Assistantships & Fellowships

Stevens Institute of Technology offers funding to select doctoral students in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships. These highly competitive funding opportunities are limited in number and awarded to exceptional candidates based on merit. While most assistantships and fellowships are awarded to students at the time of admission, students who did not receive funding in their first year can pursue an assistantship through their academic unit after they begin their studies.

Doctoral students who are offered an assistantship or fellowship typically receive funding to cover all or part of their tuition and/or fees, as well as a stipend, but the details vary by award type and academic unit. The information below is for general purposes only. The specific details of each student’s funding offer will be provided in their award letter.

In exchange for the funding associated with these awards, a student will work up to a maximum of 20 hours per week during the semester. The specific responsibilities associated with a given assistantship or fellowship will be determined by the student’s academic unit and supervising faculty. 

Students who are awarded assistantships and fellowships must remain in good academic standing and continue to make satisfactory academic progress for the duration of their funding. Assistantships are awarded by the academic units. The Office of Graduate Education works with the academic units to process these awards.

What Do Assistantships Include?

• Assistantships vary and may consist of tuition only, tuition and fees, or partial tuition, and may also include hourly pay or an annual stipend.

• You may receive an assistantship for up to three courses per semester during the fall and spring semesters.

• In exchange for the predetermined funding, you’ll have the opportunity to gain professional experience by working up to a maximum of 20 hours per week during the semester in an academic department related to your field of study.

• To maintain an assistantship, you must demonstrate satisfactory academic performance, including a minimum GPA of 3.0.

What Types of Assistantships Are Offered?

• Teaching Assistantships: Teaching assistantship appointments are awarded at the discretion of your department director. If you are selected to become a teaching assistant (TA), you will be assigned to a professor in the department to share their academic and administrative responsibilities, including:

  • Teaching undergraduate classes.

  • Leading labs and recitation sessions.

  • Grading homework, etc.

  Note: International students must demonstrate excellent English speaking abilities, as well as a working knowledge of the U.S. higher education system in order to become teaching assistants.

• Research Assistantships: Research assistant (RA) appointments are made by individual faculty members within a department or research center. If you are awarded an RA appointment, you will be expected to assist a faculty member or group of faculty members in performing research related to your field of study. The number of RA appointments, and the amount of funding you receive as an RA, varies according to the research initiatives of professors and departments.

How Much Is the Annual Stipend?

Graduate stipends for TA’s and RA’s for the 2024-2025 academic year are listed below, according to the level of completed education:

Bachelor's Degree: $27,392

Master's Degree: $29,003

Doctoral Candidate*: $30,586

* A doctoral candidate must have successfully completed all course requirements, passed all qualifying exams, and received approval for their dissertation proposal from the doctoral advisory committee.

A student’s stipend level is determined at the start of the semester. Stipends reflect academic year (fall and spring) earnings only. Additional stipend for the summer period is provided for qualified students.

How Do I Apply for an Assistantship?

The academic departments determine and award assistantships directly to students, while the Office of Graduate Education only administers the process. If you don’t receive an assistantship in your first year at Stevens, you may be able to pursue an assistantship within your department after you arrive.

Edwin A. Stevens Presidential Fellowship

The Edwin A. Stevens Presidential Fellowship is an extraordinary opportunity that embodies the spirit of excellence and innovation in doctoral research. Named in honor of the founder of Stevens Institute of Technology and established during the 2023-2024 Academic Year, the Edwin A. Stevens Presidential Fellowship is a prestigious distinction awarded to a select few Provost Doctoral Fellows. Beyond the invaluable recognition, the Edwin A. Stevens Presidential Fellowship includes a supplemental stipend, enabling scholars to fully immerse themselves in their research pursuits.

Stevens Excellence Doctoral Fellowship

The Stevens Excellence Doctoral Fellowship supports outstanding doctoral students who have achieved candidacy and are actively working on dissertation research and writing. The objective is to support students who are working on dissertations that make original and impactful scholarly contributions. The goal of this program is to bring together all of the fellowships supporting doctoral students, from recruitment to commencement, under a single vision to strengthen our doctoral program and studies.

Students must be nominated by their academic program for this fellowship. All departments, schools, or interdisciplinary programs, with an approved doctoral program, are invited to participate. Each nomination packet must be submitted by the nominator(s), who also has (have) the responsibility of putting the packet together.

Students should contact their program to obtain details on additional selection criteria, application submission deadlines and nomination-process specifics that might be in effect and should visit the program's Stevens Hub page for complete details.

Students with questions may contact Graduate Academics & Student Success.

Robert Crooks Stanley Graduate Fellowship

The Robert Crooks Stanley Graduate Fellowship is usually awarded on an academic-year basis and includes both tuition and a stipend. Preference is given to students in a Ph.D. program. To be eligible, you must be:

• A full-time student

• A U.S. citizen pursuing a doctorate or master's degree

• Maintaining a 3.5 grade point average

To apply, complete the application form and submit it to your academic department or program director by the last Friday in March. The department or program director will nominate qualified students to the Robert Crooks Stanley Graduate Fellowship committee for consideration. For more information, contact Graduate Academics & Student Success.

Stevens Fulbright Fellowship

In support of the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, we are pleased to offer a Stevens Fulbright Fellowship to exceptional full-time, Fulbright master’s students. The fellowship consists of tuition assistance and/or the opportunity to support a department for 20 hours/week within the school that you are accepted into. The support may be in the form of teaching, research or a related support position. The goal of the fellowship program is to provide each Fulbright recipient with an education that is complemented by a research experience.

All students who apply to the Fulbright Foreign Student Program at Stevens through the Institute of International Education (IIE) will be considered for this fellowship during the application review process. To learn more about the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, visit foreign.fulbright.org.