Funding Sources

An offer of admission to the Ph.D. program generally includes an offer of financial support from the Department of Mathematics. Department resources include a number of fellowships intended for first year students but financial support is generally in the form of Teaching Assistantships (TAs). Applicants need not complete any special form in order to be considered for financial support. Continuing graduate students in the Department of Mathematics are generally awarded Teaching Assistantships (TAs) or in some cases Research Assistantships (RAs), though a few fellowships also exist. Financial support is renewed for students making satisfactory progress towards their degrees, up to a total of four years, with the type of award sometimes varying.

The Department provides financial support for the nine-month academic year. Each award of 50% or greater financial support consists of a tuition and salary/stipend component as well as an individual rate medical insurance benefit: awards of less than 50% cannot include medical insurance benefits. TA, RA, or fellowship awards in the Department of Mathematics either provide full tuition or supplement outside awards up to the level of full tuition in addition to providing a stipend. The monthly salary/stipend of a TA and an RA are the same, $2,408/month ($10,836 per term or $21,672 for the 2009-2010 nine-month academic year September 1 - May 31). The amount paid by fellowship stipends provided by the Department or the Institute may vary but are typically higher than the stipend level provided to TAs and RAs. INS regulations restrict international students with fulltime TAs or RAs from accepting any other employment during the regular semester. Students with a fulltime TA are discouraged from taking on additional hours of employment, even if permitted, during the semester. Some financial support may also be available during the summer.