GRADUATE FUNDING

The UCSB Department of Linguistics is strongly committed to providing financial assistance to its students. Prospective graduate students can apply for support in the form of fellowships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and departmental awards which partially or entirely cover fees, tuition, and/or health insurance. Full information on the various forms of support available to UCSB graduate students can be found at the Graduate Division Financial Center.

All students pay university fees. Students who do not have official status as California residents also pay tuition until they advance to candidacy. U.S. citizens and permanent residents can establish California residency after one year. The department makes a special effort to ensure that out-of-state domestic students receive financial assistance with non-resident tuition during their first year in the program. Unfortunately, the department’s resources do not currently allow for substantial financial support of international students. International students are strongly encouraged to seek sources of funding from programs in their own countries that will allow them to attend UCSB without incurring a significant financial burden.

Teaching and Research Assistantships
Teaching assistantships are the most common means of support for graduate students. Teaching and research assistantships are awarded by the department each spring for the following academic year. To be eligible, a student must be in good academic standing and be a full-time registered student. Incoming and continuing linguistics students may also apply for TAships in other UCSB departments and programs, such as Asian American Studies, Black Studies, Chicano Studies, Film Studies, Law and Society, Global Studies, Women’s Studies, various language departments, the Writing Program, and English as a Second Language.

The availability of research assistantships is tied to individual faculty research grants. Students must typically have particular skills or background related to the research project in order to qualify for such funding. Both teaching and research assistantships provide a stipend, fees, insurance, and, in some cases, tuition.

Other Forms of Support
Other forms of support are occasionally available through the Department of Linguistics, such as student assistant positions, which pay an hourly wage for assistance with departmental tasks or individual faculty research. Students interested in such positions should notify Marianne Mithun, the Graduate Faculty Advisor.

Domestic students may also be eligible for financial aid and student loans. For more information, see the Graduate Division Financial Center.

All students are strongly encouraged to apply for university and/or external funding annually. Highly qualified domestic applicants should investigate external fellowship sources for pre-dissertation graduate study such as the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, the Ford Foundation Diversity Predoctoral Fellowship Program, and the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program, all of which provide multiyear funding to eligible students in linguistics.

Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships may be available for language and area studies for particular languages. Students must be nominated by the UCSB Department of Linguistics for these fellowships.