Funding
Funding Your UAF Graduate Journey
Graduate funding at UAF is entrepreneurial and decentralized, matching our momentum as a premier research institution. Rather than relying on a single central pool, our students secure funding by connecting directly with active faculty research grants, specialized department allocations, and competitive scholarships or fellowships.
Four Pathways to Funding
Securing graduate funding requires proactive planning. Prospective students typically secure financial support through one or more of these distinct paths:
1. Research Assistantships
RAs are tied directly to active faculty research grants. Because these are not assigned centrally, you must proactively connect with prospective advisors to check for open, funded grant vacancies.
2. Department TAships
Teaching Assistant positions are managed and distributed independently by individual academic departments based on undergraduate instructional workloads. Availability varies widely by field.
3. UA Foundation Portal
This central internal system connects you to hundreds of private institutional scholarships and awards uniquely available to UA students. You can apply before being fully admitted.
4. External Fellowships
These are highly prestigious national and global funding streams (like the NSF GRFP) operating entirely outside of UAF. Securing one allows you to bring your own funding to any research team.
Departmental Scholarship Frameworks
Explore the localized scholarship pages of our academic colleges to look for incoming student awards:
College of Fisheries & Ocean Sciences
View CFOS OptionsLists specialized marine science and fisheries funding tracks accessible via direct application or the UA portal.
Biology & Wildlife Scholarships
Apply Direct to Biology & WildlifeProvides access to specific biological sciences funding opportunities you can apply to directly.
College of Business & Security Management
View CBSM OptionsHighlights a hybrid of internal direct-apply scholarships and general awards managed via the UA Foundation portal.
College of Engineering & Mines
View CEM OptionsCompiles engineering-focused awards and discipline-specific donor scholarships hosted on the foundation network.
Arctic & Northern Studies Scholarships
View Northern Studies ScholarshipsLists specialized program scholarships that students can apply for directly through the main UA Foundation portal.