Financial Support for PMB Graduate Students

The Plant and Microbial Biology graduate program at the University of Minnesota seeks to support students from diverse backgrounds in pursuit of research and academic excellence.

Assistantships and fellowships

Students in good academic standing are financially supported throughout their PMB degree program through research assistantships from PMB and faculty advisors, teaching assistantships in PMB or general biology, fellowships, training grants, etc.

Assistantships and fellowships include:

Stipend of at least $32,468/year ($31.22/hour - as of fall 2026)
Full tuition coverage ($10,962 per semester in 2026-2027)
Payment towards health insurance premiums ($9,400 for 12 months, September 2026 to August 2027)

Career development fund

When funding is available, PMB graduate students who have reached candidacy have access to a career development fund to support participation in professional conferences, workshops, or other professional development opportunities.

Student responsibility

Student fees (about $825 per semester — fall and spring through doctoral candidacy; about $97 per semester after doctoral candidacy) | Check student fee details.
Contribution to health insurance premium (about $245 per semester — fall and spring)
Any required course or laboratory fees. (Course and laboratory fees for graduate-level courses are very uncommon.)
Optional fee: parking contract
NOTE: PMB pays your student fees in your first semester. After that, PMB or your advisor contribute $235 towards your fees, through doctoral candidacy, when your fees go down.

Note: Graduate assistantships are 50% positions — for 20 hours of work that directly supports the project that is paying the RA (e.g., a research grant) or for a course, in the case of a TA. Your own coursework, time spent on professional development activities, and your thesis research are not included in the ~20 hours of the assistantship. To make progress towards your degree and remain in good standing in the graduate program, it is the expectation that you have ~40 hours per week of commitment to your graduate program (~20 hours for your assistantship and ~20 for coursework, thesis research, professional development, etc.).