Financial Aid Opportunities

The Department actively seeks all available funds with which to support its graduate students. In recent years there have not been enough funds to satisfy all needs. Most of our students are supported with Teaching Assistantships, and some with Graduate Scholar Enhancement Awards or Fellowships. A few students have Tuition Awards from the Graduate School: these are limited by the Graduate School to certain special categories of students. Fellowships are governed by regulations set down by the State Board of Regents and by the Graduate School. Most Fellowships must be awarded prior to enrollment at LSU: They cannot be awarded after enrollment to reward outstanding academic performance here. (There are exceptions: eg the Dissertation Year Fellowship which is offered by the Graduate School to a small number of deserving candidates for the final year of dissertation research.) Board of Regents Fellowships provide 12 months' support, covering the two academic year semesters plus the Summer Term. There are also Graduate School Enhancements awarded as supplements to assistantships and fellowships.

For Graduate Assistants the Department has a limited number of Summer Assistantships available. Students who held Assistantships for both the preceding Fall and Spring Semesters are currently offered Tuition Waivers by the Graduate School for the Summer Term if the student does not have a Summer Assistantship. Students with Summer Assistantships must pay tuition for the Summer Term. All students receiving Financial Aid of any kind from LSU must be enrolled full-time for each semester for which support is provided.

Summer Assistantships are awarded as follows: the highest priority goes to students who have passed the General Exam; the second highest priority goes to students who have passed only the Comprehensive Exam at the PhD Qualifying Level; and the remaining students are considered for Summer Assistantships if any are left. Within each priority-level, students are ranked by seniority. Since Summer Assistantships (other than the computer assistantship) are budgeted only for classroom teaching, only students eligible to teach in the classroom can be considered. Also, it is necessary to have prior experience teaching during the academic year to be eligible for summer teaching, and one must have a good record of successful classroom teaching. Items considered in making this judgment include Student Teaching Evaluations, recommendations from the Faculty Observer, retention rates, and student complaints, if any. Since academic year stipends are paid in nine monthly installments, graduate students who do not have a summer assistantship need to plan ahead for their financial needs during the Summer Term, in case a Summer Assistantship is not awarded.

The Department provides a free membership in the American Mathematical Society to each of its full-time graduate students for the duration of that study. You will receive a form during your first year here which you will need to fill out in order to receive this free membership. The American Mathematical Society is the premier professional society in this country oriented towards mathematical research and graduate study. Currently, the Mathematical Association of America (which is oriented mainly towards the college teaching profession) offers a free introductory one-year membership to each of our PhD graduates.

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