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Ph.D. Funding

Ph.D. Funding

The Program in Chemical Biology (PCB) is committed to providing all graduate students with 12 months of financial support in each of the four to five years of their graduate program tenure.

All students are admitted with full funding (tuition, stipend and benefits) in their first year through PCB, Rackham Merit fellowships, or other incoming first-year student fellowship support. Beyond the first year, students receive aid through a combination of fellowships, research assistantships and teaching assistantships that provide tuition, excellent health and dental benefits, and a stipend.

The program has no teaching requirement, although opportunities are available in the U-M Chemistry Department.

There are also several campus-wide training grants provided by the federal government that support PCB graduate students. In most cases, selection for these training programs occurs in the second year of graduate study. View a list of common funding opportunities for PCB students.

Rackham Funding Opportunities

Numerous options for student funding through the Rackham Graduate School. These include:

  • Rackham Conference Travel Grant: Financial support for those presenting a poster or paper at a conference ($900–$1,400/year)
  • Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship Program: Competitive fellowship to support outstanding doctoral students
  • Rackham International Student Fellowship: Competitive fellowship specifically to support outstanding international students
  • Graduate Student Research Grant: Funding to cover research related expenses (lab equipment and supplies, research-based travel, etc; $1,500–$3,000)
  • Graduate Student Professional Development: Support for short-term experiences that promote the development of professional skills which will further a student’s career goals ($400)
  • Graduate Student Emergency Funds – Support to help meet the financial needs of students who encounter an emergency situation or one-time, unusual or unforeseen expense during their degree program (up to $2,500)
  • Shapiro/Malik/Forrest Awards: Assistance for graduate students with interest payments on unsubsidized educational loans
  • King Chavez-Parks Initial, Future Faculty Fellowship Program

Rackham also offers the Rackham Merit Fellowship, a highly competitive, program-nominated, multi-year award. This fellowship program helps sustain the academic excellence and inclusiveness of the Michigan graduate community, one that embraces students with a range of experiences and goals, and who come from many educational, geographic, and familial backgrounds. Rackham Merit Fellows are invited to participate in special programming throughout their academic career at U-M. This programming is designed to support both professional and academic development, as well as offer the opportunity to expand personal and professional networks.