Costs and AidPhD students are funded in two primary ways: Teaching Assistantships (TA's) or Research Assistantships (RA's). TA's provide full tuition remission and a yearly stipend of $19,500. TA's require the teaching of lab classes (or equivalent) in the Fall and Spring semesters. TA's are assigned on a competitive basis, and are usually assigned in early to mid Spring semester.
RA's are provided by individual faculty who have grant funding for research. RA's also provide full tuition remission but the stipend will be project dependent. For information about possible RA availability, interested PhD students need to contact individual IB faculty members.
Summer assistantships are also available through various departmental programs. These opportunities are offered via the department of your chosen major advisor(s). For more information on these summer opportunities, go to the individual web sites of the participating departments you are interested in.
Graduate students can also apply for low-interest student loans. For more information on how to apply for these loans, go to the Financial Aid Office's web site.
All graduate students are required to pay fees per credit hour taken. The fee structure is as follows (for Ohio residents):
General Fee = $12.33/cr to max of $147.96;
Facilities fee = $11.15/cr to max of $133.80;
Administrative fee = $12.00/semester; Library fee = $3.00/credit;
Technology fee = $16.25/credit; and
Career Advantage Fee =$2.00/cr.
These fees combine for a total of $414.57 for a student registering for 9 credits (without a parking permit).
If you drive a car to campus, your portion of your parking permit is $45.00.
A TA must register for at least 9 and can register for up to 15 hours.
The costs of living in Northeast Ohio are low, and rents in the Akron area are reasonable. The total estimated living expenses (including student health insurance) is $10,750 per calendar year. The total fees per academic year (assuming 9 credits per semester) are ~$830. Thus the stipend of $19,500 should more than adequately cover student fees plus living expenses. Assistantships are guaranteed for 5 years, assuming sufficient progress is being made toward the completion of the PhD. |
