Fellowship and TAship?

[burghstudent]

Hi,

I will be starting my Master's at MIT this fall, and had a question about financial aid.

When I was admitted, I was awarded a 15k fellowship for tuition use. Recently, I found out I also recieved a full-time TA-ship. I understand a TA-ship will cover tuition and provide a monthly stipend. So, what happens to the fellowship? Will I have to choose which award to recieve? Will the TA-ship be adjusted to reflect the fellowship? (Basically, living in Cambridge will be expensive)

Thanks!

[ponylevel]

You'll need to ask your department on specifics for how it works, but generally there's a cap for how much funding you'll get. You may get anywhere from 0 to 15K of that fellowship depending on the policy.

[Guimauvaise]

I agree with Ponylevel: ask your department about the situation.

When I started my MFA, I was given a TA-ship. Then, when I applied for the PhD program, I was awarded a $20k fellowship. At my school, the fellowships INCLUDE the TA-ship, and we get the full funding of both ($15k or $20k depending on the fellowship level, and an additional $10ish-k for the TA-ship). There doesn't appear to be a funding cap for us. So long as we keep our grades up, we get to keep the funding for both for up to five years.

You'll also want to make sure you check the requirements of the fellowship. Mine requires that I take one summer course every year until I graduate. I don't have to teach over the summer -- it's considered research/prep time -- but I still get my TA pay. Speaking of which, if your fellowship pays on a monthly basis, it's possible your potential TA pay would also be structured monthly instead of on the nine-month plan. That's what happened to me.

But, regardless, check with your department and/or the financial aid people.