III. FINANCIAL AID AND OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING
There are three main types of financial aid for graduate students: major university funding, minor university funding (typically earmarked for specific purposes), and competitive external funding. Each of these is described here.
A. Major University Funding
Three major kinds of financial support are awarded by the department to graduate students: Fellowships, Teaching Assistantships (TAs), and Graduate Assistantships (GAs). All of these provide full tuition remission, a stipend, and some fringe benefits, including health insurance (benefits vary by award type).
Students admitted to the program with major financial aid typically receive a multi-year package of support, typically for 5 years. This package most commonly consists of one to two years of Fellowship followed by three or four years of support in exchange for teaching assistance. Fellows and TAs both receive tuition remission and health insurance. Fellows receive major medical (limited) coverage through the School of Graduate Studies. TAs receive more comprehensive coverage through the state employee health plan funded in part through payroll deductions for the duration of TA support as outlined in the student’s funding package.
Important: when students transition from one status to another (e.g., from Fellowship to TAship), their health insurance will change, and this can cause disruptions in health care (e.g., a change to the in-network status of a practitioner). Students are responsible for preparing for this change and should consult with the Graduate Program Director and the Graduate Program Coordinator to ensure that their coverage is continuous. Students with ongoing or complex healthcare needs or who require scheduled medical procedures should plan ahead to prepare for this change.
Annual renewal of funding consistent with the original funding package is dependent upon satisfactory progress toward the degree.
a. University Fellowships are awarded at the time of admission. Fellowships typically have no work obligations attached to them. During the academic year (September - April) may not hold remunerative jobs inside or outside the University while they are on fellowship, with the exception of an RAship that involves a small hourly commitment per week (under 10 hours) that is relevant to the student’s research interests. In some cases, the Graduate Program Director will allow specific exceptions for limited hours per week if essential to the student’s professional development.
b. Teaching Assistantships (TAs) provide support for two semesters of the academic year. TAs are expected to work, on average, 15 hours per week. Teaching Assistants attend lectures, lead discussion sections for lecture courses, assist with grading, hold office hours, and otherwise support the instructor of record. Experienced TAs may be given full responsibility for teaching a course as instructor of record.
[Please note: Technically, students may relinquish a TAship as part of their offer of admission up until the time they sign a contract to do the work, normally three months before a semester begins. In practice, the scheduling of courses happens many months in advance and the department depends on TAs to contribute substantially to the teaching work of the department. Therefore, if a student intends to surrender a TAship for a semester or longer, they are urged to let the department know at least 3 months in advance. This applies whether a student receives external funding in lieu of university funding, secures employment outside the department, decides to take a leave of absence, or for any other reason.]
c. Graduate Assistantships (GAs) are almost always funded through faculty research grants. They are not normally a part of funding packages, and in recent years they have been uncommon. GAs are expected to work on average 15 hours per week assisting with all aspects of the faculty member’s project.
B. Minor University Funding
A wide variety of minor funding sources are available. Important: These positions do not include tuition remission or benefits. Sources of minor funding include the following:
a. Part Time Lecturer (PTL) positions during the Fall and Spring semesters that pay a fixed salary for teaching a specific course (available mostly to ABD or near-ABD students).
b. Co-ad positions, which are available as additional teaching opportunities for students on TA lines who have completed their Master’s degree work. Students with a Co-ad appointment would normally teach two courses in a semester—one as a TA, the second as a Co-ad.
c. Wages for working on research grants or on specific department projects. These take two basic forms:
i. Research assistance (or occasionally administrative work) for a faculty member as a research assistant (RA). Normally such funding comes from research funds the faculty member has at their discretion as part of their contract with the university. This kind of funding can range from a couple of hundred dollars to perhaps several thousand dollars in any given year.
ii. Gretel Weiss funds: Several years ago, the department received money from the family of an alumna, which we have been using to fund faculty-student collaborative projects. The faculty member submits a proposal and identifies a student research assistant, and the department pays the salary, normally between $2,000 and $4,000. These funds are typically non-renewable. The goal is to foster short-term faculty-student research projects with the goal of publication. Students working under a Gretel Weiss fund must adhere to the rules for Class 5 hourly workers. See Section III, F of this handbook for more information. Students should consult with the GPD if they have questions about these funds.
d. Wages for helping professors with undergraduate course grading and/or proctoring for large courses. A call for graders is put out each semester.
e. Teaching during the summer session or at one of our satellite campuses which is paid on a per course basis equivalent to PTL pay in the regular year. [Summer courses will only be assigned to students with previous teaching experience, including as TAs. Preference is given to students who have already completed their Master’s degree.]
f. Small research- and conference-related grants. Calls from the department and from the School of Graduate Studies are issued approximately twice a year offering small amounts of money ($600 or less) to cover research-related expenses. These may include small payments to interview subjects, the cost of some portion of transcription services, occasionally software needs, etc. There are also travel grants awarded to travel to research sites, but most commonly, reimbursement for the cost of travel to academic conferences. To obtain a conference travel grant, the department normally expects applicants to be on the official conference program (e.g., as a presenter, panelist, or organizer). Applicants must follow specific university rules around travel and expenses when seeking reimbursement. These rules are set by the university, and the department is required to enforce them. Students who secure small grants to pay for research, travel, or conferences must inquire with Lisa Iorillo before paying out of pocket for any of these activities. Otherwise, requests for reimbursement may be denied by the university.
C. Competitive External Funding
A variety of fellowships are available from external sources. The procedures and stipends attached to these vary, as do the rules of eligibility. Students interested in applying for externally funded research grants or fellowships should contact GradFund directed by Teresa Delcorso-Ellmann, Senior Associate Dean, School of Graduate Studies. The benefits of receiving competitive funding are not just financial; the receipt of a prestigious fellowship is an indication of a student’s potential as a scholar and is helpful when applying for jobs as an assistant professor or research scientist.
D. Banking of Funding Years
Graduate students who receive funding from an external source during the years included in their original funding package offer are not guaranteed to be able to bank (i.e., defer) this funding for use in future years. [Occasionally an external funder mandates that a year of internal funding be bankable and we will work with the funder to comply. Contact the GPD if applying for one of these fellowships.] If a student relinquishes their funding because of an external award, the department will try to find a university fellowship or TA position once that external award expires (assuming reasonable progress toward the degree). However, it cannot guarantee that such a substitution will be available. Furthermore, no such substitutions of funding will be made beyond the seventh year in the program. We encourage students to apply for external fellowships. Fellowships from the National Science Foundation and other organizations help make students competitive on the academic job market, allow time away from teaching to focus on research, and can open doors for future funding opportunities post-Ph.D.
E. Tuition Remission
Domestic students: The program pays full tuition for domestic (U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents) sociology graduate students funded on fellowships or TAships. As stated in J. Michael Gower’s memorandum from August 10, 2018, while receiving funding through fellowship or TAship, there will be no difference between in-state and out-of-state costs.
International students: Full tuition is paid for all international sociology graduate students funded on fellowships or teaching assistantships. International students are strongly encouraged to consult with the Rutgers Global office to ensure that they are in compliance with the many regulations related to residency, visa status, health coverage, and more. See https://global.rutgers.edu/pre-and-post-arrival-steps for detailed information and guidance. It is expected that international students will live close to campus to attend departmental events and be physically present to teach their courses. All students must register for at least 9 credit hours per semester to be considered a full-time student. A TAship counts as 6 credits.
Tuition will automatically be remitted if the fellow or teaching assistant is registered for the semester. Fellows must pay their campus, computers, and school fees online. If a student does not pay their student fees on time, they will be assessed a late fee. TAs do not pay student fees; they are covered by the university.
All students
While on a department or university funding package, we encourage students to live in or close to the New Brunswick area. The department expects that students attend all department events in person and come to campus to teach their in-person courses. Living close to campus facilitates this participation. The University does not provide students with any extra support for commuting expenses.
All students must register for at least 9 credit hours per semester to be considered a full-time student. Note that a TAship counts as 6 credits.
F. Employment while at Rutgers (and the I-9)
Students can also use RA work (if available) to supplement their fellowship or to earn wages during the summer. Anyone doing paid, hourly work (e.g., an RAship or Gretel Weiss project) is considered a Class 5 employee and they must complete an I-9 well in advance of the start of their RAship. There are strict rules around Class 5 employment, so students should consult with Amy Shockley and Lisa Iorillo and their faculty supervisor to ensure that their planned RA work will conform with various (inflexible) employment rules. International students should inquire if additional rules apply to them. In short, plan ahead before the work starts.
Rutgers’ I-9 page is here, but not all employment rules are listed.
First- and second-year fellows are discouraged from taking on extensive work commitments during the academic year when classes are in session.
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