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Financial Support for Graduate Students

Assistantships

We aspire to offer an assistantship to many individuals admitted to the Ph.D. or Master's Program. While a large majority of these assistantships are for teaching, we also offer assistantships in publishing. Applying for a graduate assistantship is a separate process from applying for admission to the graduate program. Students who wish to apply for a graduate assistantship must complete both the online Admissions Application and the online Graduate Assistantship Application.

Apply now for an assistantship with the Department of English:

Note: Normally, assistantships are only available in the fall and spring; students should plan accordingly to cover summer financial needs.

You must have a University Identification number to apply for an assistantship. The admissions office sends you this number 1-2 weeks after you have applied for admission. Alternatively, you can check your admission status and find your University Identification number by logging on to Welcome2ISU and clicking "check application status."

The Department of English also has two Sutherland Fellowships available each year to incoming Master's students interested in creative writing and publishing. For more information on this program, please visit the Publications Unit website.

Applicants interested in other Graduate Assistantships available on campus should visit the Illinois State Jobs website.

Departmental Scholarships for Graduate Students

The English Department offers a variety of awards to graduate students in all areas of English Studies.

The application deadline for all English department awards and scholarships is April 1. Applications and supporting documents must be submitted to Cadie Huber at crhuber@ilstu.edu.

Scholarships:

  • The Maurice Scharton Award for Excellence in Rhetoric and Writing Studies

The Maurice Scharton Award celebrates the over 140 years during which dozens of teachers and thousands of students at Illinois State University have delivered oral "rhetoricals," presented written "themes," and revised Comp 101 "portfolios." The nonmonetary award is presented to the graduate student and undergraduate student who have written the best papers in rhetoric, composition, and writing studies in history, theory, or criticism.

The Maurice Scharton Award for Excellence in Rhetoric and Writing Studies Application

  • Anna Keaton English Scholarship

The Anna Keaton English Scholarship was established in 1993 through an estate gift of Anna Keaton. Keaton had a 30-year career at Illinois State Normal University (1937-1968). She was a professor of English and also served for some period as dean of students. Through a bequest, she directed that a scholarship fund be created to support upper class or graduate students majoring in English.

Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate program in the English Department.

Anna Keaton English Scholarship Application

  • Excellence in TESOL Award

Both graduate and undergraduate students are eligible for this award. Selection is based on outstanding performance in course work, teaching, and/or research in the field of TESOL. Applicants must submit a CV/resume, a statement activities in ESL (three pages highlighting their work in and dedication to ESL teaching, scholarship, etc.), and one letter of support from faculty.

  • Publications Unit Publishing Award

Applicants must be English Department graduate students and have a focus in Publishing Studies..

Publications Unit Publishing Award

  • The Diversity and Equity Teaching Award

Applicants must submit a lesson plan, current CV, and be enrolled in a graduate program in the English Department.

Diversity and Equity Teaching Award Application and Lesson Plan Template

  • Dr. Elizabeth Hatmaker Memorial Scholarship

Each candidate for a Dr. Elizabeth Hatmaker Memorial Scholarship must be a first-year doctoral student and Graduate Assistant in English Studies in good standing at Illinois State University.

Dr. Elizabeth Hatmaker Memorial Scholarship Information

  • George R. Canning Scholarship

The George R. Canning Scholarship was established in 1976 by family, friends, and colleagues in memory of George Canning, professor of English at Illinois State University. The scholarship is awarded to an undergraduate and/or graduate student majoring in English, with preference given to students focusing on some aspect of British or Anglophone literature.

Applicants must be English Department graduate students focusing in Literary and Cultural Studies.

George R. Canning Scholarship Application

  • The Glenn Grever Award for Outstanding Teaching by a Master's Candidate

Applicants must be enrolled in the masters program in the English Department and submit a teaching portfolio.

  • The Taimi Maria Ranta Award for Outstanding Teaching by a PhD Candidate

Applicants must be enrolled in the doctoral program in the English Department and submit a teaching portfolio.

  • Taimi Maria Ranta Children’s and Young Adult Literature Scholarship

Applicants must be upper division students in the English Department.The Taimi Ranta Children’s Literature Scholarship endowment was established in 1996 in memory of Professor Taimi Maria Ranta. The scholarship is awarded to a full-time or part-time junior, senior, or graduate student majoring in English focusing on children's or adolescent literature. In addition to scholarships, funds may be used to provide resources for deserving students who are studying children's literature and who wish to present scholarly works at related conferences. Those students who receive these scholarships will be designated as "Ranta Scholars."

Applicants must be enrolled in or intend to focus on Children's Literary and Cultural studies.

Taimi Maria Ranta Scholarship Application

  • Tom Kuster Creative Writing Award

This Tom Kuster Creative Writing Award endowment was established in 1998 by Richard and Marilyn Kuster in memory of their son. The award is given to a full-time or part-time junior, senior, or graduate student majoring in a program within the English department.

Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate program in the English Department.

Tom Kuster Creative Writing Award Application

  • William Morgan Poetry Award

William W. Morgan was a member of the Illinois State University English Department from August of 1969 until his retirement in June of 2000. Although he taught courses in many areas of the Department, he was especially committed to the importance of poetry--both the study of classic and contemporary poetry and the writing of original poetry--in the English Studies curriculum and in the lives of English professors, teachers, students, and ordinary citizens.

Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate program in the English Department.

William Morgan Poetry Award Application

Graduate Tuition Waiver Guidelines

Application Process

Students will complete an application form and submit it to the Graduate Secretary. We strongly recommend that students submit applications before the semester of the award begins; however, they are welcome any time up to the last date acceptable in the University.

Download the application for the Graduate Tuition Waiver

Tuition Waiver Eligibility Criteria

Note that these are the normal conditions under which tuition waiver monies are awarded. The English Department and the Graduate Coordinator maintain the flexibility for extenuating circumstances that might warrant the award of tuition waivers.

All waivers are contingent upon available funds:

  • GPA minimum of 3.0
  • PhD students after 4 or 5 years of funding may receive a one-credit tuition waiver for two semesters of continuous enrollment.
  • PhD students who are admitted but do not seek an assistantship may receive a 3 or 4-credit tuition waiver for six semesters.
  • Master’s students who are admitted but did not seek an assistantship may receive a 3-credit tuition waiver for four semesters.
  • PhD students who are admitted on an assistantship, but relinquish that assistantship before five years of funding, may receive a 3 or 4-credit tuition waiver up to five years (ten semesters) of enrollment in the program.
  • Master’s students who are admitted on an assistantship, but relinquish that assistantship before two years of funding, may receive a 3-credit tuition waiver up to two years (four semesters) of enrollment in the program.

Decision Process

Tuition waivers will be granted on a rolling basis. The Coordinator of Graduate Studies shall evaluate applicants’ materials and make award decisions. The Coordinator of Graduate Studies shall report those decisions each semester to the English Graduate Committee.

Deadlines for application

August 20th for the Fall semester January 20th for the Spring semester May 20th for the Summer semester.