Graduate Student
Financial Aid

The Department has several sources of support for qualified graduate students pursuing thesis research. We automatically consider all prospective students for such support.

With a few exceptions, the stipend for research assistantships (RAs), teaching assistantships (TAs), and fellowships is $1800 per month (2004-05). Students on RA and TA appointments are exempt from most tuition and fees, and are covered by medical insurance.

RAs are available during the summer as well as the rest of the academic year. The academic-year stipend rate also applies in the summer. Moreover, if a student comes to the Department with a fellowship carrying a stipend below the prevailing departmental rate, the Department will provide a supplementary fellowship to bring the total to the prevailing rate.

Supported students must register for nine or more credits per quarter and make satisfactory progress toward their degree. Regardless of the form of support, students are expected to work on their thesis research projects.

All graduate students must aid the Department by serving as TAs at some time during their UW tenure. Master's candidates on the thesis program normally serve for one quarter, and doctoral students serve for three. Each TA works closely with one or more faculty members, assisting in grading, handling undergraduate laboratory instruction, quiz sections, etc. The typical TA work load averages 20 hours per week.