7 - Financial Assistance

7.1 - Eligibility

Generally, all graduate students receive stipend support from the department for 6 months during the first year of their program. At the conclusion of departmental support, graduate students are generally funded as research assistants from their advisor’s external research contracts. Ph.D. students making satisfactory progress are also eligible for tuition assistance from the department during the early part of their programs. On occasion, students may receive supplemental stipend support through an extra-departmental teaching assistantship.

The following are not eligible for financial assistance from the department:

1. Students with study-list GPA below 3.4
2. Students on probation
3. Students who receive 2 consecutive annual evaluations of marginal or unsatisfactory
4. Ph.D. candidates with 5 or more years residency; M.S. candidates with 3 or more years residency
5. Students who do not complete an annual evaluation by established deadlines.

7.2 - Available Funding

1. Department Tuition Scholarships
   Currently the department offers full-time tuition scholarships to Ph.D. students during the first two semesters of their program. Support during later semesters is dependent on department budgets, which fluctuate from year to year, and currently covers up to 4 credits during each of the Fall and Winter Semesters of the second year. This support may only cover classes that are part of the approved study list and necessary for graduation. Because department tuition support funds are limited, Ph.D. students should talk with their advisors about receiving tuition support from faculty research contracts. M.S. students do not receive departmental tuition support. If a student is unable to pay tuition costs in a given semester, short-term loans are available from the university.
2. Teaching Assistantships
   In return for departmental support during the first year, and as a means for furthering their educations, supported graduate students must serve as teaching assistants to professors in an area of the student’s expertise. All Ph.D. candidates must serve as a teaching assistant for 20 equivalent hours (e.g., 10 hrs/wk for two semesters, 20 hrs/wk for one semester, etc.), and all M.S. students must serve for 10 equivalent hours as part of the degree requirements. Students who serve as a TA beyond these requirements may receive additional departmental stipend support to augment or replace that from their advisor. Applications are made by contacting the department secretary, who consults with the professor in charge of a particular course.
3. Research Assistantships
   Funds for specific research projects are administered by each individual faculty member.

7.3 - Conditions for Acceptance of Financial Aid

Students may receive support from any combination of the above sources, either on an hourly (time card) or contract basis at rates consistent with annual student salary guidelines determined by the department. A student receiving support from the department, his or her advisor, or both, is expected to devote themselves full-time toward their degree objectives and may not have any other forms of employment. Furthermore, students who intend to graduate “on time” generally must devote themselves beyond a 40-hour workweek. Completion of your degree requires a satisfactory solution of your thesis/dissertation problem, not a specified number of hours.

U.S. students who intend to apply for federal financial aid in addition to department support should note the following. Under federal requirements, the total amount of loan, grant, and scholarship money received by a graduate student each year cannot exceed the estimated cost of education at BYU. If a student borrows money through a federal student loan program and the total amount of financial aid exceeds the established cost of education for that academic year, then the excess financial aid will not be given to the student but instead, be used to pay down the incurred student loans.