Financial Aid

A variety of outstanding financial aid options are available to incoming students to support their graduate studies. Support at Michigan is generous and usually includes tuition, healthcare benefits and a stipend.

Fellowships


  • University of Michigan Fellowships: The Mechanical Engineering program offers fellowships to highly qualified doctoral students in their first year of studies. These awards are highly competitive and they are open to both domestic and international students. All doctoral applicants are considered for these awards, which include:

    • Department of Mechanical Engineering Fellowships

    • College of Engineering Dean's and Named Fellowships

    • University-wide: The University of Michigan's Rackham Graduate School offers a variety of fellowships, including the Rackham Merit Fellowship, which is available to all incoming graduate students.

  • External Fellowships: Our students regularly receive extramural fellowships, such as the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Please see External Fellowships for links for a few of these opportunities.

Assistantships


The following assistantships are the most common source of funding for students at Michigan. These Assistantships provide for a stipend, tuition remission, and healthcare benefits. These assistantships are primarily awarded to students in the Doctoral program. However, qualified Masters students are also funded via these research and teaching positions.

  • Graduate Student Research Assistantship (GSRA):
    This is the primary mechanism for funding graduate student research in our department, especially after the first year of graduate studies. GSRA positions are funded from faculty through their research grants. For your convenience, a contact list of ME faculty and their research areas can be found on our website at: Faculty Webpages

  • Graduate Student Instructor (GSI):
    Both Masters and PhD students at all points in their studies at Michigan are awarded GSI positions. GSI's receive a stipend, tuition remission, and healthcare benefits. The GSI stipend varies with the number of students enrolled in the course and the number of hours assigned to the class.

  • Hourly employment through a variety of means (including research, part-time work, and grading) is also available as a partial source of funding. These positions do not typically include tuition remission or benefits.

Student Loans and other circumstances:


For student loans, go the the website of the Office of Financial Aid for more information. Even with an adequate financial aid package, sometimes emergencies necessitate seeking other assistance. If a financial emergency should arise, first contact someone in the Department beginning with your advisor and/or a Student Services Associate in the ME Academic Services Office. Rackham also offers some relief from unusual circumstances - see this link . The University of Michigan Credit Union (734-662-8200) or other area banks may also be useful in this instance.