Financial Aid
Fellowships and Scholarships
The Graduate School offers a number of fellowships and scholarships to exceptional students. Most students can expect to receive some type of aid throughout their graduate careers. In some cases, recipients are required to have completed a minimum amount of graduate work prior to receiving an award. All such assistance is awarded on the basis of the individual’s academic achievements. Interested students should contact the program chair.
Graduate Enhancements & Supplements
Superior graduate students awarded departmental assistantships and fellowships in selected departments may receive a monetary enhancement to their departmental assistantship or fellowship.
Graduate School Dissertation Fellowships
Dissertation fellowships are available to exceptional doctoral students who will begin
their final year of study. A one-year stipend of $25,000 is awarded. Resident and
nonresident tuition are waived.
Applicants must be able to demonstrate that there is a high probability for completion
of the dissertation during the fellowship year. Dissertation fellowships are available
only to full-time students. For information on application procedures that entail
departmental nomination from March 15 to April 15 for the following fiscal year, please
visit the Financial Aid section of the Graduate School Web page.
Board of Regents Graduate Fellowship Program (PhD and MFA)
The Louisiana Educational Quality Support Fund provides Board of Regents Graduate Fellowships for exceptionally qualified graduate students in selected professional programs. These awards range from $14,000 to $29,000 per year for up to four years. Resident and nonresident tuition are waived. Recipients are responsible for paying required University fees. Academic departments eligible for these awards vary from year to year. Most major areas award these fellowships annually, including humanities, social sciences, basic sciences, arts, design, education, agriculture, and engineering.
Applications must be submitted to the candidate’s department and must include scores on the verbal and quantitative portions of the Graduate Record Examination, an official transcript of all grade point averages on all college work, a one-page narrative of educational goals, and three letters of recommendation. Complete applications should be submitted no later than February 15 annually.
Graduate School Tuition Awards
The graduate dean may award up to 200 tuition exemptions to graduate students from underrepresented groups. These tuition awards provide for an exemption from either the resident fee or both the resident and nonresident fees for up to two years. Recipients are responsible for paying required University fees. Preference will be given to African-Americans and students from Latin American countries. Students must be regularly admitted to a graduate program at LSU and be nominated by their department or program.
Assistantships
More than 2,000 teaching, research, and service assistantships are awarded annually. All communication regarding graduate assistantships should be directed to the chair of the appropriate department. Applications and supporting credentials are accepted at all times, but priority for graduate assistantships beginning in the fall semester is given to applicants who submit their materials by January 25. Students who accept assistantships before April 15 may be free to resign in order to accept another offer up to that date. An acceptance given or left in force after April 15 is a commitment not to accept another appointment without first obtaining formal release from the prior commitment.
A graduate assistantship is intended to be supportive of the student’s educational experience by relating to the graduate program in which the student is enrolled. Proposed appointment to duties unrelated to the student’s major program must have the concurrence of the student’s major department prior to approval by the Graduate School.
Eligibility Requirements
Only graduate students with acceptable academic records may be appointed to graduate
assistantships. A student admitted on probation may not be appointed to a graduate
assistantship until he or she achieves good standing. A graduate student placed on
academic probation by the Graduate School for failing to make satisfactory progress
may not be appointed or reappointed to a graduate assistantship unless the student’s
cumulative/semester grade point average is at least 3.00.
Details and additional information regarding eligibility for a graduate assistantship
may be found in the appendices of the Graduate School Bulletin.
Stipends
Graduate assistant stipend levels vary widely depending on the department and assigned duties. Assigned duties may include research, teaching, and/or service. Graduate assistantship appointments may also be for one-third or one-quarter time, with an appropriate adjustment in the stipend. Appointments for more than one-half time require special justification. Although most appointments are made on an academic-year basis, assistantships are available in certain departments during the summer months, with an appropriate adjustment in the stipend.
Federal Financial Aid Programs
LSU administers all Title IV federal programs which are based on a student’s demonstrated financial need. Funds received from the federal programs help students to cover school expenses, including tuition and fees, room and board,books and supplies, and transportation. All such programs are subject to regulations authorized by the United States
Department of Education, as well as University policies consistent with these federal regulations and are subject to change.
Detailed information on these programs can be found on at www.lsu.edu/financialaid.