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How Graduate Studies Are Funded
Financial aid for graduate students in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering is available in the form of fellowships, research assistantships, or teaching assistantships.
Fellowships are the most common form of support for first-year domestic students. These are provided by a number of sources, both within MIT and outside MIT. The Department has a limited number of graduate fellowships, most of which are offered to first-year graduate students and most of which are restricted to U.S. citizens or citizens of certain other countries. One does not usually apply for a Departmental fellowship; rather, it is an honor conferred by the Department. Students are encouraged to apply for fellowships outside MIT, for which our students have an enviable record of success.
Research assistantships are the most common form of support for advanced students. This support is provided through the research contracts supervised by individual faculty members. Receipt of a research assistantship is negotiated between the student and individual faculty members.
Teaching assistantships are provided from the general MIT teaching funds and are administered by the Department Head through the Teaching Assignments Committee. The Department may choose to guarantee certain domestic applicants financial support through a teaching assistantship for all or part of their first two semesters. However, this offer is not extended to all students. Incoming students should read their letter of admission to determine if such support is guaranteed upon admission.
The Department uses great care in the admissions process to match the number of admitted students to the total number of expected assistantships and fellowships. Thus, it is hoped all students who are admitted will be able to find some form of support, either from an outside fellowship, a sponsoring company, a research assistantship, a teaching assistantship or an MIT administered fellowship. Due to the necessity of matching a large number of students with a limited number of sources of support, the Department cannot generally guarantee a specific form of support will be available, except in the case of selected entering students. Nonetheless, strong efforts are always made to locate sources of support for all needy students, with an outstanding record of success.
The MIT Graduate Student Council prepared a complete Graduate Student Cost of Living chart for 2007–2008. Graduate students'
cost for housing, food, books, medical insurance, and incidentals
vary greatly, depending on marital status, quality-of-life
expectations, and housing arrangements.
Newly admitted graduate students may wish to consult the MIT Graduate Admissions site for information about housing, medical, and other day-to-day concerns.
Persons holding graduate student staff appointments as research or teaching assistants are expected to be regular full-time students registered for an advanced degree. Exceptions may be made on an individual basis, as for persons whose responsibilities for child rearing preclude full-time study.
Current and admitted students will find specific policies and procedures information on the DMSE Financial Support page.
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