Financing Graduate School

What can I expect in terms of costs and financial support?

In addition to the information specific to the Department written here, please visit the Graduate School's webpage on Funding Your Graduate Studies.

Financial Support

The Department is usually able to support 10 to 12 new graduate students each year with fellowships or assistantships. In most cases, financial aid offers guarantee 50%-time* support for 4 years in the PhD program and for 2 years in an MS program. In addition, a small number of students enter without financial aid and are given assistantships on a fund- and job-available basis. During their first year students normally identify a research project, and are encouraged with the help of their advisor to secure funding, including a stipend, to support the project in subsequent years.

All students entering our PhD and Plan A MS (thesis) programs are guaranteed support that provides 

• a stipend in the form of research assistantships (RA), teaching assistantships (TA), and/or fellowships during the academic year;
  • Research Assistant positions are funded from grants given to a faculty member for specific research projects.  Typically, these positions are 50%-time (20 hours per week)* and include full tuition benefits and a health care package.  This type of appointment is arranged between the graduate advisor and the student.
  • Teaching Assistants are employed in the teaching program; they supervise laboratory work, grade papers, and/or proctor exams.  Typically, these positions are 50%-time (20 hours per week)* and include full tuition benefits and a health care package.
  • Fellowships are not paid positions (e.g. not on payroll) but provide the same benefits of a stipend (%-time determined by fund availability), tuition, and health care package.
  • During any given semester, a student can be funded in any combination of these categories.
• tuition coverage-students must be registered full-time (6-14 credits per semester) in order to receive full benefits.
• and a health care package. ~95% of the health care premium is covered by the U/Dept; students are responsible for ~5% of the premium costs per semester. See Costs below for details.

*Important Note: 20 hours a week (50%-time) is considered 'full-time' in terms of graduate employment and students must be registered full-time (6-14 credits per semester) in order to receive full benefits.  If a student has less than full-time registration and/or less than full-time employment/fellowship, the benefit package will be pro-rated accordingly. See Costs below for details.

• All first year, incoming PhD or Plan A MS students are provided start-up funds with the plan for distributed in July. Students will refer to their offer letters for more details about amounts and timing of the payment.

• The department provides partial support for students who travel to professional meetings to present papers and posters that are based on thesis research. Additional support is usually available from research grants.

• Summer support - Incoming graduate students are guaranteed summer support (TA/RA) their first year. In subsequent years, summer support is independent of academic-year funding and may come from a separate teaching assistantship, research assistantship, or fellowship.

• Several types of Fellowships are available from the Graduate Education Office, College of Science & Engineering, and the Department.
  • Graduate School Fellowships for incoming students
  • Graduate Education Office Fellowships
  • Diversity of Views Experience Fellowship
  • Department Fellowships