All students admitted to the graduate program are automatically considered for fellowships and teaching assistantships. All are granted financial aid, both in the first year and throughout the program, as long as they remain in good standing and make reasonable progress toward their degree.
Most awards are in the form of teaching assistantships, but some fellowships are available.
All awards include tuition and partial fee waivers, although student must pay some fees. Entering MA candidates can receive up to seven years of support, entering PhD candidates up to six years of support. Most entering MA students teach one section of freshman composition or business and technical writing each semester. In subsequent years, students ordinarily teach two sections per semester. While a few teaching assignments involve assisting in large lecture courses, most students plan and teach their own classes.