Newsletter Articles for Prospective Students
September | October | November | December/January | February | March | April | May/June | July/AugustFinancing Graduate Education: Identifying Your Options
Assistantships
Fellowships
Other Aid
Assistantships
Assistantships are the most common means of financing a graduate education. Typically, these appointments require you to work a set number of hours per week (generally ranging from 13 to 20), in exchange for a monthly stipend and, in many cases, tuition remission. The most common types of assistantships are teaching, research, and administrative assistantships. Each of these appointments carries different duties.
All graduate assistants are an important part of the university community. They provide essential teaching, research and administrative functions for the campus. In return, graduate assistants are paid for their work in addition to other benefits. Every university has different assistantship packages, so it is important that you compare all details of any assistantship offer, not just the salary amount, to get the true picture of the compensation you will receive.
Here at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, assistantship appointments include a monthly stipend that varies by department, resident or non-resident full tuition remission in the fall and spring (most assistantships also cover summer tuition) and health insurance coverage.
The first place you should inquire about assistantship opportunities is your academic department. Many programs employ their own graduate students as either teaching assistants or research assistants.
Teaching assistants typically serve in one of three capacities.
- In many departments, teaching assistants are fully responsible for teaching one or more sections of an introductory course in the discipline. For example, in English, a TA may be given full responsibility for a beginning composition or literature course, handling everything from lectures to assignments and grading.
- In other departments, teaching assistants are assigned responsibility for one or more discussion sections (recitations) of a lecture course. Such a position requires attendance at lectures, the preparation of supplemental and review materials, as well as grading assignments and exams.
- Finally, for many teaching assistants, the primary duty is grading assignments for a large course. In this instance, TAs often attend lecture, read the assigned materials, and grade quizzes, essays, and exams, as well as hold office hours.
Teaching assistant appointments offer critical classroom experience, and are especially useful if you hope to have a career as a university professor.
Research assistantships provide another critical component of preparation for a career. RAs are typically assigned to work with a professor whose research interests are somewhat aligned with the student's, allowing him/her to gain practical, hands-on experience in the lab, studio, or research team. These assistantships help to build research skills and frequently facilitate the student's own research as well. An RA often will have the opportunity to co-author scholarly products based on the research. These types of assistantship opportunities not only help you finance your graduate education, but also provide valuable professional experience in your field.
Don't forget to explore assistantship opportunities in related academic departments. Priority usually goes to majors within a particular department, but sometimes departments hire RAs and TAs from related fields.
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Finally, most campuses have administrative assistantships in student affairs areas that are typically open to any major. If you were a resident assistant, a student organization leader or involved in campus activities as an undergraduate, you would be well suited for these types of positions. These graduate assistantships are offered in a variety of offices across campus in different administrative capacities, allowing graduate students to gain valuable experience that often can be related to career goals. Students with administrative assistantships may perform a number of tasks, from research and writing, coordinating and supervising events, to direct involvement with student activities. You may have to do some work to find these types of positions, as most universities do not have a centralized process for publicizing administrative assistantships. But you can find them by checking out office websites or making phone calls to directors or project coordinators.
Fellowships
Similar to scholarships you may have received as an undergraduate, fellowships are merit-based awards that do not have to be repaid, enabling recipients to focus on graduate coursework and research full-time without having to fulfill a work commitment, as a graduate assistant would. In many instances, graduate fellowships include both remission of tuition and a stipend for living expenses; sometimes smaller fellowship awards will be added to assistantship awards.
A number of agencies award fellowships to graduate students, both incoming and continuing. Many universities offer internally funded fellowships for graduate students enrolled at their institution. Most are awarded by graduate degree programs as part of a recruitment package or through a competitive process. For example, at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, graduate recruitment fellowships are awarded to incoming students through college departments, and continuing student fellowships are awarded by the Office of Graduate Studies on a competitive basis. All new applicants are considered for recruitment fellowships such as the Othmer Doctoral Fellowship, Chancellor's Doctoral Fellowship, Richard H. Larson Fellowship, Centennial Fellowship and August Edgren Fellowship.
Fellowships also are sponsored and funded by government agencies, corporations, charitable foundations, and numerous other groups. These external sources may be used to support your graduate work at any institution. Visit http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/current/funding-external.shtml to locate not a comprehensive list but the most prominent sources of graduate fellowships, dissertation fellowships and post-doctoral fellowships. Use an online search engine like Google or Yahoo to locate specific organizations that offer graduate fellowships or try the Community of Science for the most comprehensive list of funding resources.
Eligibility criteria for graduate fellowships differ, but most are based on similar elements – previous, current and potential academic performance and research; originality; and likelihood of completing work on schedule. Financial need or hardship is generally not a factor in fellowship competitions. When applying, be prepared with these general requirements: transcripts, statement of academic plan, letters of reference. And take note of application deadlines, start early and thoroughly read instructions.
Other Aid
The primary source of funding beyond assistantships and fellowships is federal student aid. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may be completed as early as January 1 or as late as June 1 of the application year. Unlike undergraduate students who are eligible for federal grants and college work study, graduate students are eligible only for subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Because you are eligible only for loans, it is not urgent for you to complete the application, but it is a good idea to submit a completed application online four to six weeks prior to the time you would need the funding. It also is important to communicate with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid about all funding awards you receive. Assistantships and fellowships impact your federal financial aid package and you do not want to find yourself in a situation where you are responsible for portions of a loan you hadn't expected to repay.
Finally, while you are in graduate school, always look for funding opportunities to support your study. Many colleges and departments have funding to assist student travel to professional conferences, to present papers and attend poster sessions. Also, check with organizations like fraternities and sororities, churches or other memberships groups for funding opportunities.
