August 2013

Funding Your Graduate Program at Purdue

Susan Fisher

Director Graduate Programs

College of Engineering

Overview• Terminology• Types of funding

– Graduate Research Assistantship– Graduate Teaching Assistantship– Graduate Administrative/Professional– Graduate Lecturer– Fellowships

• Who gets funded• What funding can provide• How to find funding• Purdue resources

Graduate School Terms• Graduate Staff Appointments (Employment)

Research Assistantships Teaching Assistantships Graduate Assistantship - Administrative/Professional Graduate Lecturer

• Fellowships (graduate scholarships)

• Stipend (salary)

Research Assistantship• Student employed by a professor on a research project• Terms/conditions set by the professor under University

regulations• Requires 20 to 10 hours per week (half-time or quarter-time)• Contract for 10 or 12 months• Annually renewed based on student’s academic standing and

progress made toward the degree • Usually tied to thesis research project• Covers tuition, pays a stipend, some fees, ½-time covers

medical insurance• Can be combined with TA or fellowship (¼-time/¼-time)

Teaching Assistantship• Student employed by the school/department• Terms/conditions set by department under University

regulations• Requires 20 to 10 hours weekly (half-time or quarter-time)• Contract by the semester for 4½ or 9 months• Renewal of contract based on course need and performance• TA obligation may be in addition to research project• Must be renewed each session• Covers tuition, pays a stipend, some fees, ½-time covers

medical insurance• Can be combined with RA or fellowship (¼-time/¼-time)

Graduate Assistantship -Administrative/Professional

• Any student with duties that are generally administrative– Office assistant

– Library assignment

– SURF or SROP – summer programs

– Intercollegiate athletics

– Graduate staff outside admitting program, i.e. Grad School

• Requires 20 to 10 hours weekly (half-time or quarter-time)• Employed by office or department• Contracted for the summer, a semester, academic year or fiscal year• Renewal of contract based on past performance and whether or not

the hiring unit is in need of a student

Fellowships• Come in all shapes and sizes - award amounts vary greatly

• Terms/conditions are set by the provider

• May or may not include employment or internship

• Do not usually cover all expenses

• Some may be combined with RA or TA

• Funded by school, college, university, or independent source

• Usually cannot hold two full fellowships simultaneously

• Most can be deferred when other funding is available

• Some accept student applications; others rely on nominations

• Some are portable – can be used at the institution of choice

• Length of support varies

Who Gets Funded?• Fellowships

High GPA: over 3.5

High GRE scores – particularly the Quantitative score

Prefer: Research experience

Prefer: Leadership experience• Research Assistantship

Solid GPA

Research or experience working with a professor is a plus

• Teaching Assistantship

Good grade in the class or one similar

Prefer: Grader experience• Graduate Assistantship

How to Find Funding• Talk to professors about RA positions (only after reading

articles they have written and know details of their research)• Talk to the Graduate Chair about information on TA positions• Check out professional/honor organizations in your area

(Tau Beta Pi, ASEE, SHPE, ASME, ASABE, NSBE)• Apply for every fellowship for which you qualify• International students check with your government• Attend the fellowship workshops for US citizens

Finding Resources• Do not pay for lists advertising funding for grad school• Use the Fellowship List on the College of Engineering web

site under Academics→Graduate Programs→Funding & Financial Aid

• Review the Fellowship Database on the Graduate School Web site

• Search the web – keywords:• Funding, Engineering, Graduate Student, Fellowships

• Contact your research faculty about specific fellowships in that area

• Ask grad students in your area how they found funding

Offer Letter

• Letter offering you financial support• Pay attention to the details

– Type of support (RA, TA, Fellowship)– Length of support (dates)– Terms and Conditions (what do you have to do)– Coverage (tuition, fees, insurance, stipend amount)

• Acceptance is a binding contract

Student Employment• Graduate School

– Funding Information for Students

• Student Employment Services– Division of Financial Aid– Provides up-to-date employment postings on-campus and off-campus– Listing on web site:

https://www2.itap.purdue.edu/dfa/jobposting/jobsearch.cfm

• General Programs– Center for Career Opportunities – Cooperative Education Program – Federal Work Study – Internships – Housing & Food Services Student Employment – Recreational Sports Student Employment – Purdue High Tech Job Fair – Purdue Research Park Job Fair

Employment Resource• Graduate Student Employment

Manual• Should be the first resource for questions– http://www.gradschool.purdue.edu/faculty/p

ublications.cfm– Employment Policies and Guidelines– Payroll Procedures– Employee Benefits– Purdue University Graduate Staff

Appointments and Minimum Salaries

Tips for Continuing Support

• Report to your assignment on time • Be prepared to work• Avoid frequent excuses and/or absences• Don’t take advice from other students• Don’t compare your paychecks – tax agreements vary by

country, auto withdrawals vary• Be responsible for details in continuing the support• Ask questions – don’t leave it up to others

Summary• Graduate School terminology is specific

• Several types of employment available

• Importance of applying for fellowships

• Various resources available to you

• What to consider when offered funding

• How to position yourself for Purdue employment

• Importance of asking questions

When You Have Questions

Susan Fisher

fishersk@purdue.edu

765-494-0600

Remember: Don’t go it alone;

the most successful students ask for help