Funding and Financial Aid

Teaching Assistant Positions

Qualified applicants to the doctoral program may be considered for funding opportunities as teaching assistants, typically for up to five years. Funding beyond five years may be available but is not guaranteed. Teaching assistant positions may involve supporting faculty with department courses or supervising clinical or classroom fieldwork, such as practicum, internship, or student teaching.

Project and Research Assistants

A variety of research and demonstration projects are conducted by individual professors, usually through some form of external funding. The projects frequently have budgeted research and/or project assistantship positions for which recipients are selected by the project director. Professors are notified of potential candidates for such positions from among those applying for admission. Salary is based on percentage of time committed.

Graduate School Fellowships

When available, one or more applicants to a RP&SE doctoral program are selected to receive a Graduate School Fellowship. Recipients of the fellowship receive tuition remission, a stipend, and access to health insurance. No separate application is needed for this fellowship.

Education Graduate Research Scholars (Ed-GRS)

When available, one or more newly admitted students to a RP&SE doctoral program are selected to receive the Education Graduate Research Scholars (Ed-GRS) fellowship each year. No separate application is needed for this fellowship.

Department Scholarships

Applicants and current students in the undergraduate programs in special education and elementary education-special education dual certification and in the master’s with teacher certification program are invited to apply for department scholarships in late winter/early spring. Recipients are notified of awards in early summer.

Teacher Pledge

In order to provide children with the best possible education, the School of Education is dedicated to strengthening and diversifying Wisconsin’s teacher workforce. To accomplish this goal, we are pledging to pay the equivalent of in-state tuition and fees, testing and licensing costs for all teacher education students, including Special Education with Teacher Certification master’s students. In return, our students pledge to work at a Wisconsin pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade school for three years after graduation as a special educator. The Teacher Pledge is open to all participating teacher education students — and is the first program of its kind offered by a public university.  For more information, see the Teacher Pledge webpage or contact Carly Marco (cmarco@wisc.edu). *Note: International students are not eligible for the Pledge. Students may only use the Pledge for one degree.

Teach Grants

These grants are set up as a forgivable loan, and are administered through the Office of Financial Aid and the School of Education​. TEACH grants are open to eligible students pursuing special education teacher certification.

Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Scholarship (Pending federal renewal for Fall 2025 and beyond)

The scholarship provides $6,005 toward tuition and a stipend of $1,500 per semester for full-time students during the fall and spring semesters of their first year. Each year, applicants and current students in the clinical rehabilitation ​counseling are notified by the RPSE department of the scholarship application process.

The purpose of the RSA scholarship is to increase the supply of qualified professionals to work for state VR agencies (i.e., the Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation or the comparable agencies in other states) or other agencies and programs that cooperate with state VR agencies in serving their clientele. The scholarship is structured as a forgivable loan and requires a commitment to work in VR or their contracting agencies after graduation for one year in exchange for each semester of scholarship received.

Teaching Assistants

A very limited number of teaching assistantships are available for master’s students. Students are encouraged to reach out to academic departments who they have knowledge or experience in to see if there are available assistantships and check the UW Student Job board.  Appointments with a semester percentage of one-third time or more provide tuition remission, a stipend, and benefits including health insurance.

The RPSE department does not have any available TA positions for 2025-26.