In past years the great majority of students seeking such funding were accomodated. Students may apply to the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid, Bruce Hall, to apply for long-term, low interest rate loans and to apply for an Owens Fellowship. The University Center for International Studies also awards Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships for students whose work focuses on East Asia, Latin America, or Russia and Eastern Europe, as wells as Presidential Fellowships and tuition scholarships for students specializing in Chinese studies. Every year, an outstanding incoming PhD student is awarded the Reuben Slesinger Prize by the Department of Economics. The recipient receives the title of Slesinger Fellow, and the prize provides an additional financial supplement to the basic teaching assistantship.
Some students assist in faculty research.
During the past several years, several graduate students have been supported as research assistants. These assistantships provide a guided introduction to research and sometimes lead to a professional publication of which the student is a co-author. Besides contributing to research within the economics department, several current students have held external research fellowships during their graduate studies. These fellowships have been awarded through national or international competitions. They include internships in the federal government and in multinational organizations such as the World Bank.