Graduate Students
Financial Aid
Graduate students are frequently supported through a variety of government and industrial fellowships and by research and teaching assistantships.
- Academic-year stipends for half-time research assistant (RA) or teaching assistant (TA) positions ranged from $14,625 to $15,705 for the 2008-09 academic year, plus tuition (approximately $7,807 (in-state) to $13,682 (out-of-state), per semester). RA positions usually include summer support, at a rate comparable to that of the academic year stipend ($4,713-5,058).
- A few add-on fellowships are available from Penn State's College of Engineering and Graduate School. These are highly competitive, and students must be nominated by departments.
- Academic year stipends for fellows averaged $18,000.
Financial stipends generally increase at an annual rate of 2-3 percent annually. Federal Perkins and Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency loans are available upon evidence of need.
Application deadlines for Financial Aid: Fall Semester, Jan. 31st. Spring Semester, Aug. 31st.