Phd student loan: Financial Aid for the Ph.D. Program,Indiana University

Financial Aid for the Ph.D. Program
There are a variety of sources of financial aid for doctoral students, including fellowships awarded by the university to outstanding graduate students. SLIS also provides support to Ph.D. students in the form of graduate assistantships and other kinds of direct aid. Graduate assistantships are usually awarded to students who have been involved in ongoing research projects. Newly admitted students are often awarded other forms of financial aid.

The amount of financial aid available through SLIS for doctoral students is limited and varies from year to year. Generally, it is restricted to full-time students and consists of fellowships, scholarships, fee remissions and research assistantships. Full time is defined as a minimum of 8 credit hours per term.

Fellowships usually carry a cash stipend, plus an award that covers tuition costs for a specified number of credit hours per semester. Scholarship awards, in the approximate range of $1,000 to $3,000 per semester, may be used at the student's discretion to pay tuition, living expenses or other educational costs. The school occasionally provides doctoral financial support in the form of fee remissions and non-resident fee subsidies without an accompanying cash stipend.

One or two research assistantships may be available each year under which the student is appointed to work between 12 and 15 hours per week helping individual faculty with research responsibilities. Assistantships are awarded on the basis of the applicant's academic background. Research assistantships include the payment of up to 9 credit hours of tuition fees per semester, plus an a hourly wage. Continuing students often remain in an assistantship position from the previous year. Adjunct teaching opportunities are also available as a form of financial assistance. Doctoral students given responsibility for teaching a course are paid the same salary as other adjunct faculty members. Students interested in teaching should communicate that interest to their committee chairperson and the associate dean.

Financial aid is used primarily for recruitment purposes. Academic merit is the primary criterion, with economic need being a secondary consideration. Newly admitted students falling into either of these categories are automatically considered for some sort of financial support. Since financial assistance is extremely limited, all international students are expected to come to the university fully funded. International students admitted to the doctoral program are required to submit evidence of financial support for tuition and living expenses adequate to cover the first year of study at Indiana University before the Office of International Admissions will issue the document needed to apply for a visa to enter the United States as a student.

The academic performance of students initially awarded financial aid is reviewed each year for renewal of the award, for up to a maximum of three years. All financial aid decisions are contingent on availability of funds and satisfactory academic performance during completed terms.