All qualified, incoming Ph.D. students are fully supported by Indiana University fellowships and/or instructorships. Stipends vary from year to year. In 2025-26, we expect to award five-year funding packages consisting of a first-year Max Kade fellowship of $24,000 from the Institute of German Studies, and an Associate Instructorship of at least $22,000 in years two through five. These awards also include tuition and fee remissions, as well as health insurance.

There is no separate application for financial support; all applicants to the Ph.D. in the Department of Germanic Studies are automatically considered for a funding package. (Note: we no longer admit students to the M.A. program, and students in the online M.A.T. are not eligible for funding.)

Beyond the fifth year, graduate students making good progress toward the Ph.D. have competitive opportunities for funding such as dissertation year fellowships, fellowships to study in Germany, and additional teaching assignments. The large majority of our graduate students continue to receive funding until the Ph.D. is awarded (as long as adequate progress is made).

At Indiana University, teaching assistants are termed Associate Instructors (AIs), reflecting the fact that they enjoy certain faculty privileges. Our department generally has about 20 full positions, nearly all of which are held by graduate students in Germanic Studies.

Associate Instructor experience is considered an integral part of graduate education. One year of teaching is required for the Ph.D., even for candidates not in need of financial support.

New AIs (typically second-year graduate students) participate in a week of pre-training conducted by our language coordinator prior to the fall semester. In-service training follows, ordinarily with the beginning undergraduate German language-skills course sequence, G100-G250. With the acquisition of classroom experience and the completion of G500 (College German Teaching), AIs may be assigned to more advanced language skills courses. AI internships with faculty members in undergraduate literature, film, and culture courses are possible for experienced doctoral students.