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Funding opportunities

Even as students, computer scientists are in demand. The majority of Blacksburg-based, research-track doctoral and some Master of Science students receive full-time support. (Depending on the funding source, that typically means a 20 hour per week work obligation as a graduate teaching assistant (GTA) or graduate research assistant (GRA).  GTAs and GRAs include tuition, most (but not all) fees, and a stipend monthly for nine months of the year. Note that cost of living in Blacksburg area is low compared to most major metropolitain areas in the United States.

Master's thesis and Ph.D. students who receive departmental support in their first year can normally expect to receive continued support during the remainder of their course of study (typically two years for master's; four or five years for Ph.D.), as long as their job performance and degree progress are good.

Note that we no longer have a master's of science coursework-only option for non-Ph.D. students. Our coursework-only degree for non-PhD students is the Masters of Engineering (MEng) in Computer Science.  MEng students do not receive funding from our department.

Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA): 

GTA applications are accepted twice a year, in November for spring semester and in March for the following academic year. Students entering the program in fall are given an opportunity to request a GTA at the departmental orientation meeting. Be aware, however, that the department will have already screened the incoming students and awarded a pool of assistantships at the time admission offers were made. Thus, incoming students for that semester not given an assistantship from this pool generally have lower priority over continuing students for the few remaining positions.

Continuing students must have a minimum GPA of B (3.0) to be eligible for a GTA position. Decisions regarding the award of GTA positions are made by the ADH and the Graduate Program Committee. Funding decisions are largely guided by a ranking formula. Students who do not receive initial awards are placed on a waiting list and will be informed of their quartile standing on that list. The list is re-ordered at the end of the semester when new grades and GTA evaluations become available.

Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA): 

Many faculty have active research programs that include funds for research assistants. Note that GRAs are most commonly awarded to students who have been in the Department for at least one semester. GRAs receive the same stipends, tuition exemption, and healthcare benefits as GTAs. Typically, GRA funding comes from grant support awarded to individual faculty members or research centers. For more information, see the various individual faculty and research center pages at this website.

Some additional reference material on assistantship compensation, deductions, and insurance is provided below: