Graduate Student Funding

Associateships & Graduate School Opportunities

Graduate Associateships provides an apprenticeship experience along with financial support. This apprenticeship complements formal instruction and gives the student practical, personal experience that can be gained only by performing instructional, research, or administrative activities.  Most graduate associates work 20 hours per week for 9 months, and receive a monthly stipend. Ohio State offers stipends that are competitive with other universities of similar size and scope.

The Department of French and Italian awards a number of Graduate Teaching Associateships each year to students who are preparing the PhD. The position of Graduate Teaching Associate carries with it important responsibilities. Chief among these is the maintenance of a proper balance between studies, the first priority for the Associate, and teaching. In order to retain an Associateship, the student must, in the opinion of the faculty, be making reasonable progress towards completion of the degree and have demonstrated effective teaching.

Teaching Associates must seek permission from the Director of Graduate Studies and their advisor before accepting any other employment beyond their teaching associateship (whether within the university or outside of it). If permission is granted, this additional employment may not under any circumstances exceed ten hours per week.

A Graduate School fellowship is a financial award made by the university directly to a graduate student to provide support during a portion of the graduate degree program. Fellows are selected on the basis of academic merit through a university-wide competition without respect to financial need. Graduate fellows do not perform a service in return for receiving a stipend.  The Graduate Studies Advisory Committee, which reviews applications, nominates outstanding candidates in order for them to be considered for this award by the Graduate School. To be considered for a nomination, the Graduate Studies Advisory Committee must have your complete application no later than November 30.

Graduate School Fellowships

The Graduate Enrichment Fellowship are used to recruit new, incoming graduate students to Ohio State who will bring diversity to the Graduate School. The Graduate School at Ohio State considers diversity to be a broadly defined concept, and The Graduate School considers each applicant’s promise of making notable contributions to the Ohio State and Columbus community. Examples of diversity include but are not limited to ethnic background, social or economic disadvantage, disability, nominee status as a McNair scholar, or other characteristics or attributes that may contribute to the diversity of the Graduate School. Please note that students do not apply directly for these fellowships and nominations are made and submitted by graduate programs. To be considered for a Graduate Enrichment Fellowship, you much respond to the Graduate Enrichment Fellowship question in the Graduate Application, and detail how you would bring diversity to the Graduate School community. More information is availble on the website of the Graduate School.

Summer Funding Opportunities

Graduate Associates can apply for competitive summer funding opportunities through the Department of French & Italian. Applications will be reviewed by the Graduate Studies Committee and French & Italian Language Directors. A recommendation will be made to the Department Chair, who will make final decisions and notify recipients. Students who receive summer funding awards should work with the Academic Program Coordinator to ensure they are properly registered for the semester during which they will have award funding.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: February 1 of the semester preceding the summer in which funding will be used. GAs can expect award decisions in second week of February.

Application Submission Form

Faculty advisor support letters should be sent directly to Matt Lang.650.

The French, Francophone, and Italian Summer Prize is designed to provide one PhD student in French or Italian at the dissertation stage with summer support in the amount of $6200 to allow them to make substantial progress toward the completion of the dissertation.  Preference given to a student who does not hold a teaching appointment for the summer, and who has not received the award previously.

Applicants must submit the following documents via the application Form:

  1. Letter that includes 
    1. a one- to two-page abstract of the dissertation;
    2. a brief statement on where the applicant is in the writing process, including projected defense date;
    3. specific goals for the summer is (i.e. the research for and writing up of a certain chapter, the revision of several chapters, etc.);
  2. CV;
  3. Letter of support from the faculty advisor (sent directly to Matt Lang.650);
  4. Projected summer budget that includes living expenses (whether in Columbus or elsewhere) and any research expenses the project may require;
  5. List of other funding for which the applicant is also applying.  

Selection will be made on the basis of:

  • strength of the proposal;
  • nearness to completion of the dissertation;
  • applicant’s academic record in the program. 

At the end of the summer, the recipient must submit a brief letter describing what they accomplished to the Director of Graduate Studies and faculty advisor.

The Bulatkin Summer Prize is designed to provide one PhD student in French or Italian at the dissertation-writing stage with summer support in the amount of $6200 to allow them to make substantial progress toward the completion of the dissertation.  Preference given to a student who does not hold a teaching appointment for the summer, and who has not received the award previously.

Applicants must submit the following documents via the application Form:

  1. Letter that includes
    1. a one- to two-page abstract of the dissertation;
    2. a brief statement on where the applicant is in the writing process, including projected defense date;
    3. specific goals for the summer is (i.e. the research for and writing up of a certain chapter, the revision of several chapters, etc.);
  2. CV;
  3. Letter of support from the faculty advisor (sent directly to Matt Lang.650);
  4. Projected summer budget that includes living expenses (whether in Columbus or elsewhere) and any research expenses the project may require;
  5. List of other funding for which the applicant is also applying.  

Selection will be made on the basis of:

  • strength of the proposal;
  • nearness to completion of the dissertation;
  • applicant’s academic record in the program. 

At the end of the summer, the recipient must submit a brief letter describing what they accomplished to the Director of Graduate Studies and faculty advisor.

The Judith Marquis Rymer and Glenn Rymer Travel Award offers financial support to graduate students in French, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese for study abroad fees and travel expenses. The Department of French and Italian and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese will alternate the disbursement of this award from year to year (FRIT will disburse the award in 2023, then in 2025, etc.).

Applicants must submit the following documents via the application Form:

  1. Brief letter describing the study abroad program in which the applicant plans to participate and the reasons for which they have chosen it;
  2. CV;
  3. Letter of support from the faculty advisor (submitted directly to Matt Lang.650);
  4. List of other funding for which they are also applying.

The recipient must be making good progress toward the degree. Priority will be given to non-native French or Italian speakers who have not had many opportunities to study abroad. The Department will award either two awards of $1000 or one award of $2000.

*(for Students in 20th/21st-century French and Francophone Studies only)

The Astier Travel Grant, in the amount of $2,400, is awarded to one PhD student working on a topic in 20th/21st-century French or Francophone studies. Typically, the travel grant will be used for travel to archives and/or research centers in support of the dissertation research, but applicants do not have to be at the candidacy stage to apply.

Applicants must submit the following documents via the application Form:

  1. Letter that includes
    1. a one- to two-page abstract of the dissertation;
    2. a brief statement on where the applicant is in the writing process, including projected defense date;
    3. specific goals for the summer is (i.e. the research for and writing up of a certain chapter, the revision of several chapters, etc.);
  2. CV;
  3. Letter of support from the faculty advisor (sent directly to Matt Lang.650);
  4. Projected summer budget that includes living expenses (whether in Columbus or elsewhere) and any research expenses the project may require;
  5. List of other funding for which the applicant is also applying.  

Selection will be made first on the basis of the strength of the proposal. If more than one applicant’s project merits funding, seniority will be taken into consideration. A student who has already received this grant may apply for and receive it a second time if the project merits it and if they are the only eligible applicant.

Additional Funding Opportunities

The Department of French and Italian maintains a lecturer exchange agreement with the Université de Rennes. The Department invites applications from graduate students in French & Francophone Studies to serve as a lecteur/ lectrice teaching English on this exchange. The exchange is managed through the SCELVA, which provides and assistance with visa, orientation, and benefits. The appointment term is one academic year beginning on September 1. This is a wonderful opportunity to live in France for a year and acquire teaching experience in a French university setting. Note: according to rules set by Rennes, participants must be native speakers of English.

Applicants should send the following to the Academic Program Coordinator:

  1. a letter of application that details the motivations to participate in the exchange, accomplishments made in research, teaching, and service while in the Department, and progress made to date on the degree (maximum 2-pages, single-spaced);
  2. a CV;
  3. The student’s faculty advisor should send to the APC a brief letter of support

Applications will be reviewed by the Graduate Studies Committee, and decisions will be conveyed by early February.

Deadline: January 10

Graduate students in their final year of funding may apply for an award that will extend graduate funding for one academic year. This competitive award will cover tuition remission (maximum of three credit hours), teaching stipend, and the usual fees for two consecutive semesters during one academic year. Applicants must be in their final year of funding to be eligible.

Applicants should send the following to the Academic Program Coordinator:

  1. a letter of application that details accomplishments in research, teaching, and service while in the Department, specific progress made to date on the dissertation, and a timeline for completion (maximum 2-pages, single-spaced);
  2. a summary of the dissertation with chapter breakdown (maximum three-pages, single spaced);
  3. a CV;
  4. a brief statement (200-words) detailing any extenuating circumstances that you would like to share with the committee (if applicable);
  5. the faculty advisor should send to the APC a letter of support

Applications will be reviewed jointly by the Chair and Graduate Studies Committee. Final determinations will be made by the Chair.

Deadline: December 24

The Felice M. Graduate Endowed Scholarship Fund was established in April 2016 by the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University, with a gift from the estate of Felice Marcus Grad (BA 1946, BS 1946, MA 1947). The fund’s purpose is to support off-campus study and/or research for graduate students in AAAS, Classics, DEALL, FRIT, GLL, NELC, SEELC, and SPPO at any stage of their graduate program. Types of off-campus research and study for which students may apply for funds include but are not limited to: library or archival work, interviews with subjects, conference presentations, language immersion programs, NEH or other summer seminars, the Big Ten Academic Alliance Traveling Scholar program, and professionalization workshops. The scholarship committee solicits applications for awards between $500 and $1000 dollars depending on demonstrated need.

Applicants should submit the following materials to the CLLC:

  1. a CV;
  2. a one- to two-page letter describing the project;
  3. a budget that includes travel, room and board, registration fees, tuition, cost of rent in Columbus while away, and any other costs that the project entails;
  4. a list of other scholarships for which they are also applying (from their department, Arts and Humanities, the Graduate School, the Alumni Association, etc. Indicate the amounts of these scholarships and if they have been secured or are pending);
  5. a brief letter of support from their faculty advisor

Please contact Rebecca Bias in the Center for Languages, Literatures, and Cultures for the current year deadline.

Graduate Students may apply for up to $1000 to fund travel to present a paper at international professional conferences, $700 to present at domestic professional conferences, or $400 to present at graduate student conferences per academic year. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted.

Interested students should apply to the Department Chair directly with a letter of acceptance to present at the conference and a travel budget.