Skip navigation, view page content
MSE graduate student aid
The primary form of financial assistance provided to our students comes in the form of a Graduate Research Associateship (GRA). As a matter of policy, our Graduate Studies Committee limits the number of admissions for a given quarter to the number available GRA positions in that quarter.
Other forms of aid. Our students are encouraged to pursue merit-based scholarships and fellowships. The student's faculty advisor can assist in locating and applying for these awards.
(Our department does not employ Graduate Teaching Associates--a.k.a. "TA's"--nor does it employ Graduate Administrative Associates, GAA's.)
Graduate Research Associateship (GRA)
Typically, if an applicant is admitted, s/he will be awarded a GRA position to fund the costs of the degree. The deadlines for GRA consideration are the same as those for application.
The majority of students accepted into our graduate program are supported by a GRA. The GRA position provides the student with:
- 100% coverage of tuition costs and academic fees during all quarters of enrollment.
- Annual stipends starting at nearly $17,000 (paid monthly on a twelve-month basis). This stipend, in light of the reasonable cost of living in Columbus, allows the student to focus on academics and research.
- Payment of 80% of health insurance premiums.
- Payment of a quarterly computer lab fee. This permits the student access to some of the best computing facilities and equipment on campus.
- Payment of all research costs, plus the opportunity for travel to conferences.
- The total value of this package can be in excess of $45,000 per year.
The tuition waiver covers the tuition costs of a full-time class load; students who hold a GRA position are not responsible for paying tuition costs. A full class load typically consists of about 10 credit hours per quarter of academic course work (about two to three courses) plus credit hours of research time per quarter for each of four quarters a year. Please note that the student is responsible for the cost of books, academic supplies, partial payment of health insurance premiums, parking permits, housing, etc.
As part of the GRA agreement, the student agrees to assist his/her advisor with research work. This commitment comes to approximately 20 hours per week, though this may vary from time to time. The vast majority of students in our department are funded in this manner.
Since research carried out for a government and/or industrial organization is usually focused on a topic of concern to the funding organization, we cannot guarantee that a student's area of interest will always match the available GRA positions for a given quarter.
