Financial Aid

A number of financial awards are available within structural engineering in the form of fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships. A limited number of fellowships are awarded each year in University and College of Engineering-wide competition. A fellowship award is generally coupled with an assistantship appointment of less than half-time. Such awards permit the fellowship holder to be involved in the research and teaching programs immediately. Half-time (20 hours per week) research assistantships are awarded for work on sponsored research projects. These enable graduate students to participate in the ongoing research activity and to interact closely with the faculty and laboratory staff. Teaching assistantships are also awarded for teaching undergraduate experimental or computational laboratory sessions. These awards provide practical teaching experience. Half-time teaching or research assistantships, awarded on a competitive basis, permit a student to qualify for in-state tuition.

Within the Structures group, financial aid offers are not made by individual professors for specific projects. Contacting individual professors does not increase your chances of obtaining aid. Students who are awarded assistantships are given an opportunity to choose the specific research project or teaching assignment from a list that is made available before classes start. Students are encouraged to discuss the various projects with faculty and current students before selecting their preferences. As much as possible, specific assignments are based on the students' preferences. Students interested in any of these types of financial aid should request an "Application for Financial Award: Graduate Fellowships and Assistantships."

The financial assistance available is limited in scope compared with the number of applicants. For Fall 2007, there were more than 209 applicants for fellowships and assistantships.

For September 2007, the average GPA for those receiving financial aid offers was 3.91.

As part of the student visa process, applicants must demonstrate their ability to have financial support in the United States. While a number of foreign students are able to obtain financial assistance after one or two semesters in residence, except for the few students awarded financial assistance in the annual competition, new students must be prepared to provide their own support. Lack of such resources should be carefully considered before filing an application.