Frequently Asked Questions: finances
- How much does graduate school cost?
- What kind of financial aid is available for entry-level (Master's ) students?
- How do I apply for a fellowship? What are my chances of getting a fellowship?
- Are new graduate students offered positions as teaching assistants?
- Is health insurance available for graduate students?
- How much does it cost to live in Madison?
How much does graduate school cost?
Tuition is based upon your status as a student, the number of credits you are taking and your state residency status.
Current tuition and fee schedules can be found at the UW-Madison Registrar's Web site.
What kind of financial aid is available for entry-level (Master's) students?
To find out how to apply for governmental financial aid, including loans, please check with the Office of Student Financial Services. You will want to begin the process as early as the January of the year you begin your program.
More information about departmental support, including fellowships
How do I apply for a fellowship? What are my chances of getting a fellowship?
To apply for a fellowship, you need simply to indicate your interest on the Graduate School funding form and have your complete application materials in the mail by December 15. Your chances of being nominated for a fellowship are as high as your application is strong, in comparison to other applicants in the pool; but still more than the nominations, the actual awards are extremely competitive. In nominating candidates to the Graduate School for fellowship packages, the English Department competes against many other departments for a limited number of awards. Historically, we have done disproportionately well. When the final decision-making body, the Graduate School, informs the department of awards, we have typically been allowed to offer substantial fellowship packages to five or six entry-level applicants.
We very rarely offer financial support other than Teaching Assistantships or Project Assistantships to students until they embark on their dissertations. Some dissertation fellowships become available for students who have completed their Preliminary Exams and doctoral coursework.
Are new graduate students offered positions as teaching assistants?
- MFA students begin teaching their first year after receiving substantial training.
- Applied English Linguistics students generally do not teach. However, some students may be offered a Teaching Assistantship appointment after they complete a certain sequence of courses.
- Literary Studies students beginning at the MA level do not teach in their first year. Students beginning at the PhD level and those who have completed their MA year are typically, but not always, offerd a Teaching Assistantship.
- Composition & Rhetoric students are typically, but not alawys, offered a Teaching Assistantship.
- English Language & Linguistics students are typically, but not alawys, offered a Teaching Assistantship.
All beginning TAs will receive teaching training before they go into the classroom. Students whose native language is not English are required to pass the SPEAK test administered by the ESL Program with a perfect score before they may be offered a Teaching Assistantship.
Is health insurance available for graduate students?
Yes. University Health Services offers a wide range of outpatient physical and mental health services, most of which are prepaid through a health fee included in fees and tuition. The University Health Services website provides detailed information about what services are available at UHS and which ones must be obtained in the community.
However, students will still need health insurance, since hospitalization, emergency room care and care of complex health problems are not provided by UHS. It is extremely important that all students and their spouses or domestic partners have adequate health insurance. UW-Madison, in partnership with Managed Care Concepts, Inc., has developed a university-sponsored, comprehensive and affordable Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). SHIP plans are designed to complement UHS services by providing comprehensive coverage for those services that UHS does not provide. See the SHIP Web site for more information.
Health insurance coverage may differ for students with a Teaching Assistantship or other appointments. For more information about coverage for TAs, please check the TAA Web site.
How much does it cost to live in Madison?
Here you can find estimated cost of living expenses in Madison, as computed by the School of Engineering.
(rev. 8/2005)
