Assistantships, Scholarships, And Other Financial Aid

The Departments offer graduate teaching and/or research assistantships on a competitive basis. Assistantships typically provide a living stipend plus a tuition waiver. Applicants with a high grade point average, strong G.R.E. score, and impressive letters of recommendation are given highest consideration. Assistantships become available throughout the academic year and only applicants accepted to the Department are eligible for consideration.

Most assistantships are generated by faculty research grants. Therefore, it is essential that you obtain encouragement (not necessarily a commitment) from a faculty member during the application process and subsequent application evolution period. This involves becoming familiar with faculty areas of interest and, based on your own interests and academic goals, contacting appropriate faculty directly. Active research faculty are particularly interested in graduate students with exceptional academic credentials and background. Having experience in research is also an advantage.

International Students:

• To be admitted to UF: The required minimum for IELTS scores is 6.0 on the total. The IELTS is not used to qualify non-US students for teaching assistantships — only our campus-based SPEAK Test or the Speaking Portion of the Internet-Based TOEFL can be used.
• To be a teaching assistant: Minimums that qualify non-US students for teaching assistantships are posted on the UF Academic Spoken English website.
• To be eligible for graduate teaching assistantships, Florida law requires international students whose official first language is not English to demonstrate oral proficiency in English. Adequate proficiency is indicated by a score of 45 - 50 on the SPEAK or 23 - 27 on the TOEFL iBT Speaking Portion. Those who have scores below these minimums are not eligible to teach. All international students from non-exempt countries must meet the above requirements regardless of whether or not they graduated from a U.S. college/university.

Department And College Financial Aid Links

College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

University of Florida Financial Aid Links

Graduate Fellowships: The University and Graduate School sponsor a number of competitive fellowship programs for graduate study. Departments nominate a limited number of qualified applicants each year for these awards.
Other Resources: The Graduate School maintains a useful page of links to other financial aid sources.

Student Loans: Student loans are administered by the Office of Student Financial Affairs.

Other Financial Aid Links

Other attractive sources of financial support are the prestigious fellowship/scholarship programs offered through institutions and professional societies such as the USDA, the NIH, the Institute of Food Technologists, the American Society for Nutrition, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics . Students with strong credentials are encouraged to apply.