Graduate Funding
Comparative Literary Studies PhD students are admitted to the program with a five-year (20 quarters) funding package. This includes tuition and stipend, as well as a health insurance subsidy of 100%.
Typically students are funded on a fellowship in the first year and fifth year. Students do not teach when on a fellowship, but take courses and/or work toward dissertation completion.
In years two, three, and four, students are funded on a graduate/teaching assistantship. Students who are teaching can assist with a class taught by a faculty member; teach a language course; or teach a small seminar of their own. Teaching is an essential element of the education and training experience of PhD students at the university. The Graduate School requires that all PhD students serve in some instructional capacity for at least one academic quarter during their graduate education at Northwestern.
CLS is able to provide funding for travel to conferences. Please read the details here: Graduate Student Funding Travel/Conference Information, 2023-2024. Apply for this funding via the online form. Questions? Please reach out to CLS staff or the director.
The Graduate School and CLS highly encourage students to apply for internal and external funding awards, which support research and dissertation writing during the student’s academic career.
Please visit The Graduate School’s website to find more information about graduate funding.
*Please note all funding is contingent upon the student remaining in good academic standing.