Insect Ecology at NDSU The Harmon Lab

How is graduate school paid for?
Another difference between graduate and undergraduate education, is that in the sciences, you are usually being paid to be a graduate student! Instead of having to pay your own tuition, my graduate students have their tuition waived and also receive a regular stipend. You're not going to get rich off the stipend, but it is meant to be enough to live off of so that you can focus your time and energy on being a successful graduate student. Not every program works this way but in my department, no student is admitted unless they are going to receive funding of some type (see below).

This model does make it a lot more affordable to attend graduate school; however it also makes graduate school a LOT more competitive than undergraduate education. In my area, getting in to a graduate program is not like applying to an undergraduate college, it is like applying for a job. There are only a few of these positions available and since the advisor is the one paying you, s/he is going to make sure they find the best candidate for the position.

There are two primary ways students are paid to attend graduate school.
Research assistantships. The most common way graduate school is paid for is by the student receiving a research assistantship. A research assistantship is fundamentally a job. You are receiving the tuition waiver and stipend from your faculty advisor and in return you are working on your research, advancing in your graduate program, and working on research projects for your advisor. This is part of why you are going to be much closer to your faculty advisor. In most cases, the faculty member is not only training you and advising you, but s/he is also your boss who will have specific expectations about what you need to do to keep receiving your assistantship. Moreover, assistantships are often associated with specific research projects, so receiving that particular assistantship means that you will be working on that project either as part of your own research or in another capacity

Graduate fellowships. Another way to pay for graduate school is for you, the student, to receive a type of graduate fellowship. A fellowship is sort of like an undergraduate scholarship, but again, on steroids, since the fellowship is meant to cover tuition and a stipend. Whereas assistantships primarily come from your advisor, fellowships come from you and your efforts. There are a number of competitive fellowships that students can apply for (here are some examples), and if you receive one, you are fundamentally your own boss. The fellowship usually gives you the ability to work on whatever type of project you like (if you receive the award to work on that), and it gives you the ability to work with almost any faculty member since they don't have to worry about finding money to fund you. These are normally pretty prestigious and competitive, but they are really beneficial to you and your advisor if you receive one.

Here is a list of the major questions I discuss to help you navigate through everything

What is this page? What is it for?
Important disclaimer - Not all graduate programs are the same.
What is graduate school?
Why should I go to graduate school?
How is a graduate program different than my undergraduate experience?
What does it take to succeed in graduate school?
How is graduate school paid for?
How do I get in to graduate school?