There are three general ways that FES graduate students receive funding:

Graduate Assistants (GAs [GRAs and GTAs]): This is the most common way that our students are funded. Most GAs are supervised as Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) by their major professor and are paid using the grants, contracts, or agreements that support their major professor's research. Other GAs may be supervised as Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) by course instructors to assist with specific classes. For every term that a student is appointed as a GA, they receive tuition remission, partial fee remission, access to health insurance, and a monthly stipend. GA funding supports institutional and living expenses, but may not include research expenses. For more information about GAs, GRAs, and GTAs, see the FES Graduate Program Handbook.

OSU awards, scholarships, and fellowships: Competitive scholarships and fellowships are administered at three levels at OSU: the Graduate School, College of Forestry (CoF), and the FES department. Scholarships and fellowships are usually paid as one lump sum or in installments deposited into the student's business account. A few fellowships meet certain criteria that qualify the recipient to be appointed as an OSU Graduate Fellow. Officially appointed OSU Graduate Fellows receive a tuition waiver and access to health insurance. OSU awards, scholarships, and fellowships are best accessed by applying in careful accordance with award instructions and deadlines. Please be aware that certain OSU awards, scholarships, and fellowships may carry restrictions on how they can be accessed or used, so please thoroughly review award stipulations before applying to determine if that award will suit your needs. See the Graduate School Awards page or the FES Graduate Program Handbook for more information.

The J. Richard Dilworth Memorial Fund was established in 1983 to honor long-time College of Forestry faculty member "Dick" Dilworth to "improve the quality of the programs in the College of Forestry". Awards from the memorial fund are available to graduate students in the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management (FERM) and in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society (FES), and are given in priority of scholarship, student travel, and teaching grants.

The Waring Travel Fund was established by Dick and Doris Waring to give FES students opportunities to travel to present at professional or scientific meetings. Applications may be submitted at any time. For full instructions on how to apply, please consult the FES Graduate Program Handbook. There are also other sources of funding for travel and related experiences (e.g., CoF Dean’s Investment Fund for International Engagement; CoF Experiential Learning Funds).

External awards, scholarships, and fellowships:  External funding is typically a scholarship, fellowship, award, or grant paid directly to the student without interacting with OSU, although some external funding meets the criteria to appoint the recipient as an OSU Graduate Fellow. Officially appointed OSU Graduate Fellows receive a tuition waiver and access to health insurance. External funding is best accessed by independently researching potential funding sources and competitions, and then applying in careful accordance with advertised instructions and deadlines. Please be aware that certain external awards may carry restrictions on how they can be accessed or used - please thoroughly review award stipulations before applying to determine if that award will suit your needs. See the External Funding section below for more information.