"per year": academic or general?

[virtua]

Hey guys,

in my funding offer I have that "[some amount in dollars] per year" part, does that mean per academic year implying 9 months or it means year in general (12 months)?

[TakeruK]

You will have to check with the person who made the funding offer. One way to ask about it is whether the amount includes summer funding. 

[virtua]

I emailed, but unfortunately, no one answered so far

My friend says it might look unethical to ask this 

[fuzzylogician]

I don't know why it would be unethical. Funding considerations are entirely legitimate when deciding where to apply and where to go for school. The answer in this case might depend on field, and as @TakeruK suggests, asking about summer funding is a good way to find out. In my field, offers are almost always for 9 months (same as faculty salary, btw), but there are exceptions.