Aid for PhD Students

• Dean’s Fellowships
• Martin Luther King Jr. Fellowship
• Whitney M. Young Jr. Fellowship
• Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship
• Trainee Fellowships
• Various prestigious departmental fellowships.

Non-service fellowships provide a stipend and scholarship for exceptional students to focus primarily on their degree coursework with no departmental research or teaching responsibilities. Students awarded non-service fellowships are required to enroll in a full load of academic courses as determined by the department.

A Teaching Fellowship provides a stipend and a full scholarship and an opportunity for graduate students to gain classroom experience under the close supervision of the faculty members who have the formal responsibility for the courses to which the teaching fellows are assigned. Your obligation in this fellowship would include instructional duties assigned by your department. Instructional and other duties total approximately 20 hours per week.

Doctoral Research Fellowships provide a stipend and scholarship for exceptionally qualified students in return for research work done for the department. Your obligation in this fellowship will include research duties assigned by your department that total no more than 20 hours per week.

The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, using funds from alumni gifts, has established a fellowship program, the Graduate Research Abroad Fellowship (GRAF), to support foreign-based research by doctoral students whose field-based or archival research requires an extended period of residence in another country or countries. This program is primarily intended for students in the Humanities and the Social Sciences, where the opportunity to conduct foreign research is often crucial and where sources of funds are limited, but students from all Arts & Sciences disciplines will be eligible for consideration.  GRAF awards may not be used for foreign-based study or training such as acquiring language skills, or for attending professional conferences.

There are two kinds of Graduate Research Abroad Fellowships:

• The Short-term GRAF supports travel and living costs during a period of study abroad up to, but not exceeding, 3 full months. For trips taken during the academic year when students will normally be supported by another fellowship, up to $4,000 in travel costs is provided. For trips during the summer (late May through August) a fellowship provides up to $6,000.
• The Long-term GRAF enables a student to spend an extended period (4 or more months/at least a full semester) of foreign-based field or archival research. It provides up to $16,250 to cover living, travel, and research expenses.  A Long-term GRAF also provides Continuing Study Fees and the cost of participation in the basic BU student health plan for the time the student is abroad.

Fellowships will be awarded to students nominated by their departments and recommended by a faculty committee. At the time of nomination, students should be well advanced in their doctoral studies and will normally have completed all doctoral program requirements except the dissertation.

Students who receive GRAF funding must begin their travel no later than the end of the following academic year (ex. A student who is awarded a GRAF as part of the Fall 2022 or Spring 2023 application cycles must travel by the end of the 2023/2024 academic year). If a student does not travel within the allotted time frame, they will be asked to reapply for the GRAF or submit a petition in order to receive their award.

Please note: except in special circumstances, the expectation is that no more than three nominations per department/program will be accepted. Please be in touch with the GRS office directly and in advance of the deadline if your department/program would like to submit more than three nominations.

GRAF Application Form

GRAF Budget Template

Students must submit an application form (including a budget using the budget template provided here), an unofficial transcript, and their proposal for consideration of nomination to their department, who will then review all materials and choose up to three nominations to submit to GRS. All material for each of the nominations, including a letter of recommendation from the student’s advisor or dissertation supervisor, should be submitted by departments to the Graduate School by November 15 for the fall and March 31 for the spring.  A select number of Short-term and  Long-term Fellowships will be awarded each year based on the committee’s evaluations.

The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences has established a new fellowship program, the Graduate Research in the United States. Fellowship (GRUF), to support research by GRS doctoral students whose field-based or archival research requires travel to and a period of residence in another city/state within the United States. This fellowship is open to students from any GRS department or program whose research needs additional sources of funding for extramural activities. GRUF awards may not be used for foreign-based study or for attending professional conferences. GRUF may be used for other research or professional opportunities (such as a field school or workshop).

Please note: your application should be submitted no less than 6 weeks before the start date of your proposed project/travel. 

There are two kinds of GRUF fellowships:

• The Short-term GRUF supports travel and living costs during a period of study outside of Boston, but not exceeding, 3 full months. The award for a short-term GRUF is up to $6,000. Short-term GRUF can be used for shorter research trips.
• The Long-term GRUF enables a student to spend an extended period (4 or more months/at least a full semester) of United-States-based field or archival research outside of Boston. It provides up to $16,250 to cover living, travel, and research expenses.  A Long-term GRUF also provides Continuing Study Fees and the cost of participation in the basic BU student health plan for the time the student is abroad.

Students who receive GRUF funding must begin their travel no later than the end of the following academic year (ex. A student who is awarded a GRUF as part of the Spring 2023 application cycle must travel by the end of the 2023/2024 academic year). If a student does not travel within the allotted time frame, they will be asked to reapply for GRUF or submit a petition to receive their award.

Deadline Extension: We will be accepting applications on a rolling basis until May 15 or funds are exhausted. Please note that funds are limited and applicants are encouraged to submit early. Fellowships will be awarded each year based on the committee’s evaluations.

Apply here: GRUF InfoReady Application

Supporting Application Materials

GRUF Budget Template

GRUF Departmental Acknowledgment Form

Students must submit the following on the InfoReady portal to be considered for GRUF:

• An unofficial transcript
• A project proposal (of 1-2 pages) that includes how the project will benefit your research or academic/professional progress.

Additionally the following must be submitted via InfoReady after a student’s application is submitted in order for the GRUF proposal to be considered:

• Signed acknowledgment form from the student’s department Director of Graduate Studies or equivalent faculty member.
• A letter of recommendation from the student’s advisor.

Twice a year, the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Organization (GSO) accepts applications for travel grants. The GSO offers two types of awards:

• Presentation travel grants: For students planning on directly participating in a conference or research forum by presenting a paper or poster, participating in a discussion panel, or chairing a discussion or paper session.
• Research travel grants: For students planning to visit an archive, attend a training workshop, or use a research facility.

For instructions, application, and more details please visit the GSO website.

For information regarding your stipend payments, please visit our Stipends FAQ page.

For information regarding your stipend and taxes, please visit our Tax Information FAQ page.

For a breakdown of the tuition and fees for an academic year at Boston University as a student in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences as well as an estimated cost of attendance, please visit our Cost of Attendance (COA) page.

Your PhD funding includes a qualified tuition scholarship as defined in 26 USC Section 117(a) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code; it is contingent upon you maintaining Good Academic Conduct, maintaining Good Academic Standing, and making Satisfactory Academic Progress; it is not contingent upon your appointment as a teaching or research fellow and is not taxable to you as the recipient.

Your fellowship covers the cost of tuition for up to 18 credits per semester, as long as they are required by your degree or are necessary for your research (with approval from your DGS and advisor).  It does not cover the cost of courses that are not required (ex: Physical Education (PDP) course).  The tuition for 11 or less credits is calculated on a per credit rate; whereas the cost for 12-18 credits is a flat fee. For example:

• If a student enrolls in 14 credits that are degree requirements, then adds 1 to 4 credits that do not count towards their degree (ex: a Physical Education (PDP) course), and the total credits does not exceed 18, the additional 1 to 4 credits will not generate an additional tuition charge.
• If this student (who has 14 credits of degree requirements plus 1 to 4 credits that do not count towards their degree) decides to drop a 4-credit degree requirement, this leaves only 10 credits of degree requirements and only this 10 credits will be covered by scholarship.  In this case, the student will be responsible for the payment of the additional 1 to 4 credits (ex: a PDP course). Please keep this in mind when adding and dropping any of your courses.

Each semester, once you have registered, you will need to make sure your student account is “settled” by the semester’s payment deadline.  Please log in to the MyBU Student Portal and click on the “Money Matters” tab to view your charges & credits once you have finalized your spring registration.

You may have receive an automated email (“e-bill”) from Student Accounting Services (SAS).  SAS sends out automated email notifications to all undergraduate and graduate students (and may apply late fees) as most students at Boston University are not in a fully funded PhD program and are therefore responsible for payment.  While GRS PhD students should never ignore emails from SAS, as there could be a legitimate reason for the balance (Physical Education (PDP) course, sports pass, convenience points, MBTA pass, something that is not covered), they do not need to worry about any late fees if all we had to do is adjust their scholarship.

GRS generally applies the same amount of scholarship to the fall and spring semesters assuming the student will continue to enroll in the same number of credits in both semesters.  Once the initial scholarship has been applied, we wait until the end of the spring semester’s add/drop period (mid-October/late February) to manually reconcile everyone’s registration and scholarship.  The majority of our PhD and MFA students will continuously add and drop classes over a six-month period which is the reason why our office waits until the end of the add/drop period before we start reconciling any scholarships.  You may email us at grsaid@bu.edu as soon as you have finalized your course selection for the semester so that we can adjust your scholarship right away.   Please include your BU ID when emailing our office.

If you have questions about your student account, your scholarship, stipend, or insurance credit, please contact GRS Financial Aid at grsaid@bu.edu (and include your BU ID).  Please note that Student Accounting Services, the Payroll Office, Student Employment, and the Registrar do not have any information regarding students’ funding or fellowship.  Please contact GRS Financial Aid instead.

Payment Deadlines

Payment/Settlement Procedures

Students who enroll full-time (or are certified full-time) are automatically enrolled in the Sports Pass each year.  The Sports Pass is not a membership to the University’s FitRec Center (that’s already included in your Health & Wellness Fee and it is covered by your fellowship).  The Sports Pass costs $130 per year and it allows you admission to all home events at the Agganis Arena.  The cost of the Sports Pass is not covered by your fellowship.  For individualized information regarding your Sports Pass, or to cancel your sports pass prior to September 1, visit the MyBU Student Portal and go the Money Matters tab.  To cancel your Sports Pass after September 1, please bring your BU ID card to the Agganis Arena Ticketing Office to ensure your Sports Pass has not been used.  For additional questions regarding the Sports Pass and the charge on your account, please contact the Agganis Arena Ticket Office at 617-353-4628.

As part of your fellowship award, the University will cover the cost of your individual participation in the Boston University Basic Student Health Insurance Plan ($3,280 in AY23-24). Students who opt to purchase the Boston University Student PLUS Plan ($4,403 in AY23-24) will be responsible for payment of the difference in the premium amount ($1,123 in AY23-24) by the payment deadline for the Fall semester. Please refer to Student Health Services for more information. The University will not cover any health insurance costs for dependents. Family coverage is available at an additional cost to the student.

Health insurance coverage extends from August 15, 2023 through August 14, 2024 for students who are enrolled in the Fall semester 2023. Please note that coverage takes effect once fall registration has been processed or on August 15, whichever is later.

Students who are required to have health insurance are automatically enrolled in the Boston University Basic Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP).

Who is required to have health insurance?

Under the laws of Massachusetts, the following students are required to participate in a qualifying health insurance plan:

• Students certified as full-time
• Students who are registered for 75% or more of a full-time course load (nine or more credit hours for most schools)
• International students (students who are not U.S. citizens and who do not have approved refugee or permanent resident status)

Part-time students are not automatically enrolled but can request to be enrolled. If a student wishes to waive the insurance, a health insurance waiver form must be submitted. For more information about insurance coverage and deadlines for enrollment/waivers, please consult Student Health Services.

Graduate students receive an insurance credit of half the cost ($1,640 in fall 2023/$1,640 in spring 2024) in each semester that they receive a stipend of at least $5,000 (refer to insurance credit info for service stipends and non-service stipends). Students who do not receive a stipend of at least $5,000 in both fall and spring may be responsible for the payment of any remaining balance by the payment deadline. Students who graduate in January or who go part-time in spring can enroll in fall only coverage before December 31; in this case, the coverage will end on December 31 but they will not have to pay the full annual premium.

For questions about your insurance credit, please email GRS Financial Aid at grsaid@bu.edu (and include your BU ID).  For questions about enrollment in student health insurance, please contact the Student Health Insurance Team at insmed@bu.edu.

Students have the option to purchase Dental Care through the University, which is not included in the fellowship award.

The purpose of fully supporting our graduate students is to allow them to engage wholly in their scholarly work and to devote the attention necessary to complete their studies in a timely fashion. We expect that you will not be employed outside of Boston University. Graduate School of Arts & Sciences policy limits the amount of additional paid work that may be assigned to graduate students in any semester when they are appointed to a Teaching, Graduate Research, or Non-Service Fellowship. For this reason, we expect students with service fellowships to devote no more than 20 hours per week to their assigned activity. While we occasionally permit PhD students to hold additional assignments, this is an exception and requires advisor and administrative approval (refer to Boston University Policies). Under this policy, such fully funded students may be employed as graders or other similar positions for additional payment only under the following conditions:

1. The assignment provides the student with an opportunity for professional growth in teaching and/or in expert knowledge of course topics or research;
2. The assignment does not exceed five (5) hours/week averaged over the semester; and
3. The payment is set up as a weekly salary.

The University’s policy is that all PhD students receiving stipend support are entitled to paid vacation time.  Please refer to the University’s Policies page.  International students who want to travel internationally should contact Boston University’s International Students and Scholar’s Office (ISSO) to make sure they are able to leave and return to the U.S. without any issues.

All students at the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences are expected to maintain high standards of academic honesty. It is each student’s responsibility to be aware of the content of the GRS Academic Conduct Code, which can be found on the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences website.

Please note: The GRS Academic Conduct Code is distinct from Good Academic Standing (Master’s, PhD) requirements and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Please see the relevant Bulletin pages for additional information about those policies.

The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences requires graduate students to maintain Good Academic Standing in order to remain enrolled in their graduate program and/or to retain GRS scholarship and/or fellowship support. The GRS criteria for Good Academic Standing are as follows:

• Have no more than two failing or W grades.
• Meet all milestones of the degree, such as comprehensive exams, qualifying exams, and dissertation prospectus, on the schedule specified by the program.
• Meet all milestones of the degree with sufficient quality of work as specified by the program.
• Satisfactorily fulfill all service fellowship obligations, as specified by the program.

Please note: Good Academic Standing is distinct from Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and the GRS Academic Conduct Code. Please see the relevant Bulletin pages for additional information about those policies.

Fellowships will continue for the duration of the five-year commitment if the student is making satisfactory academic progress each year, confirmed by the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.

The GRS minimum standard for Satisfactory Academic Progress is:

• Maintain a Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher
• Have no more than 2 failing grades (lower than B- or an incomplete grade older than 12 months) and/or W grades
• Pass all milestones of degree, such as comprehensive exams, qualifying exams and dissertation prospectus, on the schedule specified by the program
• Pass all milestones on the degree with sufficient quality of work as specified by the program
• Satisfactorily fulfill their service fellowship obligations as specified by the program