Identity

 

Consideration for Graduate Financial Assistance

The School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers four types of financial assistance to graduate students:  Fellowships, Teaching Assistantships, Resource Assistantships, and Research Assistantships.

Fellowships

Fellowships are awarded on the basis of academic performance and unique achievement, and the recipients are determined by the School's Graduate Committee.  Fellowship stipends range from $6,000 - $8,000, and also include waivers of full tuition,   service fee, health service fee, AFMFA fee, Library/Technology fee, as well as partial coverage of the health insurance fee  for one academic year of study and one summer session. Students with waiver-generating fellowships also receive dental and vision insurance.  No special application is necessary to be considered for a fellowship award.

Assistantships

Graduate students may apply for any of the three types of Assistantships.  To receive consideration during the academic year, students must complete an application form available in the preceding spring semester, attach a resume and a brief statement of qualifications and interest,  and submit it to:  The Graduate Programs Office, School of Architecture, University of Illinois, 104 Temple Hoyne Buell Hall, 611 Taft Drive, Champaign, IL 61820.

Teaching Assistantships are awarded to support the activities of a faculty member teaching undergraduate students in Architectural Design, History and Preservation, Practice, and Structures.  The number of available positions in each program is dependent upon enrollment and the School’s budget.  Non-native English speakers must have a satisfactory SPEAK or TSE (Test of Spoken English) score before they will be considered for teaching assistantships.

Resource Assistantships support the general activities of the School of Architecture, such as the Gallery Committee, Woodshop, Publications, and Computing.  The number of available positions in these areas is very limited.

Research Assistants participate in funded research investigations conducted by faculty members.  The opportunities vary and the topics are specific.  Students interested in Research Assistantships should briefly identify their own specific research interest and experience in order to determine appointments in related areas of funded research.  Research assistant appointments may commence at any time during the year, and the appointment period may not coincide with the academic calendar.

Assistantships are normally awarded to students who have demonstrated academic excellence ("B" average or better) and/or special abilities.  Assistantships are contracted on a semester basis, typically as 1/4 time (25%) appointments, and are renewable up to four semesters pending availability of positions and evaluation of previous performance.  Any request to vary these limitations must be made in writing by a student and/or faculty member and submitted to the Associate Director in the Graduate Office.  A rationale for the variance must be included in the request.  Assistantships between 25% and 67% for three-quarters of the academic term carry a base-rate tuition waiver, and full waivers of the service fee, health service fee, AFMFA fee, and Library/Technology fee.  Students with waiver-generating assistantships also receive dental and vision insurance and partial coverage of the health insurance fee for the term of their appointment.

See the Graduate College Handbook for more information.  URL http://www.grad.uiuc.edu/gradhandbook/

School of Architecture Tuition Waiver Policy

Graduate assistantship appointments in the School of Architecture include a base-rate tuition waiverThe amount of a “base rate tuition waiver” is equivalent to in-state tuition.  All non-resident assistants are responsible for any additional tuition costs required. In addition to the base-rate tuition waiver, assistants with waiver-generating appointments receive full waivers of the service fee, health service fee, AFMFA fee, and Library/Technology fee.  Students with waiver-generating assistantships also receive dental and vision insurance and partial coverage of the health insurance fee for the term of their appointment.

 

An important point to note is the following:

“It is the student’s curriculum that determines the type of waiver, not the unit granting the assistantship.”

This means that if you are registered in the School of Architecture curriculum and are hired as an assistant by another unit on campus, it is the School of Architecture that determines the type of waiver that will be awarded to you, not your employer. Conversely, if you are registered in another unit on campus, e.g. MBA, and are employed by the School of Architecture or another unit on campus as an assistant, it is the unit in which you are enrolled, e.g. MBA, which determines the type of tuition waiver given to you, not the School of Architecture.