Financial Support
Assistantships
The main sources of financial support for graduate students at UT are graduate assistantships provided by academic departments and administrative offices of the university. Assistantships are financial awards to graduate students for part-time work in teaching, administration or research while pursuing an advanced degree.
Assistantship appointments usually require a 10 to 20 hour work week with an annual stipend payable in either nine or twelve monthly installments. Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA), Graduate Teaching Associates (GTAssoc), Graduate Assistants (GA) and Graduate Research Assistants (GRA) usually receive a waiver of maintenance fees and tuition. Assistantships also provide student health insurance.
Information about assistantships can be found in advising centers, admissions offices and through the graduate recruiter in your department.
Fellowships
Fellowships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and potential for scholarship. The following awards are offered through the Office of Graduate Studies:
- Herman E. Spivey Graduate Fellowships
- Lori Mayer Re-Entry Women's Graduate Fellowships
- J. Wallace & Katie Dean Graduate Fellowships
- Yates Dissertation Fellowships
Potential and current graduate students are also urged to apply for fellowships or grants from national, international, industrial or foundation sources. These awards pay annual stipends in addition to tuition funding. For additional information on assistantships and fellowships, visit http://gradschool.utk.edu/gradfund.shtml.
The National Research Council of the Natioinal Academies sponsors a number of awards for graduate, postdoctoral and senior researchers at federal laboratories and affiliated institutions. For more information, visit http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/RAP/PGA_046398.