Financial support at cci
Graduate Student Funding
Our graduate programs offer students more than a quality education—we also provide the financial support you need to ensure you get the most of your time here on Rocky Top. We know a well-rounded graduate journey is more than academics, it’s also about the opportunities you have to learn and thrive in an environment where your needs are met. We encourage student innovation and professional development and provide the resources below to support you along the way.
Financial support at CCI
$27,000
in assistantships & stipends for PhD
students at 50-percent time (20 hours per week)
$2,000
per fiscal year travel fund for academic conferences for PhD students
$18,600
in assistantships & stipends for master’s
students at 35-percent time (14 hours per week)
Valuing our graduate students
At the College of Communication and Information, we set our students up for success from the start by providing the financial support they need. Our assistantships are competitive, with the college normally awarding eight PhD assistantships and eight master’s assistantships per year (two per school). Here are some of the benefits CCI masters and PhD students receive when they enter our programs with an assistantship:
PhD student benefits
- Minimum $27,000 stipends for maximum of four years duration beginning in August 2025
- Waiver of tuition and required fees (see One Stop for more information)
- Research funding for data collection and dissertation completion
- Student Health Insurance (approximately $3,000 per year)
- Guaranteed travel funding of $2,000 per year to academic conferences
- Guaranteed office space in Communication and Information Building
- Loaned laptop to all incoming students with an assistantship
- Potential for summer research funding
Master’s student benefits
- Minimum $18,500 stipends for maximum of two years duration beginning in August 2025
- Waiver of tuition and required fees (see One Stop for more information)
- Research funding for data collection and thesis completion
- Student health insurance (approximately $3,000 per year)
CCI graduate scholarship opportunities
In addition to this, CCI also offers these scholarships to admitted or current graduate students in the College of Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville:
Ben Bates Fellowship
Reeder Siler Fellowship
Faye D. Julian Graduate Fellowship Fund
Dr. Sally J. McMillan Graduate Fund
Montgomery-Howard Graduate Fund
Dr. Herbert H. Howard Fellowship
Communication Grad Studies Award
EJ Meeman International COM Fellowship
Breaking Away Scholarship Fund
Other funding opportunities at UT
In addition to the financial support offered through CCI, the Graduate School also offers a variety of scholarships and fellowships, which you can read more about here.
Current graduate students are eligible to apply for Graduate Student Research Awards to further their scholarship, and CCI students have often been the recipients of such awards.