Tuition

For information on the costs associated with attending the University of Minnesota, please see the University's Office of the Registrar main page.

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Financial Aid

There is no specific application form for departmental financial aid awards, as all admitted students are automatically considered. First consideration for aid is given to students who submit application materials by December 15th.

Applications submitted after December 15 may be placed on a waiting list for financial aid. Application materials, including transcripts, statement of purpose and letters of recommendation will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee when determining financial aid awards.

Aid awards are typically in the form of graduate teaching or research assistantships and include compensation, a full tuition benefit, and the option to participate in a health insurance plan for which the University covers 95 percent of the premium. Approximately 10 to 15 graduate assistantships are awarded to new students each year.

Graduate Assistantships:

Assistantship appointments are either 50 or 25% and come in the form of research or teaching assistantships. A 50% appointment carries a stipend of about $1,618 /month for the nine-month academic year along with waived tuition and health benefits (prorated for a 25% appointment). Half-time research assistantships are, in general, for approximately 20 hours per week.

Support from the Department beyond the first year is contingent upon the availability of funds. Priority for departmental positions is given to students making timely progress towards their degrees.

Teaching Assistants: (Primary means of support for first year students.)Teaching Assistants work under the supervision of faculty or academic staff, providing assistance to the faculty in teaching or advising students registered for specific courses. Teaching Assistants may work under direct supervision of the faculty member responsible for a course or may be the instructor of record for an entire course.

Responsibilities: Responsibilities will vary according to the nature of the specific position assigned and according to the department's requirements:

• Grading of examinations, reports, and/or assigning final grades
• Preparation of examination or class materials
• Assistance provided to faculty in the teaching or advising of students registered in specific courses.
• Supervision or instruction of laboratory classes, recitation sections or intern groups
• Academic administrative duties directly related to administration of a course

Research Assistants: Research assistantships are to provide financial support and training for graduate students and should help students toward educational and career goals. Some students may have research assistantships their first year, but it is expected that all students move to research appointments after their first year.

Responsibilities: Research assistants perform duties of a specialized nature connected with research assigned by the supporting department or principal research investigator. The research assistantship may provide the base for part or all of the student's thesis; it may provide technical skills specifically required by the degree program. Collecting research material. Performing experiments. Doing taxonomic work. Taking field notes. Preparing bibliographies. Abstracting, editing, etc.

More Information:

Graduate Assistantship Information

Graduate Assistant Health Insurance Plan

Fellowships:

Graduate School Fellowships The Director of Graduate Studies for the program nominates student(s) to this all-University competition. GSF(s) are intented to assist in the recruiting of outstanding Ph.D. students by providing full-support academic-year merit fellowship. Prospective students with outstanding records who enter the University of Minnesota Graduate School for the first time in the upcoming academic year are considered. The nomination deadline is mid-January for the following academic year.

Departmental FellowshipsA select number of students are awarded departmental fellowships and typically used to as support in addition to the assistantship.

More Information:

Graduate School Fellowship Office

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