Cost of graduate school

Tuition and fees are set by the university.

Graduate assistantships

Most of our funded students are on teaching assistantships. A few students may be selected for research assistantships based on research project need. It's unusual for new students to be awarded a research assistantship.

There is no official application process to apply for assistantships. Simply check the "yes" boxes under "Other Graduate Questions" on the online application form.

Graduate teaching assistantships (GTA)

Compensation includes complete tuition remission and nine-month stipend and 85% of the student health insurance premium. Students receive higher compensation as they advance through the program.

The Graduate Committee of the Department of Statistics makes decisions on assistantships starting in early February each year in the course of evaluating graduate applications. Our decisions about financial assistantships are based on our assessment of the applicant’s prospects for graduate studies and for fulfilling the duties associated with the assistantship. Teaching assistantships involve grading, conducting office hours, and possibly leading a computer lab session or recitation session. Summer teaching support is available for students supported in the academic year on a limited basis.

Graduate research assistantships (GRA)

The Department often has research assistantships available from faculty research grants and contracts. These are typically awarded to Ph.D. students, but they have also been awarded to exceptional M.S. students.

Professional travel awards

Students who travel to a regional, national or international meeting to present a paper or a poster can receive up to $1000 toward their travel expenses. A student may receive one travel award per year. In the event that funds are limited, priority will be given to students who have not previously received this travel award. The amount of the award may be reduced if funds are limited.

To apply for these funds, a student should submit the following to the department head prior to the travel. The department head will share application with the Scholarship committee and the scholarship committee will make the decision:

1. A no-more-than 1-page letter of support from the student’s advisor (a) describing the importance of the particular meeting/conference, (b) describing the student’s scholarly contribution to the presentation, and (c) confirming that the student is in good academic standing with their academic program.
2. A copy of the submitted and accepted abstract, call for program, or similar submission, including the title, the authors in the order they appear in the original submission, and official notification of acceptance of the presentation.
3. A budget describing the types and estimated amount of travel and conference expenses needed to attend the conference. Indicate the source of funding for each line item and include which items would be covered by the department award.