Funding opportunities & financial support
Research and Teaching Assistant Support
Research assistant (RA) and teaching assistant (TA) funding constitutes the bulk of our students’ financial support. RA and TA positions are 50% appointments; you will spend 50% of your time in classes (including research credit), while you will receive a stipend for the other 50% as an RA or TA. Health insurance, tuition, and student fees, are paid by the department on your behalf.
First-year students are usually supported by TA positions, and they are guaranteed RA or TA support during their first summer. Beginning your second year, you are encouraged to find RA support. You are eligible to receive TA support for up to 10 semesters, availability of funds permitting.
Research Assistants
RA funding depends on the availability of support from your research advisor, usually through external grant funding. It constitutes the majority of funding of the department’s graduate students. You are encouraged to inquire with your advisor about possible funding options as soon as possible. Partial RA positions, and up to three months of summer support, are possible.
Teaching Assistants
Graduate students are usually supported by TA positions during their first year. These positions require 15-20 hours per week as instructor or grader, usually in one of the introductory physics or astronomy courses and labs. If you require TA funding after your first year, you will need to complete the TA position request form, where you can enter your preferences of courses. Once you have gained sufficient experience, you may be eligible to serve as an instructor of record, in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Laboratories. TA summer support can be provided by the summer school and is independent of department-sponsored TA positions. Summer support is usually available for one or both of the summer sessions ($2,000 each). The Director of Undergraduate Laboratories will assign TA summer positions.
| Research Assistant | Departmental Support | Teaching Assistant | Departmental Support | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | $56,425 | Total | $54,170 | |
| 9-month stipend | $18,500 | 9-month stipend | $18,500 | |
| 3 months summer | $6,255 | 2 months summer | $4,000 | |
| Tuition* | $27,454 | Tuition* | $27,454 | |
| Student fees* | $982 | Student fees* | $982 | |
| Health insurance* | $3,234 | Health insurance* | $3,234 |
*Paid by the department on your behalf.
Eligibility for Summer TA Support
Summer research support is an important element for making progress toward degree completion. Students who have assembled their thesis committee (usually by the end of their 2nd year) are eligible for internal departmental and College funding sources. Students who do not apply for these summer research funds or for external funds will be assigned a lower priority for receiving TA support during the summer. The Directors of Undergraduate Laboratories and Graduate Studies will determine priorities on a case-by-case basis, taking individual circumstances into account.
OTHER FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Additional funding opportunities are provided by the department, by the College of Arts and Sciences, and by external sources. You are encouraged to pursue these opportunities.
Funding Opportunities at the Department
Applications in this category will be evaluated by the Graduate Studies and Affairs Committee. In consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Laboratories, the committee will propose a ranking to the department chair, including amount of support where applicable. Submit your application via the Physics & Astronomy Graduation System (under the Assignment tab) as one single PDF. Have the recommendation letter emailed directly to the DGS by the deadline.
| Hamilton Award |
| Purpose |
| summer support |
| travel support |
| Eligibility |
| Applicant must have passed all parts of the doctoral written exam 1 |
| Applicant must have a research advisor and a thesis committee |
| Funds can be used as “top-off”, but not beyond standard stipend amount |
| Application |
| One page of summer research/travel plan and budget justification |
| CV |
| Other sources of funding (“current and pending”) |
| Recommendation letter from thesis advisor |
| Deadline: To be announced by email |
| Silver Award |
| Purpose |
| support for international students to attend domestic conference |
| support for domestic student to attend international conference abroad |
| Eligibility |
| Applicant must have passed all parts of the doctoral written exam 1 |
| Applicant must have a research advisor and a thesis committee |
| Application |
| Half a page of travel plan/justification |
| CV |
| Other sources of funding (“current and pending”) |
| Recommendation letter from thesis advisor |
| Deadline |
| To be announced by email |
| Dean’s Graduate Fellowship in the College of Arts & Sciences |
| Purpose |
| Research summer support for one student |
| Eligibility |
| Applicant must have passed all parts of the doctoral written exam 1 |
| Applicant must have a research advisor and a thesis committee |
| Applicant will likely graduate within the next four semesters. |
| Intended as full research support for one student |
| Application |
| One page of summer research plan and budget justification |
| CV |
| Other sources of funding (“current and pending”) |
| Recommendation letter from thesis advisor. Instructions from College: Please address the following points: Student’s academic performance; Progress toward degree; Likely future contributions to discipline; Teaching and mentoring excellence if applicable. |
| Deadline: To be announced by email |
Funding Opportunities at the College of Arts and Sciences
The Graduate School maintains a comprehensive list of funding opportunities.
For incoming students:
- Royster Society of Fellows
- North Carolina Excellence Fellowship
- North Carolina Native American Incentive Grant
For current students:
The following opportunities require a nomination letter by the department. The internal deadline for these fellowships and awards is exactly two weeks before the official deadline posted by the graduate school. Applications including reference letters must be completed by the internal deadline. The applications are evaluated by a university-wide committee, therefore, especially field-specific material should be presented accordingly.
The Graduate Studies and Affairs Committee will rank the applications and will provide a short rationale for the ranking. The Director of Graduate Studies will write nomination letters based on the committee’s rankings and comments.
- Dissertation Completion Fellowship
- Summer Research Fellowship
- Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Award
External Funding Opportunities
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
- DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship
- DOD National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship
- DOD National Physical Science Consortium Doctoral Fellowship
- DOD Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service
- Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship
- NC Space Grant
- Immigrants Rising private scholarships