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Understandably, financial support is a concern for many graduate students. This guide is designed to address that issue by providing a comprehensive road map of funding options.

What's not included here are details about student loans and work-study opportunities. For information about those funding sources, contact the
Office of Student Financial Services.

This guide also does not examine the issue of state residency. Students who have questions about Wisconsin residence for tuition purposes are urged to contact the
UW-Madison Office of the Registrar's Residence Counselors.

What is included here is a description of the wide variety of graduate funding types as well as an extensive list of potential sources. Some funding opportunities focus on a specific graduate level (e.g., dissertators) or on a specific field of environmental research (e.g., renewable energy).  Other funding sources are much broader in scope and may encompass the whole perspective of interdisciplinary, environmental studies.

Keep in mind that searching for graduate funding can be as exhaustive as a job search. Those students who are most successful in finding support are generally those who give this search the time and creativity that it requires. We hope that the suggestions included here will give you the broadest range of possibilities to explore.

With best wishes from the instructional staff of the Nelson Institute,

William Bland, Professor and Chair, Academic Programs
Jim Miller, Graduate Advisor
Mary Mercier, Funding Coordinator
Sara Lorence, Graduate Admissions/Program Coordinator
Sue Fafard, Timetable and Enrollment Coordinator
Danielle Lamberson Philipp, Administrative Assistant

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