There are several sources of financial support available to graduate students in the School of Education, including graduate assistantships, scholarships, and travel support. These are described below, along with information from the Graduate College about other financial resources.
6.1 – School of Education Funding
Graduate Assistantship
A graduate assistantship is a form of student aid that combines training with income (Graduate College Handbook 3.2). There are three types of assistantships: administrative, teaching, and research. Graduate assistantships for students in the School of Education graduate programs are not guaranteed. Consult your program area or advisor for details. Student Affairs master’s students use a program-specific process for their assistantships. Information about assistantships is provided through the program admission process and by the program once students have completed their first year.
Benefits
In addition to a monthly stipend proportional to your GA assignment level (25% or about 10 hours/week, 50% or 20 hours/week, 75% or 30 hours/week), GAs receive a tuition scholarship and health insurance. The tuition scholarship for master’s students is equal to the percentage of appointment (e.g., 25% or 50%). For doctoral students, the tuition scholarship is equal to double the percentage of appointment, to a maximum of 100%.
Note: Student fees are NOT covered as part of the tuition scholarship; fees will be billed to your U-bill.
Finding or Changing an Assistantship
Doctoral students will have opportunities to discuss assistantship opportunities as part of the admission process. Doctoral and master’s students can hold assistantships within or outside of the School of Education. Many assistantships are supported by individual faculty to support their research or by the School of Education to provide teaching in undergraduate courses. Available assistantships are advertised in the SOE Weekly Graduate Update email sent on Fridays.
To be considered for a School of Education assistantship, submit a résumé and a letter of interest describing your skills, research interests, and experiences to the graduate support specialist. These materials are kept on file for each academic year and shared with faculty who indicate they are in need of a GA.
If you wish to make a change in a current assistantship or seek a new assistantship, please discuss this first with your assistantship supervisor and your major professor. Then follow the procedures outlined above to identify a new position that best meets your needs and skill sets.
Problems with an Assistantship
Should a problem or dispute arise related to an assistantship, the first step is for the supervisor and the student to meet to discuss the concerns and attempt to resolve the situation. If this effort does not provide resolution, the parties should bring the concern to the attention of the DOGE. See Section 9.8 of the Graduate College Handbook for additional information regarding expectations for assistantships.
Guidelines for Graduate Assistants in the SOE
SOE graduate assistants (GAs) are expected to update their office locations in AccessPlus so that the ISU directory information is accurate from year to year. Mailboxes for GAs are located in the main office; due to space limitations, these are shared boxes. There is also a refrigerator and microwave that are available for GAs who have offices located in Lagomarcino. GAs may use the copy machines located in Lagomarcino (2nd floor, 1620, 1660) for copying associated with their assistantship duties. These copiers should not be used for personal coursework or research. Be aware that GAs will need to complete required training and documentation for the university (e.g., conflict of interest and commitment, Title 9). Please respond in a timely manner to emails from ISU about completing these tasks.
6.2 – School of Education Graduate Scholarships
School of Education scholarships are available to current students. Scholarship competitions occur during both the fall and spring semesters, with awards made for the subsequent term. Make sure to check your Iowa State University email and watch the SOE Friday Graduate Update for communication regarding deadlines and how to apply. In addition to checking your email, scholarship information and deadlines will also be available on the School of Education website.
Note: School of Education scholarship deadlines and requirement application materials may differ from the Graduate College scholarships and College of Human Sciences scholarships.
6.3 – Travel Support
Money is available through the Graduate and Professional Senate’s Professional Advancement Grants (PAG) to graduate students to help defray expenses related to professional meeting and conference travel. Contingent upon fiscal funding, support from the School of Education (SoE) may also be available.
Eligibility for SoE Travel Funds
- The applicant must be a current graduate student in the SoE
- Any Ph.D. applicants must have completed the most recent Ph.D. Annual Review and be making acceptable progress toward degree completion
- The applicant must apply for a GPSS PAG. Even if you are denied GPSS PAG funds, you may still be eligible for SoE travel funds. On your GPSS PAG application, please list Graduate Support Specialist as the SoE department contact
- The applicant must meet all GPSS PAG eligibility requirements – see their website for requirements.
- Students are only eligible for one SoE travel award per fiscal year (July 1 – June 30)
Awarding SoE Travel Funds
Each SoE travel funding request shall be considered on the following basis:
- Priority consideration will be given to Ph.D. students, then master’s students who will be actively presenting at a conference (not just listed as an author) and who have not previously received SoE travel funding
- Secondary consideration will be given to Ph.D. students, then master’s students who will be presenting at a conference and who have previously received SoE travel funding
- Contingent on available funds, consideration will be given to Ph.D. students, then master’s students who are attending a conference and who have not previously received SoE travel funding
- Finally, contingent on available funds, consideration will be given to Ph.D. students, then master’s students who are attending a conference and who have previously received SoE travel funding
Process/rules for Reimbursement:
- Upon return from travel, please submit a travel expense worksheet, along with all receipts to the Graduate Support Specialist
- Documentation of conference registration is required for reimbursement
- Reimbursements must be completed within one month from the last date of travel
- Reimbursements will only be approved for actual expenses incurred
- All receipts to be reimbursed must be submitted to Graduate Support Specialist within one month from the last day of the conference. After this time, you will be ineligible for reimbursement and the funds will be used for other applications.
- It is the applicant’s responsibility to approve travel reimbursement through AccessPlus prior to the one-month deadline.
6.4 – Other Iowa State Funding Resources
CyHire allows you to create a profile, store documents, search and apply for jobs, participate in OCR (on-campus recruiting), research employers, schedule counseling appointments, view career fair participants, see details on upcoming workshops and info sessions, and manage your calendar.
- Employment
- George Washington Carver Doctoral Fellowship program
- Graduate Disability Assistantship Program (GDAP)
- Graduate Minority Assistantship Program (GMAP)
- Student financial aid