Graduate Scholarships, Fellowships and Assistantships

Incoming UNT Graduate Student Scholarships Information

New M.F.A. and Ph.D. students may be eligible to receive $1,000 Academic Achievement Scholarships for their first year of study. This award qualifies a student for in-state tuition rates and is renewable for a second year if the student makes satisfactory progress in their program during the first year. Contact the Toulouse Graduate School for further details. 

Students who are employed at a half-time rate are also eligible for partial tuition waivers through the university's Tuition Benefit Plan. For information about the Tuition Benefit Plan and other university opportunities, visit the Toulouse Graduate School. 

Important: Be sure to check the Fellowships web page for opportunities available through CVAD's Onstead Institute.

Graduate Student Fellowships and Assistantships

TA: Teaching Assistant | TF: Teaching Fellow | GSA: Graduate Student Assistant

The College of Visual Arts and Design offers approximately 100 graduate teaching assistantships/fellowships and graduate student assistantships each long semester to graduate students pursuing a degree in one of our programs who are interested in teaching or gaining work experience.

Application Procedures — Online

Currently enrolled graduate students or students who are newly accepted into the graduate program with no deficiencies or leveling are eligible to apply for an appointment as a TA, TF or GSA.

Application Timing

Check the TA, TF, GSA Applications Portal web page on the CVAD News and Views website for the application form when the application period opens.

Note: Even if employment has been indicated as a provision of an offer letter, no graduate student can be employed without completing the application.

If you are hired for a TA, TF, or GSA position, your appointment will begin the week before the start of the semester. Typically, there is an all-college meeting as well as other meetings for you to attend throughout that week. Please be in touch with your supervisor — this could be a department chair, a member of the college's technical staff, or another relevant individual — regarding your specific obligations. Your supervisor will be indicated on your employment contract.

Note: For those graduate students whose appointment includes teaching a course in the Foundations program, please note that you are required to attend the lecture that corresponds to your lab section as well to attend weekly workshops.

Scholarships and Fellowships

Graduate students often are admitted with scholarship or fellowship funds that are based on their application materials. This amount changes based on the number of applicants and the available funding.

Semester Credit Hour Requirement

University policy requires students hired for a salaried position — TA, TF or GSA — to be enrolled in and complete nine hours of coursework during the long semester of the appointment, regardless of whether the appointment is for a quarter or half-time. Some waiver exceptions may apply. No enrollment is required for a summer position. For your fall or spring semester application, you must have completed your full-time registration.

All assistantships and fellowships are awarded based upon the needs of the College of Visual Arts and Design. The number of available assistantships and fellowships each semester depends upon the course offerings and enrollment.

Contact Information

CVAD Graduate Student Advising by Department

Please visit the CVAD Programs & Advisors web page for the contact person for your area of study.