These fellowships are provided based on a need analysis performed by the Office of Financial Aids. These awards encourage departments to recruit and enroll students of color by paying the first-year assistantship from a central graduate assistantship fund. The department agrees to continue funding in accordance with unit procedures for evaluating graduate assistants. Students must be recommended by their departments to the Associate Dean for External Relations and Student Affairs, who coordinates recommendations to the Urban Affairs Office. In general these assistantships are designed for master's more than doctoral students.
Stipends depend of percentage of time and level of assistantship.
The full matriculation fee will be waived in the following year. Students interested in assistantships should file an application with the department chair. New students in the doctoral program are automatically sent application forms with their letters of acceptance. These applications are filed in a book in the department office which can be used by anyone seeking graduate assistants. However filing an application is not sufficient.