Financial Support

Financial support is guaranteed for five years to students making satisfactory progress. Students receive full tuition, a stipend, and individual health coverage. Support is in the form of:

  • fellowships
  • teaching assistantships
  • research assistantships

All students are supported on full fellowships in their first year, so have no teaching duties.

Teaching assistants either teach recitation sections or grade papers for more advanced courses. Both jobs are paid at the same rate, and both require about 10-12 hours per week. Teaching is an important part of the graduate education in Mathematics and all students are expected to teach at least one semester and preferably more, whether supported through other means or not.

For more detailed information regarding the cost of attendance, including specific costs for tuition and fees, books and supplies, housing and food as well as transportation, please visit the SFS website.

Stipends

In 2024-25, financial support is guaranteed through Fellowships, Teaching Assistantships or Research Assistantships. This funding covers stipend, tuition & 12 month individual health insurance for the academic year (Sept 1 -May 31). Students are also provided with one month of summer fellowship (at 85% of the current stipend rate). Additional summer support is available through mentorships, RAs or fellowship. See summer support.

  • Fellowship: $4,232 per month
  • TA/RA: $4,347 per month
  • Instructor G: $4,866 per month - This applies to any graduate student who takes on additional responsibilities such as being a course administrator, teaching more than 1 recitation (excluding 18.06 recitations) or leading a class (18.089/SU18.085).

Outside Support

Students are encouraged to seek outside fellowships and grants. We do not require students to begin fellowships in their first year in our graduate program (but the granting agency may have such a requirement).

If an outside fellowship partially covers a student's full tuition and stipend, then the department will supplement the remainder, either through a teaching assistantship, a research assistantship, or a departmental fellowship, in order to bring all students up to the same level of support.

Travel Support

Every mathematics graduate student starting in the second year is eligible for an annual allowance towards conference travel. Details of the travel policy are available here.