The department offers a limited number of teaching and research assistantships to qualified students interested in graduate work leading to the Ph.D. degree.

Financially supported students entering in the Fall will receive a stipend of $13,600 for the academic year, plus a tuition scholarship and health coverage, in conformance with State University of New York at Buffalo policies. Applicants of great promise may also be nominated for Presidential or Dean's Fellowship in the range of $2,000 - $6,000 for a period of four years. Students may also be nominated for Special SUNY Underrepresented Minority Graduate (Schomberg) Fellowships which provide a tuition scholarship and a four-year fellowship.

To ensure consideration for the first round of assistantship awards and for nomination to the University Fellowship programs, all application materials must be completed no later than January 1. However, assistantships often become available after this date, and interested applicants should contact the department for current information.

Teaching assistants teach one course in either the English department or the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.