Financial Assistance

Financial aid to support graduate study is available in the form of graduate research and teaching assistantships, fellowships, sponsorship for international students, and loans for domestic students.

AEAB Graduate Assistantships. A limited number of departmental graduate research assistantships (RA) and graduate teaching assistantships (TA) are available each year to domestic and international students alike on a competitive basis.

Half-Time Graduate Research Assistantship (RA). Students pursuing the M.S. degree who are recipients of a half-time RA are appointed for up to 24 months and receive an annual stipend of $13,000 U.S. In addition, in-state (resident) and out-of-state (non-resident) tuition are waived and a portion (60%) of the university-sponsored employee health insurance premium is paid. RA students are expected to (a) maintain a minimum 3.00 CGPA, and (b) work and conduct research for the AEAB Department under the supervision of a faculty member for 20 hours per week throughout the year except for 22 half-days annual leave. RAs are awarded only to students pursuing the thesis-track option. Tuition is waived for the 31 degree credit hours plus up to 6 hours of assessed deficiency courses.

Half-Time Graduate Teaching Assistantship (TA). A student pursuing the M.S. degree who is the recipient of a half-time TA is appointed for one academic year (beginning fall term and ending spring term) and receives a stipend of $9,130 U.S. for the 9-month appointment. In addition, in-state (resident) and out-of-state (non-resident) tuition are waived during the two-semester appointment and a portion (60%) of the university-sponsored health-insurance premium is paid. The TA student is expected to work and assist in the teaching of undergraduate classes for the AEAB Department under the supervision of faculty members for 20 hours per week throughout the 9-month academic year. The TA is awarded only to a student pursuing the non-thesis track option.

Graduate Assistantship Requirements. Applicants for an RA or TA must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate School, be accepted into the AEAB departmental graduate program, and have a 3.00 minimum cumulative grade point average (4.00 system) on all previous course work. In addition to the application materials for admission, the applicant for a graduate assistantship must also submit the following:

After reviewing the applicant’s submitted materials, the award of a departmental assistantship is based on the recommendation of the AEAB Graduate Programs Committee. Because the number of available assistantships is typically less than the number of applicants, the process is competitive and assistantships are awarded on a merit basis. Rather than being based on a single criterion (e.g., a specified minimum GRE score or CGPA), the awarding of an assistantship is based on several factors including: (a) the research/teaching needs of the AEAB department, (b) the academic interest and scholarly potential of the applicant, and (c) a review of all materials submitted by the applicant.

Deadline for application for graduate assistantship. Whereas TAs begin in fall term, RAs may begin during any term (fall, spring, or summer semester) depending on availability. For priority consideration, all application materials for admission and assistantship should be at the Graduate School by the following dates:

Applying For Assistantship	Deadline: Assistantship Applicants
Fall	March 1
Spring	October 1
Summer	March 1

Fellowships. Applicants from under-represented minority groups (e.g., race, gender) who are U.S. citizens are encouraged to apply for the University of Arkansas Benjamin Lever Fellowship. The Lever Fellowship pays all tuition costs and is available to students not on graduate assistantship.

Sponsored students. International students are encouraged to seek support through programs such as the Fulbright Foundation which are administered through the Institute for International Education (IIE). Typically, the AEAB department has provided partial support to a number of sponsored graduate students each year.

Student Loans. The U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid Program makes loans and work-study available to U.S. citizens pursuing graduate school, the most notable of which are the Stafford Loans.