Financial aid to qualified graduate students typically takes the form of teaching assistantships, although individual faculty members sometimes have paid research assistantships through their own grant funding.
A limited number of Graduate Fellowships and Nonresident Tuition Remission Scholarships are also awarded by the Graduate School and the College of Letters and Science. Please visit the UWM Graduate School’s Financial Aid website for further information.
Teaching or Research Assistantship Orientation
In the event that you are awarded a teaching or research assistantship, you will be notified by the department. Further information on how to register to be put on the UWM payroll will be given out at an orientation* given by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in the summer before you start your studies (further information will be available from that website in the early summer).
* Note: Your attendance at this orientation is mandatory so that you can fill out the paperwork needed to register for payroll. Also note that there are special considerations for international students. More information for them can be found at the following website from the Center for International Education.
Chancellor’s Awards
A limited number of Chancellor’s Awards are given to economics graduate students to help with educational expenses. Recipients are selected by the department and there is no application required.
Prizes
Graduate student prizes honor those who have been excellent teachers and mentors to students, wonderful colleagues, and instrumental in building the reputation of the department. These financial awards are supported by contributions from those who support the mission of the department and who wish to recognize our outstanding faculty and support our fine students. Read more about the J. Walter Elliott Memorial Award, the William L. Holahan Prize, and the Richard Perlman Prize on our scholarships page.
Departmental Rules for Provision of Financial Aid
- Students directly admitted to the PhD program in Economics can receive financial aid in the form of teaching assistantship awards for no longer than eight semesters.
- Students with a MA degree from UWM who are admitted to the PhD program can receive awards for a total of 10 semesters over the course of both degrees.
- Financial support beyond the first year is contingent upon successful performance in your job duties as a teaching assistant and on progression in the program, including coursework, passing the core preliminary examinations and substantive progression on dissertation research by the end of the third year.