Graduate Student Funding

Graduate Appointments

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.

Additional Funding Opportunities

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). The Dissertation Advisor should send to the APC a letter of support. Applications will be reviewed jointly by the Graduate Studies Committee. 

Deadline: December 24

Graduate students in French and Italian who have had a paper accepted at a professional conference, who have a research project that requires travel, or who have job interviews at the annual MLA Convention may apply for a Bulatkin Travel Award worth up to $350. Depending on demand, presentations at graduate conferences may be funded up to $200. To apply, students should send a brief letter describing their paper or project, a copy of the letter of acceptance or invitation, and an estimated budget (travel, lodging, and transportation) to the Department Chair. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year until the funds have been exhausted. Students who are members of the MLA by June 30 of the year preceding the January Convention and who are giving a paper or have job interviews at the Convention are encouraged to apply also for MLA Assistance of up to $300.

The Felice M. Grad 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:

  • a CV
  • a one- to two-page letter describing the project
  • 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
  • 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).
  • a brief letter of support from their advisor

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