Funding and Packages
Ph.D Program
Doctoral students who apply for funding receive a six-year package that includes annual stipends, full tuition, and fees. Over these six years, students typically will have the opportunity to serve as apprentices, teaching assistants and writing tutors and to teach their own courses. They will also devote at least three semesters exclusively to dissertation research and writing. The final year of funding is supported by the George Washington Fellowship of the General Society for Colonial Wars, the Glucksman Endowment, the Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Ruffin Tyler Endowment Fund, and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
M.A. Program
Applicants to the full-time Master's Program may also apply for a merit-based stipend. Students who receive a stipend are assigned as apprentices or, occasionally, as graduate or research assistants. In past years, students have received generous support from the First Families of Virginia, Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Ruffin Tyler Endowment Fund, the National Society Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims, the Jamestown Fellowship, the Donald B. Irwin Memorial Scholarship, Earl Gregg Swem Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and the Jack E. Morpurgo Fellowship.
In addition to the apprenticeships and internships described elsewhere, the department also helps to place students in paid internships at the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and the U.S. Parks Service at Jamestown Island.
Graduate Fellowship in African American History
The Graduate Fellowship in African American History is awarded to a student entering the Ph.D. program at the Lyon G. Tyler Department of History whose primary interest is in African American history. Providing that he or she remains in good standing in the graduate program and fulfills the duties performed by all students on stipend, the fellow will receive a yearly stipend plus tuition for six years. To apply, please provide a cover letter indicating interest in the fellowship and a writing sample in African American history when submitting your regular application materials to the Graduate Program in History. Application materials are available online at our web site, and are due Dec. 5.
To apply for financial support from the department, simply check the appropriate box on the application for admission form. William & Mary and the Commonwealth of Virginia also offers three types of financial assistance to outstanding minority applicants pursuing graduate degrees in arts and sciences in Virginia. To inquire about federally-funded student loans, contact the Office of Financial Aid at 757-221-2420.
