Funding and Employment

Funding Sources

Explore the funding possibilities for both PhD and Master's students.

UM engineering PhD students are guaranteed full funding for up to 5 years. CLaSP graduate students are usually funded by their advisor's research grants, a fellowship, a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) appointment, or some combination thereof. CLaSP PhD students often apply to various fellowships external to UM.

Internal Funding Opportunities

• Students may be partially supported by the Rackham Merit Fellowship. Students are nominated by the department after admission; if you have been selected for an RMF award, you will be notified before term starts.

• MANY Rackham administered fellowships and grants are available to help students meet educational and living expenses. Some have yearly deadlines, but some are awarded on a rolling basis throughout the year. Here are just a few:

  • The Rackham Graduate Student Research Grant.

    • "A master’s student is eligible for one Rackham Graduate Student Research Grant during his or her graduate program. A doctoral student is eligible for two Rackham Graduate Student Research Grants during his or her graduate program, one before candidacy and one as a candidate. Students who receive a master’s award will not be eligible for a Precandidate award."

  • The Rackham Conference Travel Grant can be used to cover travel and registration costs if you are presenting a poster or oral presentation at a conference.

  • The Rackham Professional Development Grant can be used to fund a conference that you are not presenting your research at but it is somewhat smaller than the Rackham Conference Travel Grant.

  • The Rackham International Student Fellowship and the Chia-Lun Lo Fellowship.

    • "Assists outstanding international students, particularly those who may be ineligible for other kinds of support because of citizenship. In addition, the Chia-Lun Lo Fellowship assists outstanding students in Rackham programs who have earned a previous degree from a university in Taiwan."

  • The Rackham Graduate Student Emergency Funds can help you make ends meet in a pinch.

    • In addition, the Dean of Students office offers emergency grants up to $500 depending on circumstances.

    • The CEW+ also offers emergency funds for unexpected, unanticipated financial emergencies.

• The College of Engineering offers funding for "Co-curricular Experiences" such as workshops and non-scientific conferences, awarded on a rolling basis.

  • This is funding for professional development experiences as well as travel assistance for non-technical conferences for PhD students. Funding is determined on a case-by-case basis, with a cap of $2,000. The committee reviews all the applications and decides whether to fully fund, partially fund, or not fund the applicant. Contact Jeanne Murabito (murabito@umich.edu) with any questions!

The Graduate Employees' Organization (GEO)

GEO is the labor union that represents UM Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs) and Graduate Student Staff Assistants (GSSAs) (click here for a breakdown of student appointments). GEO bargains on behalf of graduate students for the terms of our employment by the university as laid out in the GSI contract. This includes the minimum annual stipend, yearly raises, and health care. Though Graduate Student Research Assistants (GSRAs) are not currently permitted by Michigan law to be part of GEO's bargaining unit, the university traditionally provides them the same stipends and health benefits as GSIs.

Any graduate student can join GEO. To learn more, check out the website or contact the CLASP GEO Steward.