Financial Aid for PhD Students
All students admitted to the PhD program will be awarded Teaching Assistantships and/or research assistantships, or (for a select few) full graduate fellowships.
The base nine-month stipend for incoming PhD students in 2023 is $19,200 (minus semester fees of approximately $500/semester). Admitted students may be offered additional fellowships, top ups, or awards, determined by the department. All incoming and current students will be considered for every kind of available funding, fellowship, and award based on the evidence of achievement in their application packet. The Kirkland and McKnight require additional steps by the student at the time of application; no other award requires extra steps.
Kirkland Fellowships:
Highly qualified new students in Victorian studies or studies in oral narrative folklore (including cultural studies) are eligible for either a full Kirkland scholarship and/or a Kirkland supplemental award. Owing to the generous bequest of Mary Neal Kirkland-Johns, the fellowship offers up to four years of support for students seeking a doctorate.
In keeping with the teaching and research interests of the late Professor Edwin C. Kirkland, these awards are for students whose graduate work focuses on literature of the Victorian era in Britain and/or its colonies, or studies in oral narrative folklore (which may also involve cultural studies).
The maximum award for doctoral students is $22,500 per academic year, for up to four years, with satisfactory progress. Three years include a teaching assistantship with tuition waiver for in-state tuition. The remaining year also carries an in-state tuition waiver and is without teaching or research assistantship duties. The final year includes an additional award for professional travel.
Due to restrictions, the full four-year Kirkland award is not available to international students; however, Kirkland award funds may still be offered to qualified students (including international students) as supplemental “top-up” award funds, so international students who work in the above areas should still apply for a Kirkland when they submit their application to UF.
Students interested in applying for a Kirkland award should supplement their regular application with a one- or two-page letter addressed to the Graduate Committee explaining their academic suitability and their financial need. Interested applicants should also fill out a FAFSA by the time of their application.
This Kirkland letter should be submitted via the Graduate School’s online application by navigating to the Additional Questions page under the Special Programs Application section. To upload your document for the Kirkland, select the Other drop down menu and then Applied for Funding. Upload your letter to the Upload Supporting Documentation file. You may also email your letter directly to the Department of English at phd-admissions@english.ufl.edu
Note: The Department also nominates new and current students for supplemental Kirkland award money.
The Office of Graduate Diversity Initiatives, in partnership with the Florida Education Fund, administers the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship for African-American and Hispanic students. The program is designed to increase the number of African-American and Hispanic faculty in the state of Florida. Each fellow receives a base stipend of $26,080 with tuition waiver, health insurance and fee waiver for a maximum of five years for a Ph.D. Applicants must be US citizens admitted to a University of Florida Ph.D. program and entering the first year of that program. Submit your McKnight application separately at the time of your application to UF. Students are not required to have admission decisions at the time of application submission.
McKnight doctoral fellowship applications must be submitted directly to the Florida Education Fund before January 15 to compete for fall funding opportunities. Students are notified by the Florida Education Fund of selection decisions directly.
See the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship page for more info:
http://www.graduateschool.ufl.edu/prospective-students/funding/fellowships/mcknight-doctoral-fellowship/
Other Departmental Fellowships
Grinter Fellowships:
The Department of English has a limited number of three-year Grinter Fellowships (usually $2,000–$4,000 per year) with which to supplement awards to outstanding doctoral candidates. You do not apply for Grinters; Graduate Admissions allocates these to entering students based on availability when you are accepted into the program.
Baskin-Rawlings Fellowships:
Incoming students working in American literature and/or creative writing are eligible for the Baskin-Rawlings Fellowship ($1,000–$4,000 for one, two, or three years, renewable subject to terms of appointment and review of satisfactory progress). You do not apply for the Rawlings; Graduate Admissions allocates these based on availability when you are accepted into the program.
Bowers Fellowships:
Incoming PhD students working in the fields of Medieval or Renaissance literatures are eligible for the Robert Bowers Fellowship (a one-time annual award of $1,000). You do not apply for the Bowers; Graduate Admissions allocates these based on availability when you are accepted into the program.