Admissions - Financial Aid

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Deadline: December 1

• Your application file must be complete by this date, if you wish to be considered for fellowships. 

General Information

Most awards are granted on the basis of a competitive selection process which focuses on GPAs, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and other relevant data such as writing samples. The competition is particularly keen both because of the high caliber of students entering our program and because our resources are too limited for us to provide adequate financial support for all qualified graduate students.

Support for first-year students is generally offered in the form of University Fellowships, awarded in February through a University-wide competition. Our department has been quite successful in this competition in recent years, but even so, a significant percentage of incoming students do not receive such support. A few matriculants may receive project assistantships administered through programs in the History Department or, on very rare occasions, a teaching assistantship.

Aid for continuing students (second-year and later) takes a variety of forms. University Fellowships in this category are normally available only to students who have completed preliminary and been admitted to dissertator status. History departmental fellowships are more likely to go to continuing students. Predissertators, however, are fully eligible for other categories of aid, including teaching assistantships, project/research assistantships, Foreign Language and Areas Studies (FLAS or Title VI) fellowships, and departmental fellowships.

Application Procedures

The application form and the Supplemental Information for Fellowships and Teaching Assistantships found at http://history.wisc.edu/generalinfo/forms/supplementalfellowshipapp.pdf  and the materials to be submitted with it will provide all the information necessary for the fellowships competition. To insure that you are considered for fellowships, your application and all requested data (i.e., GRE scores, letters of recommendation, transcripts, and writing samples) must be received by December 1 at the latest.

Graduate Record Exam scores (GREs) are required for consideration in the fellowships competition.

Selected Awards and Positions

The following list describes major awards and positions.  For a complete listing, consult with the department’s Graduate Funding Coordinator.

• Departmental Multi-Year Aid Packages: These provide four to five years of guaranteed aid to a select number of incoming graduate students. One or two years is in the form of a University Fellowship (see below); the remainder may take the form of departmental fellowships, assistantships, or external fellowships.

• University Fellowships: In 2010-11, University Fellowships for new graduate students include a stipend of $18,756, plus payment of tuition and fees and a $600 Vilas Welcome Week check issued in August to cover moving expenses. The History Department's Fellowships & Scholarships Committee reviews incoming applicants and submits nominations to the Graduate School early in the spring semester. The Graduate School announces the competition results in late February and the Department notifies recipients by mail. Direct any inquiries to the Department of History, c/o Graduate Funding Coordinator; do not call the Graduate School. Students must accept their awards by April 15.

• Advanced Opportunity Fellowships Program for Minority and Disadvantaged Graduate Students: Advanced Opportunity Fellowships Program for Minority and Disadvantaged Graduate Students: AOF stipends for 2010-2011 range from $12,500 (for continuing students) to $18, 756 (for incoming students); the fellowship includes tuition and fees and eligibility for health insurance.  In addition, AOF fellows receive a $600 welcome check. To be considered for AOF funding, an applicant must be a United States citizen or permanent resident. Preference will be given to Wisconsin residents. In addition, the following criteria apply:

1. Targeted minority students:  African-American or Black; American Indian or Alaskan Native; Hispanic/Latino; Cambodian, Vietnamese, Laotian or Hmong; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.

OR

2. Economically disadvantaged students: First-generation college-bound Wisconsin residents who participated in one of the following TRIO programs: Upward Bound, Talent Search, Educational Opportunities Centers, Student Support Services; First-generation college-bound Wisconsin residents who graduated from the PEOPLE program; UW-Madison Bachelor’s degree recipients who were in the FASTrack or BANNER program.

OR

3. McNair Students: students who participated in a Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program.

• Foreign Language and Area Studies Graduate Fellowships (HEA Title VI):  We expect that the U.S. Department of Education and the University of Wisconsin will again fund graduate fellowships for the study of specific foreign languages. See the announcement at http://www.intl-institute.wisc.edu/fellow/ which will provide you with some basic information, but for updated information and application forms, please contact the relevant area studies program. You must apply separately for these fellowships.

• History Department Fellowships: The Department's Fellowships & Scholarships Committee awards these fellowships, determining the number and size of the prizes according to the money available in the department’s trust funds. The Committee currently awards one-semester grants of approximately $5,000 - $7,000, the majority of which carry out-of-state tuition remission to continuing students.

• Field Specific Fellowships
  • The Julie A. and Peter M. Weil Distinguished Graduate Fellowship Fellowship provides multi-year support for outstanding graduate students in American Jewish History and in select U.S. history fields. The benefits of the Weil fellowship are among the most generous offered to graduate students at UW-Madison. Peter Weil (B.A 1970, J.D 1974) is a tireless advocate for the university; he and his wife, Julie, have been engaged and involved friends to the Department of History. The Weil fellowship is a demonstration of the Weils' life-long journey of learning and affection for the university and their commitment to furthering the study of American Jewish history and continuing the tradition of excellence in the History graduate program. A plaque honoring the Weils and the Weil fellows is located in 3650 Humanities Building. See this article for more information (pdf).
    
    
  • George L. Mosse Distinguished Graduate Fellowships (Modern Jewish history)
    
    
  • Helen Firstbrook Franklin Fellowships (Latin American/Caribbean history)
    
    
  • George L. Mosse Distinguished Graduate Fellowship (LGBT history)

• Teaching Assistantships:  The History Department awards teaching assistantships based on a ranking system. The main factors used for the rankings include: (1) area of study, (2) the date of the M.A., (3) Ph.D. requirements completed, (4) number of previous semesters as a teaching assistant in the History Department, and (5) grade point average since entering the history grad program. Incoming students are first eligible for the rankings for second semester appointments.

• Project/Research Assistantships and Grader/Readerships: Faculty members select the individuals they wish to employ in these positions and may occasionally offer them to incoming students. When funds allow, the History Department offers a project assistantship to work on graduate student retention and recruitment.

Non-Departmental Sources of Support

• Loans and Work Study

  You may apply for loans and work study through the Office of Student Financial Aids, 432 North Murray Street, Madison, WI, 53706. The History Department does not handle these programs. Please contact that office directly.

• Extra-Departmental Financial Aid

Many of the area studies programs at UW-Madison (African Studies; Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies; Southeast Asian Studies, etc.) offer Foreign Language and Area Studies Graduate Fellowships (FLAS, Title VI) fellowships for which many incoming History students are eligible. Please see the announcement of these fellowships at http://www.intl-institute.wisc.edu/fellow/

• Non-University Sources of Funding

  Check websites now for early deadlines.
  Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program - This competition is open to entering and first year graduate students. Information is available online at http://www.ed.gov/programs/jacobjavits/index.html or write to the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-5247.