Work-Study and Loan Programs

The deadline for applying for federally subsidized Work-Study is March 31. The deadline for filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is also March 31; therefore, students should not wait to hear from the English Department about fellowship offers before investigating work-study and loan programs and contacting the University's Financial Aid Office.

Financial Support for PhD Candidates

All students admitted for doctoral study in English at the University of Virginia receive a financial package of $20,000 (combining fellowship support and, after the first year, wages for teaching) in addition to full tuition remission and health care coverage.  This package runs five years (four years for MA transfers, who enter our program as second-year PhD students).  On a competitive basis, the department also awards five President’s Fellowships providing packages of $22,000 for five years.  All applicants whose files are complete by the first of the year are considered for competitive fellowship awards; likely recipients are contacted by the department in February or March.

As part of the standard package, PhD students in their first year work 10 hours/week as graders or research assistants.  All students, including President’s Fellows, begin teaching in their second year, and teach one course per semester for years two through five.  During the fourth or fifth year, it is possible to teach two courses in one semester, freeing the other for uninterrupted work on the dissertation.  Students in their sixth year and beyond, who continue to make good progress toward the degree, are eligible for teaching when such assignments are available.

Each year, two or three advanced doctoral candidates, nominated by the department, successfully compete for dissertation fellowships awarded by The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences or the Faculty Senate of the University.  Winners receive $18,000 (for GSAS fellowships) or $25,000 (for Faculty Senate fellowships) along with tuition and health insurance for a year without teaching. 

The department has limited fellowship funds to support travel for those presenting a paper at a conference or visiting an archive in connection with dissertation research.  Students may apply for up to $500 per year in each category, depending on the availability of funding.  The Graduate School also accepts applications for conference travel support.

To qualify for the department’s program of support, students must maintain satisfactory academic progress.  In cases of serious academic deficiency (e.g., a pattern of poor grades in courses or repeated failure to complete work on time), a student may be asked to leave the program. 

Financial Support for MA Candidates

The department does not have fellowship funding for MA students.  Like PhDs, MAs may apply for up to $500 per year to attend a conference where they are giving a paper.  MA students may also apply for departmental jobs as research or office assistants, enabling them to earn $1,000-$2,000 per academic year. Though MAs do not teach for the department, GESA maintains a list of teaching opportunities elsewhere in the University and community. By and large, however, students enrolling in the MA program should plan to defray their own expenses.