<p>Hi!
I will be working as a TA this year. As an undergrad I had student loans, and they appeared in my budget for this year too. Im supposed to get a paycheck for TAing, but I was wondering if any loans I get will count towards that and my TA pay will be actually less than what it was supposed to be (instead I will get loaned money??). Im not quite sure how that is going to work out, but I was hoping not to get any loans as a grad student if I was going to TA. Also, do you guys know if TAships are appointed based on financial need??
Thankssssss!</p>
<p>Loans will not reduce your stipend. Your stipend is your living allowance awarded for serving as a teaching assistant.</p>
<p>TAships are never awarded on the basis of financial need.</p>
<p>If the loans appear in your financial aid estimates, it means that you are technically eligible for them. You may find that you don't actually need them - in which case, you don't have to complete the paperwork to take out those loans. I would suggest that you try living off your TA-ship and see how that goes. If you find that you need more money, you can take out the loans for second semester.</p>