The Department has resources that are used to support graduate students. To be considered for admission and for university fellowships and departmental assistantships, program applications must be received by the deadline of November 29 for international applicants and December 1 for domestic applicants and all application materials must be received by December 13. All financial aid is distributed for autumn semester admission.
Funding packages generally include a waiver of tuition and a stipend for living expenses, which increases at each stage in the program. For students making normal progress, departmental funding typically continues for five years. Support may be extended beyond five years through awards and fellowships granted outside the university. It is expected that most students will finish Ph.D. requirements within about five years, though students doing fieldwork may require additional study and may petition the department to gain eligibility for more than five years of funding.
Graduate Associateships
- Associateships, awarded for teaching, research, or administration, are the primary source of financial assistance provided to graduate students. Most graduate associateships provide a 12-month tuition waiver, a nine-month stipend, and subsidized health insurance in exchange for 20 hours of work per week for nine months. Associateship positions generally begin in the autumn term and are renewable, depending upon the student’s job performance, grades, and availability of funds.
- To be eligible for consideration, you need only meet the admission and deadline requirements of your program and check the appropriate box(es) on the admission application under "Funding Opportunities."
- Learn more about associateships.
Graduate Fellowships
- A limited number of fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis to applicants who show outstanding scholarly accomplishment and exceptional potential for graduate study. Most fellowship awards pay a monthly stipend, provide a tuition waiver, and subsidize health insurance. Fellowships generally provide twelve months of support for at least one year.
- Read about eligibility criteria for fellowships.
Other Funding Opportunities
- As they progress through the program, some students also obtain support from the Mershon Center, the Political Research Laboratory, and Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowships.
- Advanced students may have an opportunity to teach their own courses.
- In addition, during their program of study, graduate students may support themselves directly through external sources. These include federal aid and loans, sponsorships, and scholarships provided by entities external to the university.
Fellowships are offered annually on a competitive basis. Students must submit a completed application by December 13th (November 30th international). Students are then nominated by admissions committee within department.
Additional fellowship information: https://gradsch.osu.edu/fellowship-guidelines-fg/fg-section-2-university-fellowship-uf
University Fellowship
- Covers one year (first year of graduate school)
- Coverage of tuition, most fees, and a monthly stipend
Distinguished University Fellowship
- Covers two years (1st and dissertation years)
- Coverage of tuition, most fees, and a monthly stipend
Susan Huntington Dean’s Distinguished University Fellowship
- Covers three years (first, second, and dissertation years
- Coverage of tuition, most fees, and a monthly stipend
The EmPOWERment NSF (National Science Foundation) Research Traineeship program offers interdisciplinary training in sustainable energy and is designed to supplement a student’s main PhD studies. The program offers highly prestigious and competitive one-year fellowship opportunities funded by National Science Foundation that provide full funding during a student’s second year of the program.
The J Parker and Kathryn Webb Dinius Fellowship supports students who plan to or are pursuing a graduate or professional degree at Ohio State. Preference is given to students who earned an undergraduate varsity letter, with priority given to football players, at Ohio State.
For more information visit, the J. Parker and Kathryn Webb Dinius Fellowship page.
In addition to assistantships or fellowships, there are outside opportunities that graduate students can pursue to help with covering their education.
Examples include:
APSA Diversity Fellowship Program (DFP)- fellowship competition for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds applying to or in the early stages of doctoral programs in political science.
Howard Penniman Scholarships for Graduate Study- Pi Sigma Alpha (the national political science honor society) offers annually up to 5 scholarships to members entering graduate school in political science. Nominations must come from the chapter advisors, accompanied by an official application and supporting documents as specified in the program announcement. Each scholarship is $2,000.
Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowships- the Ford Foundation awards 60 fellowships to academic and diverse PhD and ScD students who want to teach and research at the college level, for 3 years. Through its program of Fellowships, the Ford Foundation and the National Research Council (NRC) seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties. The fellowship hopes to foster an applicant’s desire to use the diversity of human experience as an academic resource in teaching and scholarship. Fellows will receive a stipend of $24,000 for three years and invitation to attend the Conference of Ford Fellows.
For more scholarship opportunities, websites that provide numerous scholarships include Unigo.com or Scholarships.com. Additionally, students admitted in the graduate program can seek opportunities for funding on the external funding page on the website.