Recommendations for initial financial support (graduate assistantships) is made by the Graduate Admissions Committee, after a review of the candidate's academic credentials. An attempt is made to support all deserving students.

Candidates whose native language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in spoken English in order to qualify for a Teaching Assistantship. To receive an Assistantship for which the duties include teaching, the student must score 50 or more on the Test of Spoken English (TSE). A Teaching Assistantship may be awarded with other departmental duties, but in such a case the student must agree to take the TSE at its earliest offering. If the TSE is failed then it must be taken again before the Assistantship appointment for the third semester can be made. If it is not passed by then, the third semester appointment will carry a stipend which is 90% of the normal stipend, with no reduction in assignment, and the requirement that the TSE be taken again in that semester. If the TSE is not passed by then, the appointment for the fourth semester will carry a stipend which is 80% of the normal stipend with a 20% reduction in assignment. No appointment as a graduate Teaching Assistant beyond the fourth semester will be made to a student who has not passed the TSE.

Reappointment of the Graduate Assistants requires that the candidate (a) earn a minimum of 6 graduate credit hours (for 50% appointment) per semester, (b) maintain a minimum of 3.0 GPA in the graduate course work, (c) make satisfactory progress in his/her research (see below), and (d) carry out teaching/research duties in a professional manner. The same criteria apply for both teaching and research assistants.

The student's progress in research is determined by his/her advisory committee and reported to the Graduate Affairs Committee once a year (see Annual Evaluation). It is the student's responsibility to arrange the advisory committee meeting between February 1st and February 15th every year (see Annual Evaluation). The faculty, after consideration of the advisory committee recommendation, GPA, and teaching evaluation (if applicable) decides on the reappointment.

Master's students are generally supported for two academic years. In special circumstances, a student may be given an appointment for the third and final year. A Graduate Assistant's sixth academic-year appointment would normally be the terminal appointment for Ph.D. candidates. In exceptional circumstances, a student may be given an appointment for the seventh and final year.

Ph.D. students who fail the candidacy examination and switch to a Master's program are governed by the same rules as for the master's students, i.e., they are eligible for an assistantship for a maximum of three years.

Generally, only those students who are engaged in research during the summer are considered for summer teaching appointments. In order to hold an Assistantship (Teaching or Research), the student must register for at least 3 credit hours for a 6-week appointment and at least 6 credit hours for a 12-week appointment (see Graduate Assistant Guidelines). These hours must be chosen from PHYS 590V (M.A. Research), PHYS 600V (M.S. Thesis), PHYS 700V (Doctoral Dissertation), or in special circumstances, PHYS 502V (Individual Study in Advanced Physics).