Guide to Graduate Funding Opportunities

Understandably, financial support is a concern for many graduate students. This guide is designed to address that issue by providing a road map of funding options.

Details about student loans and work-study opportunities are not included here. For information about those funding sources, contact the Office of Student Financial Aid.

This guide also does not examine the issue of state residency. Students who have questions about Wisconsin residence for tuition purposes are urged to contact the UW-Madison Office of the Registrar’s Residence Counselors.

What is included here is a description of the wide variety of graduate funding types as well as an extensive list of potential sources. Some funding opportunities focus on a specific graduate level (e.g., dissertators) or on a specific field of environmental research (e.g., renewable energy). Other funding sources are much broader in scope and may encompass the whole perspective of interdisciplinary environmental studies.

Searching for graduate funding can be as exhaustive as a job search. Students who are most successful in finding support generally are those who give this search the time and creativity it requires. We hope that the suggestions included here will give you a broad range of possibilities to explore.

Interested in global health and the environment? Applications are open for the Planetary Health Research Team Awards for the 2023-24 academic year. Learn more and apply