Financial Assistance
Teaching and Research Assistantships
Tuition scholarships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships are available to qualified students. PhD students are generally supported as either teaching assistants or research assistants which include a tuition scholarship as well as a stipend. Teaching assistants work about twenty hours per week and carry a normal load of courses.
For more information, visit the Wake Forest University Graduate School page on financial aid.
Alumni Student Travel Award Program
Funds are available to support the expenses of graduate students who present their research at national and international professional meetings. Support for the Program is made possible through the contributions of alumni and friends to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Annual Fund. For the 2026–27 academic year, the maximum award is $800. Applicants are limited to one award per year, and funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit the Wake Forest University Graduate School link.
Richter Award
The Richter Scholars Program supports independent study scholarships for students in the undergraduate College, the Calloway School and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences on the Reynolda Campus of Wake Forest University. Richter Scholarships are competitively awarded for students proposing an independent study project requiring travel away from Winston-Salem. International projects are especially encouraged. Scholars will be selected based on the following criteria: feasibility of the project, matching with the Richter Scholarships goals, contribution of the project to the overall education and enrichment of the student, commitment of the student and faculty advisor to the project, and the student’s demonstrated ability to initiate and sustain creative activities and research. Students must have at least a 3.0 overall average at the time of application. For more information, visit the Wake Forest University Graduate School link.
External Fellowship Opportunities
For other funding opportunities, please see:
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowships: The National Science Foundation offered 2,500 Graduate Research Fellowships for the 2026–27 academic year. Each fellowship provides three years of support over a five-year period for eligible students pursuing research-based master’s or doctoral degrees in STEM. Consult the current NSF solicitation for eligibility and deadlines.
- Funding opportunities at the NIH: The NIH offers opportunities for graduate student funding. Follow the link to the NIH and type “graduate student” in the search page to get a list of current program announcements.
- SMART Scholarships: Established by the department of Defense (DoD) to support the education and recruitment of undergraduate and graduate students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields for recruiting and retaining civilian scientists and engineers to work in DoD agencies and laboratories.
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security Scholarships: The DHS Scholarship and Fellowship Program is intended for students interested in pursuing the basic science and technology innovations that can be applied to the DHS mission.
- The Wake Forest University Graduate School page on grants and funding opportunities.