Fellowships and teaching assistantships are available for qualified students. Funding support for teaching and research assistants include a stipend, tuition and fee remission, and student health insurance. Students admitted to the M.A. program is Portuguese are guaranteed two years of funding, while students entering the Ph.D. program are funded for five years.

Doctoral students may apply for travel funds each year to help defray expenses when presenting at conferences. Students are also eligible to apply for competitive grants and fellowships offered by the College of Arts and Sciences, the University Graduate School, the College Arts and Humanities Institute (CAHI), and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, among other places.

The Department also offers several awards and grants to recognize and support outstanding research, including the J.M. Hill Outstanding Graduate Research Paper awards, the Merle E. Simmons Research Travel Fellowship (priority given to students conducting research in Mexico or on colonial topic), the Doctoral Student Academic Achievement Award (provides recipient with a course release to focus on research), and the Timothy Rogers Summer Dissertation Fellowship.