Financial support

Ninety-five percent of our new graduate students receive financial support, either from us or from their own governments.

Teaching Assistant (TA)

TA positions are awarded by the department. This is the most common support for first-year students who have not yet chosen a research advisor.

Research Assistant (RA)

RA positions are usually awarded by individual professors. Usually, the work you do as an RA is the same as the research you do for your thesis. Most commonly, students take an RA position after their first year, when they have learned about the opportunities for research with various faculty members. If you already know which faculty member has a research program that is best for you, you may contact that professor to inquire about RA support during your first year.

Scholarships

Some students who receive an RA or TA stipend may also receive a scholarship that pays all or part of their tuition.

Fellowships

Some students may receive a fellowship instead of an RA or TA. A fellowship pays both a stipend and tuition, without requiring performing the duties of an RA or TA. There are two kinds:

Presidential Graduate Fellowship - for students with outstanding Graduate Record Examination and grade-point average scores

Graduate Merit Fellowship - for underrepresented students

Our graduate students are valuable to us

We make every effort to pay our graduate students an attractive stipend. Most students have what is called a 50% appointment, with the following stipends:

Stipends for 9-month Academic Year, 2006-2007

TA $18,250 ($17,250 to foreign nationals until they pass the speak-lect test earning a B or above)

RA $18,750

Stipends for summer 2006 -- ~$4,000

For updated stipend information, contact us or visit our website.

Students with at least a 25% appointment:

• Receive health insurance benefits in the form of the Graduate Student Health Insurance Allowance.
• Pay the resident tuition rate (www.registrar.uiowa.edu), which varies according to the number of semester hours. In 2005-2006, it is $6,424 for 9 hours.

Additional tuition support

The Department may offer tuition support to highly qualified students with good GRE subject scores and strong grade point averages. All students who apply for admission are automatically considered for this tuition support.

Students holding a 25% or greater teaching or research assistantship appointment will be assured a tuition scholarship. The tuition scholarship for academic year 2005-2006 is $2,975. The tuition scholarships will be applicable only for the academic year and does not include scholarships for summer semester enrollment. These rates for the tuition scholarship are based on a 9 s.h. or greater registration and will be pro-rated as related to each student's registration. The tuition scholarship is not affected by the level of appointment above 25%.

The Graduate College also offers tuition scholarships. See the graduate assistant tuition scholarship information page for more details.

Cost of living

The stipend for a 50% appointment is adequate for graduate students to live in Iowa City. Costs for a graduate student in 2005-2006, as estimated by the Graduate College, are:

• annual living costs (housing, meals, etc.): $12,760
• books: $840
• tuition, as discussed above

About TA positions

• Most TAs have a half-time (50%) appointment.
• The most common assignment is for TAs to teach three sections of a physics laboratory, each with three hours of contact with students, or four sections of an astronomy lab, each with two hours. These TAs work under the supervision of the laboratory coordinator and the professor in charge of the course.
• Other TAs serve as tutors, proctors, or graders.
• A half-time appointment requires up to 20 hours per week of service to the department. At the same time you can take a full load of courses, up to 12 semester hours.

Some TAs also receive support as an RA. It is common for a student to be supported as a half-time TA during the academic year and as an RA for up to three months during the summer. Some students are supported during the academic year partly as a TA and partly as an RA. For example a student supported with a one-quarter-time TA position and a one-quarter RA position would serve up to 10 hours per week as a TA and serve as an RA in the remaining time.