Financial Aid

There are several options when considering how to cover the costs of graduate school: These fall into two main categories--Graduate Assistantships and Other Funding Sources. The main difference between these two categories is that the former offers include full support (tuition, benefits & stipend), while the latter is merely supplemental support. Another significant difference between the two catgories is that the graduate assistantships are typically offered in conjunction with admission while the other sources of funding require additional applications, particularly the loans and fellowships.

Below is a list of some of the options that you may want to consider.

 

GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS

Teaching Assistantships
Teaching Assistantships are provided by your academic department (i.e. chemistry or physics) during the first year. Stipends vary from discipline to discipline, but usually begin around $15,000. In addition to the stipend, most award packages include a tuition waiver as well as at least partial health insurance benefits. Under these assistanships, students are responsible for certain responsibilities associated with teaching (e.g. teaching labs and/or recitations, grading, proctoring, holding office hours) while taking classes or doing research. The approximate time commitment is 20 hours a week. Sometime during the first year students usually select a research group they want to join.

Research Assistantship
After the first year, graduate students are typically (but not always) supported by a Research Assistanship through individual faculty in the department. While the financial support is virtually identical to that of a Teaching Assistantship, responsibilities are not; students supported by a Research Assistantship typically have a time commitment of >20 hours per week in the lab. The latter is, however, negotiable, and varies from professor to professor.

 

OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING

Scholarships
Academic scholarships are usually available to outstanding students. These are extra financial support and usually are not advertised; so, do your research and inquire about information and their availability to you.

Fellowships
Fellowships are also available to outstanding students. Again, these are extra financial support and require recommendation (from graduate advisor) as well as a separate application or proposal to funding agencies. On occasion, a fellowship will offer full support (i.e. comparable to an award for a teaching or research assistantship, but without the associated responsibilities).

Student Loans
Student loans are available through the goverment and the state. In order to obtain these, the FAFSA must be filled out by the appropriate deadline (usually the beginning of March). More information can be obtained through the office of financial aid (at any institution).