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AEDE

Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics

CFAES

Funding

Over 95% of students enrolled in our doctoral program receive tuition and stipend support on a competitive basis, to cover four or more years of study. Funding is available in a variety of forms, including University and College Fellowships, graduate teaching associateships funded by the department, and graduate research associateships funded by individual faculty members on sponsored research accounts.  Many of our international students also receive funding from agencies external to Ohio State, including Fullbright Fellowships and scholarships awarded by their home governments.

Funding process

Applicants admitted to AEDE graduate programs are automatically considered for financial assistance and thus do not need to take special action to be considered for funding. Exceptional applicants who do not have external support may be nominated by the department for highly competitive University Fellowships awarded by the Ohio State University Graduate School. The Fellowships provide one, two, or three years of financial support and a waiver for associateship duties, during these years. These awards are automatically supplemented with Graduate Associateships from AEDE to provide a total of four years of funding, contingent on the student maintaining satisfactory academic process. In addition to relief from work duties during the fellowship years, the student receives a monetary award on top of the normal stipend for all four years. Incoming AEDE graduate students are also eligible for a number of awards issued by OARDC in addition to the fellowships offered by the Graduate School. These awards are more straightforward, providing a set amount of funding and removal of work duties for a single year. 


Students are only eligible to be nominated for one College and one University award, but if awarded, may accept both. A full description of each award's details and selection criteria can be found at the corresponding pages above. Outstanding students who do not receive a Fellowship are still eligible for offers of financial support from the Department, College, or sponsored research grant sources. Formal funding offer letters are normally issued by the department once the results of the Fellowship competitions are announced in late February and may continue throughout the spring. 

Level of financial support

Graduate Associates and Fellows receive full tuition support and supplements to cover instructional fees. Graduate Associates and Fellows also receive a monthly stipend that depends on the graduate program in which they are enrolled.  During fiscal year 2022-2023, the monthly stipend was $2,434. Monthly stipends are adjusted annually in accordance with the general University-wide salary increase approved by the University Board of Trustees. 

Fellowship and associateship duties

University Fellows are free to focus on their coursework or dissertation research unencumbered by Graduate Associateship duties during the years in which the Fellowship is in effect. First-year students funded by AEDE are also generally relieved of Graduate Associateship duties to allow them to focus on the demands of first year coursework. Graduate Associates after their first year are typically required to serve as teaching and research assistants, with duties not to exceed 20 hours per week. General Graduate School policies, rules, and procedures governing Graduate Associateships are documented in the Graduate School Handbook. Policies, rules, and procedures that are specific to the AEDE graduate program are documented in the department’s Graduate Program Handbook.