Funding for Graduate Students

We strive to support all of our graduate students financially as they pursue their degrees. Our MA and PhD students typically work as Graduate Employees (GEs) each term during the academic year, teaching a range of German language courses. GEships include monthly salary, a tuition waiver, health insurance at a small cost, and other benefits bargained for by the UO Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation. Compensation rises in two steps from entering with a BA to PhD candidacy. For more informaiton on salary and benefit packages, visit the UO Graduate School’s webpage.

Other professional training opportunities that are occasionally offered in connection with a GEship include editing work for the online journal Konturen that is housed in the department, or other work related to editing or research assistance for faculty. 

Summer support is typically available through teaching assignments in first- and second-year German language. In addition, all PhD students, after they successfully attain candidacy, are eligible for up to two summers of dissertation research and writing support at $4,000 per summer, contingent on solid progress through the program.

Graduate students also receive a yearly individual allotment for conference and research travel and professional development expenses. Additional special awards may be made on the basis of merit and need.

Several named scholarships exist to support our graduate students:

  • The Astrid M. Williams Fellowship
  • Roger Nicholls Emeritus Professor Award
  • Hansen Graduate Fellowship Award
  • The Schmidt Fellowship

Finally, we actively support our students in their applications for fellowship opportunities internal to the University of Oregon as well as external scholarships. For information about research abroad opportunities, see our Study and Research in Germany website.


Scholarships awarded by the College of Arts & Sciences

  • Mary Chambers Brockelbank Endowed Assistance Fund
  • College of Arts and Sciences Graduate Scholarship
  • Clarence and Lucille Dunbar Scholarship
  • Henry V. Howe Scholarship
  • John L. and Naomi Luvaas Graduate Fellowship
  • Miller Family Graduate Award in Technology & Science
  • Everett D. Monte Scholarship
  • Risa Palm Graduate Fellowship
  • Charles A. Reed Graduate Fellowship
  • Steve and Sherry Schroeder Scholarship
  • Marthe E. Smith Memorial Science Scholarship
  • James and Dorothy Whitman Scholarship
  • Norman Brown Graduate Fellowship

Please visit http://cas.uoregon.edu/cas-scholarships/ for more information on each scholarship’s criteria, average award amounts, and a link to the online application materials.

Affiliate Scholarships

  • The Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) promotes international academic relations and cooperation by offering mobility programs primarily for students and faculty, but also for administrators and others in the higher education realm.
  • The German Bundestag, the German Parliament, offers young people the opportunity to get to know the German parliamentary system and political decision-making processes and to gain practical experience of parliamentary work during a 15-week work placement with a Member of the Bundestag.
  • The Oregon Humanities Center offers a variety of fellowships for graduate students.
  • The Center for the Study of Women in Society offers several grants and fellowships.