The department can give financial assistance to a limited number of students. Such financial support is in the form of teaching and research assistantships and a limited number of tuition fellowships.

• Research assistantships are awarded on the basis of merit, with preference given to first-year students.
• Teaching assistantships are awarded on the basis of merit and suitability for assignment to the courses the department has T.A. funding for.
• Students are eligible to assist in linguistics courses only if they have previous training in linguistics, and are eligible to teach English in Second Language (ESL) courses only when they have completed the appropriate courses. In addition, native speaker fluency in English will be given priority in ESL course assignments.

The department gives financial assistance priority to Ph.D. students who are making adequate progress toward their degrees, and then to M.A. students who are making adequate progress toward their degrees. The department will, however, reserve some aid for new students each year. For highest consideration for financial aid, applications should be received by February 1 for the following academic year; applications received after that will be considered for any remaining aid. Earlier submission is strongly encouraged.

Barring exceptional circumstances, aid is limited to 4 semesters for M.A. students and 12 semesters for Ph.D. students (inclusive of all aid in the Department). Notification of awards will be made to students in the semester prior to the semester for which the award has been granted. Since financial aid awards are made before the end of the semester, each award is contingent upon satisfactory completion of that semester's work by the student. When awards are made for the academic year, continuation for the second semester is contingent upon satisfactory completion of the first semester's work by the student.

If any financial aid is available for the summer, it is usually for teaching English. Interested students should give their names to the ESL Coordinator before March 15. The coordinator will consult with the faculty before assigning aid. Summer aid does not count toward the semester limits for each degree.

Four-year Award

Full tuition and stipend in first and final years; students serve as half-time research assistants or teaching assistants for the remaining two years. Recipients receive full tuition for the entire academic year and a summer session stipend. The awards may be made only to a person applying for initial admission to the Graduate College.

The Graduate College

The Graduate College offers a wealth of information about funding for graduate students. For more information, visit Funding your UI Education in the Graduate College at the University of Iowa.