MA Applied Anthropology Finances & Awards

In-State Tuition

Tuition and costs are described on this financial aid webpage. Please note that tuition rates are given for full-time students (greater than 6 units per semester). Those students attending part-time (0-6 units) pay less per term. You can estimate part-time fees by looking at the tuition and fees page (scroll down to Registration Fee Information & Rates and select a recent term). Keep in mind that tuition may change per year.

Out-of-State Tuition

• Cal Poly Humboldt is part of the Western Regional Graduate Program - residents of the following states pay in-state tuition at Cal Poly Humboldt: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands/Guam.
• Typical out-of-state tuition involves paying the regular tuition plus a per unit fee.
• A very limited number of partial out-of-state tuition waivers are available to graduate students who are not otherwise eligible for in-state tuition. These waivers typically last one semester during which students must enroll in at least 10 units, and the additional out-of-state tuition is waived for up to 6 units.
• Out-of-state students can establish California residency by meeting requirements described here.

Graduate Financial Aid

Stu­dents are encour­aged to con­tact the Humboldt Financial Aid office for infor­ma­tion about avail­able grants, loans, schol­ar­ships and work study. Graduate students should also check out the Graduate Students financial aid page.

Please be sure to fill out a FAFSA (see the FAFSA website for application details and deadlines) – it is recommended that you complete each year's FAFSA the Priority Deadline indicated on the FAFSA website to maintain eligibility for all scholarships/work study possibilities.

Note: Financial aid eligibility is reassessed when student status changes from undergraduate to graduate student. Students that utilize all of their undergraduate eligibility during the academic year that they start the program may have additional eligibility as MA students. Graduate students are eligible for financial aid if they are enrolled in at least 5-units.  Please contact the Humboldt Financial Aid office for infor­ma­tion.

Types of Graduate Support & Recognition

Student Loans – Please contact the Financial Aid Office.

State University Grant - Master's students may be eligible for a State University Grant if their FAFSA application is submitted by the priority filing deadline. 

• You must be classified as a California Resident (or an AB540 eligible student) in order to be considered for the State University Grant (SUG), which is for payment of CSU tuition and is the equivalent of your yearly tuition charge. The SUG is not applied to campus based fees. This grant may be reduced or cancelled if student fees are waived or paid by another source, including Cal Grants. Initial SUG awards are based on the level of financial need and are awarded at the full-time level and for the full year.
• Graduate students must be enrolled in 5 units or more to be eligable.
• For graduates, the earned unit limit varies depending on the academic program.
• Students pursuing a second Bachelor's, second Credential, or second Master's degree are not SUG eligible.

Work Study – Students that qualify for financial aid, such as loans, are often also eligible for Federal Work Study and Graduate Student Federal Work Study. Typically students need to be full-time for work study. These are attractive alternatives to student loans, because students gain work experience and lessen debt.  Students awarded work study can obtain positions across campus –  positions are also occasionally available in the Anthropology Department on a limited basis. To apply for work study, please contact the Financial Aid Office. Also visit Humboldt Handshake for a list of all campus jobs. 

Scholarships, Fellowships, Awards & Honors – Graduate Studies maintains a list of fellowships and scholarships broadly available to Humboldt graduate students. Also see this list of scholarships and see Humboldt Scholarships. Students must complete a FAFSA on time to be eligible for scholarships and fellowships. In particular, please note these opportunities:

• Alistair & Judith McCrone Graduate Fellowship Award – This award is granted to up to three Cal Poly Humboldt graduate students per year and is typically $3000 applied towards tuition. In February, Anthropology faculty as a group are able to nominate one graduate student to compete for the award that will be applied to the following academic year - the nomination will be put forth by the graduate coordinator. To be eligible, a student must be a full time graduate student at Cal Poly Humboldt (at least 9 units per semester), have a GPA of at least 3.0, and have been in the program for less than one academic year at the time of application. In line with the award criteria, Anthropology will select the nominee based on academic merit, performance in the program to date, and the nominee's potential for contribution to their field of study. During late Spring, a reception will be held to recognize the nominees and announce the recipient of the award. If selected for the award, the recipient must be also be available to attend the reception in-person in Fall (around November) to give a short presentation of their research. Current first-year students (during, not before first year), if you would like the Anthropology faculty to consider nominating you for this award, please fill out the application linked here by February 1.
• Annual CSU Student Research Competition – This competition is held to promote excellence in undergraduate and graduate scholarly research and creative activity by recognizing outstanding student accomplishments throughout the twenty-three campuses of the California State University.  Each campus will select up to ten entries to send to the final round at a CSU campus. Cal Poly Humboldt will partially offset travel costs for each student selected to represent Humboldt. The deadline to enter projects for the Humboldt competition is usually early Spring of the applicable year. Keep an eye out for announcements.
• Patricia O. McConkey Outstanding Graduate Student Graduation with Distinction) – The Anthropology faculty as a group will nominate one graduating MA student each year based on academic merit, academic/peer service, and quality of thesis research. Nominations will be made mid-Spring for a student that is graduating that Spring (May) or that graduated the preceding Fall or Summer term.

Anthropology Scholarships and Teaching Assistantships

• Intern and Assistant Opportunities: See the Anthropology Department Internship & Student Assistant Opportunities document for more information.
• Anthropology Student Travel Funds Application.
• Instructional Student Assistant: Please see the APS page on positions for students. Please note that students may also apply for positions in departments other than Anthropology.

Employment Resources

• On-Campus positions are posted on the Humboldt Academic Personnel Services website including positions for students.
• Humboldt Career Center
• Craigslist Humbdoldt County

External Funding

Students are encouraged to seek external scholarships, fellowships, and grants. Faculty work with students to support applications.