Stipend and Tuition Grant-in-Aid
A graduate assistant (quarter-, half-, or three-quarter time) receives a stipend commensurate with the percentage time and grade level (e.g., grade 12). Stipends are raised on an annual basis equivalent to the average University increase for that year. Penn State considers a number of factors including disciplinary field, possession of a master’s degree, participation in special pre-doctoral training programs, and passage of candidacy and comprehensive examinations when assigning individual assistantships. University-wide the median is a grade 12, for which the stipend is $14,175 for this academic year. When in-state tuition is added to a grade 12, half-time assistantship, the package increases in value to $25,857. When out-of-state tuition is added, the value of the package is $36,031. Many of our students also receive additional financial support during the summer.