Funding Opportunities

Financial Assistance for Applicants & Continuing Students

Financial assistance awarded by American Indian Studies is limited. The process of making awards, therefore, is competitive. Financial Aid is available in the form of Graduate Teaching Assistantships for many incoming doctoral students; continuing students are asked to apply each year.

Calls for applications typically are disseminated during spring semester and are allocated once a year.

Especially for the doctoral program, we strongly encourage both applicants and continuing students to investigate sources of funding outside the program, and external to the University.

The database of links listed below was formulated to assist our students to find and apply to sources of financial aid at The University of Arizona and beyond. 

External sources of funding are especially critical for the research and write-up stages of dissertation work. If you have any questions, please contact the American Indian Studies office at 621-7108.

Graduate Tuition Scholarships (GTS)

Scholarship program for which all students (M.A., M.A./J.D., and Ph.D.) are automatically considered upon admission. Graduate Tuition Scholarships (GTS) waive tuition only (the GTS does not include Registration Center fee, Financial Aid Trust Fee, or Registration fees). 

Students must be admitted to regular graduate status, enroll for a minimum of six units per semester, and meet a GPA minimum of 3.0 in order to qualify.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)

Graduate Teaching Assistantships are typically awarded to Ph.D. students, although occasionally second year M.A. students may receive a GTA award. Students must be admitted to regular graduate status, enroll for a minimum of six units per semester, and meet a GPA minimum of 3.0 in order to qualify. 

Awards are offered on the basis of merit, timely progress through the degree program, and satisfactory evaluations in prior GTA appointments. Financial awards are made for one academic year; receiving an award does not guarantee or imply support for subsequent years.

GTAs constitute our main source of financial assistance for doctoral students. Financial Aid in the form of GTAs is available for many incoming doctoral students. 

Most doctoral students can complete their coursework requirements in the first two years. Depending on available funds, we may be able to offer support into the second year, but this depends on the number of students in the program, which is variable over time.