financial aid

Ordinarily graduate appointments are made on an annual basis. Fellowships and tuition-and-fee waivers are awarded competitively by the Graduate College to students nominated by the departments. Students wishing to compete for fellowships, assistantships, or tuition-and-fee waivers may obtain the necessary forms, which are in addition to those required for admission to the Graduate Program, in person or by mail from the departmental graduate office or the Graduate College. Three letters of recommendation and a statement of professional aims and purposes are required in support of the application for awards. The statement and letters may be the same as those used for admission.

Download the Application for Graduate Appointment.

University Fellowships
University Fellowships are awards aimed at recruiting outstanding students newly admitted to graduate programs at UIC. The deadline for incoming graduate students is mid-February. Nominations are made by the Department of English shortly after admissions have been completed. Announcements of awards are customarily made in April. Students with fellowships must carry 12 hours per semester.

http://grad.uic.edu/cms/?pid=1000090

Dean's Scholar Award
The Dean's Scholar Award is a one-year, non-renewable award presented by the Dean of the Graduate College in recognition of a student's scholarly achievement. It is intended to provide the most distinguished, advanced-level graduate students with a period of time dedicated solely to the completion of their programs. The Dean’s Scholar competition is open to doctoral students who have passed the Graduate-College-required Preliminary Examination at the University of Illinois at Chicago and are well into their dissertation work. Applications are ordinarily due by the second week in March.

http://grad.uic.edu/cms/?pid=1000091

Abraham Lincoln Graduate Fellowship
The goal of the Abraham Lincoln Fellowship program at the University of Illinois at Chicago is to increase the excellence and diversity of the graduate student body by attracting applicants who have overcome obstacles to achieve academic success, like President Lincoln himself, who by his words and actions forged the framework for America's pursuit of freedom, equality and justice. The fellowship is open to both returning students (nominations due by the first week in April) and incoming graduate students.

http://grad.uic.edu/cms/?pid=1000092

DFI Fellowship
The Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois Program (DFI)—formerly known as the IMGIP/ICEOP—was established by the Illinois General Assembly and signed as Public Act 093-0862 on August 4, 2004. This act combines the Illinois Consortium for Educational Opportunity Program (ICEOP) and the Illinois Minority Graduate Incentive Program (IMGIP) into a single fellowship program. The purpose of DFI is to increase the number of underrepresented faculty and staff in Illinois institutions of higher education and higher education governing boards.

http://grad.uic.edu/cms/?pid=1000083

Board of Trustees Tuition-and-Fee Waivers
The Department of English selects a limited number graduate students for Board of Trustees Tuition-and-Fee waivers. The waivers are issued on a semester-by-semester basis. Eligible students are doctoral candidates living locally who have not yet accumulated the required 32 hours of dissertation research, as well as outstanding MA students. Students on waivers must carry a minimum of twelve (12) semester hours in the fall and spring semesters; a minimum of six (6) credit hours during the summer session.

BOT waivers cover the following charges: Full tuition, including differential, if any; Service fee; Health service fee; Academic facilities maintenance fund assessment (AFMFA); Library and Information Technology Assessment (LITA); $100 toward the cost of university health insurance (CampusCare) if the student is enrolled. The entire $100 is paid in the first semester that the student is enrolled in CampusCare, usually the Fall.

BOT waivers do NOT cover the following charges: General fee; CTA transportation fee; Student-to-student fee; The remainder of the cost of health insurance after the $100 payment.

Full-time employees, including lecturers, are not eligible for this waiver. Students receive information regarding the waivers several times throughout the year. To be considered for the waiver, students should contact the Office of Graduate Studies.

Visit the UIC Fellowship Office online for more information.

Download relevant forms.