Financial Assistance
Every applicant is eligible to compete for financial assistance. Assistance is only offered to top applicants at the faculty’s discretion (there is not a separate application form for financial assistance).
Support is typically available as a graduate assistantship for research (GRA) or teaching (GTA) activities. Competitive named fellowships are also available.
You will be considered for all forms of financial assistance if funding is requested on the Application for Graduate Admission. Also, indicate in your Personal Statement your financial needs and faculty members with whom you are interested in working.
Funding decisions are generally made at the time of admission, and included in the admission letter.
Graduate Assistantships (GRAs or GTAs)
Graduate Assistantships (GAs) require a research or teaching activity and provide a monthly stipend and tuition remission. Offers for GAs are established on a competitive basis regarding academic credentials, capabilities and interests, along with project needs. GAs include a broad range of support levels with multiple years of duration. A GA offer will specify a monthly stipend, an initial duration (typically one-year) and other project-related issues.
Competitive GAs at Georgia Tech typically include a stipend in the range of $19,000 to $21,000/year. These offers also include tuition waiver which can be equivalent to approximately $30,000/year.
Fellowships
President’s Fellowship - This competitive fellowship is awarded to outstanding Ph.D. students. The award is $5,500 per year and is for a four-year period. Students who are awarded this fellowship must be US citizens and also be supported on a Graduate Assistantship by the School, or be a recipient of an NSF Fellowship or equivalent.
The Georgia Transportation Institute (GATI) offers graduate fellowships in conjunction with the Southeastern Transportation Center (STC). GATI/STC Fellowships are offered annually to a select number of U.S. citizens or permanent residents who intend to pursue doctoral or master’s degrees in a transportation-related discipline. These fellowships are supplements to normal assistantship awards. The award provides an additional stipend of $5,500 for 12 months of full-time enrollment.
Qualifying for Financial Assistance
Financial support is available to the most highly-competitive students. Support is focused on doctoral students, but project and School needs include support for master’s students. About half of the more than 300 graduate students at CEE receive financial support.
Keys to successfully competing for financial support include:
- Apply well in advance of the application deadline
- Visit us during CEE Visitation Day to meet professors
- Present concise information on past experience in research and current areas of interest and capabilities in your application materials
- Excel in the GRE and undergraduate studies