This is the most common way that our students are funded. Most graduate assistants (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. Additional GA benefits are listed online.

A summary of College of Forestry available and archived graduate assistantships can be found on the Graduate Job Listings website. TA positions are offered for a single term, are based on course enrollment, and are typically offered on a recurring (annual) basis. Archived positions show opportunities that may be available in future terms or years to help students plan ahead and design a fully or partially funded graduate program.

GRA positions are generally at the discretion of the student’s major professor, but in some cases, the student’s GRA supervisor may be a different faculty member. It is not uncommon for a student to receive both GRA and TA funding to fully finance their graduate program.

Competitive scholarships and fellowships are administered at three levels at Oregon State University: the Office of Graduate Education, the College of Forestry (see scholarship information below), and individual college departments (read on for specific College of Forestry department opportunities). 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 note that certain OSU awards, scholarships, and fellowships may carry restrictions on how they can be accessed or used, so thoroughly review award stipulations before applying to determine if the award will suit your needs. See the Graduate Student Awards page for more information.

College of Forestry Graduate Scholarship Program
Each year, the College of Forestry awards graduate scholarships made possible through donations to the college. These funds are administered by the Student Services Office, and selections are made by the College Graduate Scholarship Committee, comprised of forestry faculty.

Awards range in value from $1,000 to $8,000 and are offered to new and continuing graduate students as supplemental financial assistance. College of Forestry graduate students are invited to apply for college scholarships to help cover the costs of tuition and fees.

College of Forestry scholarships are disbursed in equal amounts during fall, winter, and spring terms and require students to maintain a specific enrollment level and satisfactory academic progress to remain eligible.

New Students
Work with your major professor to ensure your name is forwarded through your academic department’s nomination process. All nominees are reviewed by the department’s graduate scholarship committee for consideration for College of Forestry scholarships.

Work with your Graduate Student Coordinator to determine requirements and application deadlines. Students who are offered a College of Forestry Scholarship will receive the offer via their OSU email through a short Qualtrics survey. Be sure to accept or decline the award by the stated deadline.

Continuing Students
Continuing graduate students in the College of Forestry can apply for scholarships via ScholarDollars. The application for the 2025–26 academic year will open Nov. 1, 2025 and close March 1, 2026. Late applications will not be accepted.

Experiential Learning Fund
Available to students participating in domestic programs that enhance their education or professional development — such as trainings, conferences, workshops and seminars.

Emergency and Hardship Funds
Intended to support students during an unexpected financial challenge that affects their learning or degree progress.

Dean’s Investment Fund for International Engagement
Awards between $300-$2,500 are available to assist students in pursuing their interests through international study, research, internships and other collaborative experiences.

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. Thoroughly review award stipulations before applying to determine if that award will suit your needs.

We strongly encourage students to search and apply for external funding to help support their academic efforts and living expenses. Besides helping to relieve financial stress, receiving external funding is an excellent addition to a student’s CV. Graduate students should discuss options for external funding with their major professors. Major professors often alert their students to funding opportunities in their professional fields.

Students can find a partial list of external opportunities on the Office of Graduate Education webpage. For other opportunities, students should ask their major professor and graduate committee for suggestions. Searching online may also yield funding opportunities specific to particular research areas or identities.

The College of Forestry Scholarship Petition is an opportunity to request a change in the terms and conditions of your scholarship award, which you may not be able to meet due to unexpected circumstances. 

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.

The J. Richard Dilworth Memorial Fund, established in 1983, honors longtime College of Forestry faculty member Dick Dilworth with the goal 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 Ecosystems and Society (FES) and the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management (FERM), and are given in priority of scholarship, student travel and teaching grants.

The FES Department Graduate Fund provides scholarships of varying value to new and continuing graduate students based in or affiliated with the Forest Ecosystems and Society Department, contingent on availability. Scholarships are awarded and administrated by the FES Department and are supplemental to other financial assistance. To be considered, students must be nominated by their major professor or the Student Engagement and Scholarships Manager, as outlined below; students cannot submit applications on their own behalf. Please contact the graduate program coordinator before pursuing this opportunity.

Purpose: This fund supports key elements of the College of Forestry strategic plan related to strengthening transformational research and scholarship and supporting accessible and inclusive academic opportunities. Graduate students, through their program related research and future contributions as alumni, will be critical in advancing the college’s mission to catalyze new possibilities in forestry and advance sustainable solutions to challenges society is facing. In recognition that financial barriers are a key driver in student attrition, this fund allows timely awarding to cover immediate and short-term financial needs to support persistence and completion of graduate students in their academic programs. 

Eligibility: To be considered for a financial award, the student must meet the following criteria: 
•    Be a currently registered graduate student (or have successfully completed the most recent previous term), and be seeking a degree offered within the Forest Ecosystems and Society Department 
•    Be in good academic standing
•    Have an immediate financial need that would impact timely progression or completion of academic and/or thesis requirements

Nominations: Students must be nominated through the following two-part process:

PART 1: LETTER OF INQUIRY
Before submitting a proposal, the nominating party must submit a brief letter (email is acceptable) to the FES Administrative Manager to inquire about the availability of scholarship funds. Letters may be informal but must include the name of the nominee and the term(s) (Summer, Fall, Winter, or Spring) in which the nominee should receive the scholarship.

PART 2: PROPOSAL
After receiving and reviewing the major professor’s letter of inquiry, the FES Administrative Manager will respond to indicate whether a) funds are available and the major professor should submit a proposal, or b) funds are not available and the major professor should not submit a proposal. The FES Administrative Manager may ask the major professor additional questions in order to make this determination. If the FES Administrative Manager confirms the proposal can be reviewed, the nominating party must submit an official proposal (1 page) which includes the following required information:
•    The name of the nominee
•    The term(s) in which the nominee should receive the scholarship
•    The amount requested
•    The nature of the financial need and how it will support the success of the student in their progress toward degree completion
•    A brief description of the nominee’s funding plan going forward 
•    Any additional information that the FES Administrative Manager has specifically requested to assist with the decision-making process 

Selection: Proposals will be reviewed by selected staff and faculty within the department to ensure all nominations include the required information, and students meet outlined eligibility criteria. Final approval or denial will be reviewed and confirmed by the FES Department Head. Approvals are contingent on student eligibility, alignment of the proposal to the stated purpose of the award, and sufficient availability of funds. All nominees will be considered equitably based on the criteria and process outlined above.

The sustainable forest management graduate degree is housed within the Forest Engineering, Resources and Management (FERM) department. Each January, the FERM department's Area of Concentration (AoC) Fellowship Committee selects incoming and continuing graduate students from all areas of concentration for nomination for departmental fellowships, College of Forestry (COF) fellowships, Laurels Tuition Awards and other financial opportunities.

The FERM department head makes the final decision for a select number of departmental fellowships for incoming graduate students based on recommendations from the AoC faculty leads, while the College of Forestry Scholarship Committee decides on college scholarship awards based on student nominations submitted by each COF department. New students should submit their graduate application by Dec. 31 of the preceding year for full consideration. Review the Sustainable Forest Management graduate program admission page for additional information.

Incoming FERM graduate students

New students who wish to be considered for funding support should indicate so on their web application. Areas of concentration (AoC), as well as AoC faculty, may assist the applicant in deciding on a major professor under a specific AoC within the Sustainable Forest Management graduate program. Once an application has been accepted for admission, all incoming graduate students who apply by the primary consideration deadline are evaluated for departmental fellowships, COF scholarships and other OSU Graduate School awards. Nominations are selected by the AoC faculty leads depending on the overall strength of applications. GPA, as well as experience and letters of recommendation, are considered during the award process.

The FERM department head will decide how many departmental fellowships are awarded and which incoming applications are submitted to the COF Scholarship Committee for college scholarship awards. The number of departmental fellowships varies from year to year and depends on funding availability. Applicants may receive both a departmental fellowship and a COF scholarship.

Laurels Tuition Scholarships
When available, these awards are administered by the FERM department on behalf of the Graduate Scholarships unit within the Office of Graduate Education. Laurels awards are tuition remission resources, awarded as full or partial tuition scholarships to pay new students’ resident or nonresident graduate tuition charges. These awards do not cover tuition fees and are not accompanied by a stipend.

Selection recipients are chosen by the FERM department head and AoC lead faculty committee. Funding may be awarded for one to three quarters (fall, winter, spring terms), beginning in the fall.

The Lee Harris Travel Grant Committee offers quarterly grants exclusively to FERM graduate students. If you are attending a conference or plan to in the near future, this is a chance to receive additional funding. For more information, contact the committee at Lee-HarrisTravel.Grant@oregonstate.edu. There are also other sources of funding for travel and related experiences (for example, the COF Dean’s Investment Fund for International Engagement and the COF Experiential Learning Funds).

The J. Richard Dilworth Memorial Fund was established in 1983 to honor longtime 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.