Graduate School launches third year of assistantships for veterans

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Three more veterans will receive substantial financial support for graduate study at UNC Charlotte next year. The Graduate School is offering assistantships designated exclusively for veteran students who are beginning graduate studies in fall 2017. Each two-year assistantship is valued at $37,000 (master’s degree) to $49,000 (doctoral degree) and includes full tuition, health insurance and an assistantship stipend (tuition and health insurance are not provided if paid through veteran benefit programs). Substantial additional funding may be available to support qualified students beyond two years.

The UNC Charlotte Graduate School’s assistantship program for veterans is now entering its third year. The Graduate School began the program with the 2015-16 academic year. Under the program, one veteran has completed her master’s degree, and two more will complete their master’s degrees at the end of this academic year. In fall 2016, two more veterans began master’s programs and a third began her doctoral studies.

Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Tom Reynolds, a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War, is highly pleased with the program’s success to date. “The young men and women earning these awards have been outstanding additions to our campus,” Reynolds said. “Not only are they excelling in their academic pursuits, but they have become model campus citizens. The range of their disciplines reflects the breadth of their experience and potential: mechanical engineering, health administration, social work, health psychology, counseling, and mathematical finance. They’ve chosen challenging academic paths, and that doesn’t surprise me at all.” 

Reynolds pointed out that UNC Charlotte began in 1946 as the Charlotte Center to serve the higher education needs of returning World War II veterans. “This is our heritage and a big part of who we are,” Reynolds said. “I only wish we could offer all our veteran students these assistantships to help ease the financial burden of graduate school.”

Maryanne Maree-Sams is a Graduate School admissions counselor who often assists military-affiliated applicants. “I thoroughly enjoy working with my veteran prospective students,” Maree-Sams said. “They’re so focused on their higher education aspirations. It’s gratifying to help them find the right fit in a graduate program that matches their interests and goals.” Maree-Sams has seen the impact of the Graduate Assistantships for Veterans program. “More and more veterans are becoming aware of these awards and discovering the quality and depth of UNC Charlotte’s graduate programs. Our hope is that these outstanding men and women will not only complete a graduate degree here but will make Charlotte their home permanently. That’s why we say, ‘Come here, study here, stay here.’”

The assistantships are open to military veterans from any branch of service with an honorable discharge admitted to any UNC Charlotte master’s or doctoral degree program. The assistantships may involve either teaching responsibilities or assisting faculty with research projects. The award obligates the recipient to perform these duties up to 20 hours per week, and recipients may not be otherwise employed on or off campus. Recipients must enroll in at least six credit hours (typically two classes) each term.

Application for the 2017-18 assistantships must be received by March 1, 2017, in the Graduate School; applicants must have submitted all required materials by March 15; recipients will be notified by April 1.

Details on the application process are on the web. Begin by applying online to UNC Charlotte's Graduate School and create a prospective student portal account. For students using the Post 9/11 GI Bill, this award can impact those benefits. For more information on how the award and veteran benefits work together, applicants should contact the UNC Charlotte Veteran Student Services Office.