended criteria for students obtaining a teaching assistantship are the following:

  1. a major in the content area;
  2. knowledge of the public school systems and how they function;
  3. ability to communicate clearly and effectively with students in an instructional role; and
  4. three years of experience in teaching with an emphasis in the particular area of methodology (for student teaching supervision).
Research Assistantships

Students awarded research assistantships possess the following characteristics: an ability to work with a research team; an interest in research and evaluation; knowledge of research methodology; and knowledge of and skill in the use of computers. Students work in one of two areas during their assistantship: research and evaluation in teacher education or on specific esearch grants.

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistants are chosen for possessing the following qualities: the ability to learn procedures quickly in an office setting; skill in typing, filing, and other general office tasks; good communication skills and ability to communicate well with faculty, students, staff, and the general public; and, for some positions, knowledge of and skill in computer use and applications and diting and proofreading skills.

This type of assistantship consists of more general office work. Some possible positions include general assistants for program or project offices.

School of Education Fellowships, Scholarships & Awards

  • Patrick W. and Janet R. Carlton Award for Dissertation Research in Educational Leadership - awarded to a doctoral student working on his or her dissertation in Educational Leadership, $500.
  • Susan Friel Graduate Student Stipend for Mathematics Education – an annual stipend for graduate students whose studies are in mathematics education at the School of Education.  Priority is given to students who are midway through their program and who could benefit from a stipend to help offset the costs of their education and provide them the financial capability to complete their course of study. 
  • Galassi-Brown Award – awarded to a student in the School Counseling program.
  • Virginia Carter Gobbel Fellowship – awarded annually to a graduate student in Educational Leadership.
  • Ira J. and Esther L. Gordon Fellowship - awarded to an entering doctoral student whose  research will concentrate on parents and parent education, child development, at-risk children, early intervention, family literacy, or related areas.
  • Vinnie Ireland Fellowship – awarded to a graduate student who has a keen interest in making a contribution to the field of research that impacts children with autism or other disabilities that affect learning in the middle or upper grades.
  • James Yadkin Joyner Fellowship in Educational Policy – awarded annually to a doctoral student whose scholarship and research focus on areas related to educational policy.
  • Carol and William Malloy Travel Award – awarded to assist graduate students with travel expenses incurred while sharing their research in accepted presentations.
  • M.A.T. Travel to England Scholarship – two travel awards for students in the Master of Arts in Teaching program. Travel must be to England and is to be undertaken while the recipients are enrolled in the M.A.T. program, $750. Preference is given to Eagle Scouts.
  • Alan Coningsby Moore Scholarship – awarded to a student in the School of Education’s teacher preparation program with preference given to supporting students pursuing a master’s degree.  Preference will also be given to someone who is or shows an interest in coaching an athletic team.
  • Nancy Blanche Norman Scholarship – awarded to a female graduate student pursuing a degree in education with a commitment to work in public education.
  • W. D. Perry Award – presented annually to a School Counseling M.Ed. student who is judged by faculty to have been the most outstanding in his or her cohort. The award consists of a certificate of merit and $200.
  • Guy B. Phillips Fellowship - merit fellowship awarded to a graduate student in Educational Leadership; amount varies.
  • James B. and Susan H. Pittleman Fellowship – awarded to a graduate student wishing to pursue study and research in special education.
  • Carole and Sam Roebuck Scholarship - awarded by the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid to a committed Education major wanting to teach or conduct educational research. Preference given to students from Bertie, Tyrrell, Camden, Gates, Chowan, Dare, Currituck, Perquimans, Pasquotank or Martin counties.
  • William Self Award – awarded to an outstanding doctoral student in Educational Leadership.
  • Dean E. Smith Scholarship - awarded to a student or students currently enrolled in the School of Education who plan to make a career as teachers in elementary/secondary schools. Students should meet all academic requirements of the school and demonstrate financial need.
  • Linnea W. Smith Innovations Fellowship – awarded to support the scholarly work of doctoral students that leads to the identification, intervention, and/or prevention of early-life traumatic stress that impacts the development of children in the classroom and strategies that strengthen the partnership between educators and families.
  • Marvin Wyne Scholarship - awarded annually to a graduate student interested in working with special needs children, $500.

Students must be nominated by a School of Education faculty member to be considered for these awards.

For more information, contact:

Office of Student Affairs
103 Peabody Hall, CB 3500
UNC-Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3500
(919) 966-1346

Additional Sources of Funding

School of Education Traineeships

Some full-time graduate students may receive traineeships. The amount of the stipend varies from year to year, and funding is not guaranteed. Students should check with their program area coordinator or advisor for information.

ASCA Foundation Scholarship

To help future school counselors fulfill their educational goals, the American School Counselor Association Foundation awards $1,000 scholarships for up to 10 deserving students enrolled in full-time master's-level school counseling programs.

Hach Scientific Foundation

The Hach Scientific Foundation is providing scholarships across the country to chemists interested in pursuing a master's degree in education and teachers certificate.

Interdisciplinary Preparation of Culturally Responsive Practitioners in Early Education

The program’s goal is to prepare master's level and advanced licensure students to meet the needs of linguistically and culturally diverse young children and their families in early childhood and elementary school settings.

Specialization includes:

  • in-state tuition support for part-time students, including academic year and summer tuition
  • annual stipend of $2,400 ($800 per semester)
  • student travel to attend national and state conferences

Interdisciplinary Preparation in Teaching, Research, and Service focused on Young Children with Autism and their Families

The Doctoral Training Grant Funding covers a $14,000 stipend, in-state tuition (the Division and Graduate School cover out-of-state tuition), health insurance and travel.

Knowles Teaching Fellows Program

The Knowles Teaching Fellows Program is a funding opportunity at the national level for students interested in teaching physical science, chemistry, physics and mathematics at the high school level.

North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium (NCMTEC)

The North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium (NCMTEC) is a collaborative partnership which provides affordable, accessible, high-quality education/training to aspiring and practicing educators in participating school systems in North Carolina. To qualify for Consortium services, you must be an employee of a participating school system. Benefits may include reduced tuition, partial tuition reimbursement, and stipends for student teaching when a “leave of absence” is required.

North Carolina Principal Fellows Program

A competitive, merit-based scholarship loan program that is funded by the North Carolina General Assembly, the NC Principal Fellows Program assists selected individuals to prepare for a career in school administration (i.e., assistant principal or principal). Each scholarship loan will provide funding for up to two years in the amount of twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) per year to support students who enroll in and complete a full-time, two-year master's degree program in school administration at one of the participating institutions of the University of North Carolina. Recipients of the scholarship loan must be willing to practice at an approved site in N.C. as a full-time administrator for two years for each year of funding (four years) or repay in cash.

Ross Trust Graduate Student Scholarship Competition

For students preparing for counseling roles in elementary, middle, and secondary schools, the American Counseling Association (ACA), in collaboration with the ACA Foundation awards ten students with a $1,000 scholarship, complimentary registration to the 2007 ACA Convention, and a complimentary one-year student membership in ACA.