<p>Situation: Will be graduating 2010 with about a 3.7 G.P.A. in CS/Math. To go to graduate school, we (Wife, Son, and Myself) need approximately $30,000 a year + the cost of tuition.</p>
<p>Assuming I can do well on the GRE (I plan on studying an hour or two a day for the next 6 months), could I be reasonably certain I would be able to get a Teaching Assistantship position that pays tuition and approximately 12k per year if I'm pursuing a Masters Degree? I've heard that TA's are only offered to PhD Students. </p>
<p>Secondly, that leaves a gap of about 20k per year. How can I come up with the rest? It's my understanding that I would not get a scholarship if I've already got full tuition and 12k per year stipend. Am I incorrect? </p>
<p>Other than GPA (And I know there are many many higher than 3.7) and Possibly GRE, I don't have anything that would stand out. (Like leadership or research experience, etc...) Does it even seem reasonable that I would qualify for many scholarships? </p>
<p>Are fellowships hard to get?</p>
<p>Any help or advice is appreciated. Thank you.</p>
<p>The best people to answer your questions are the graduate advisors in the specific departments that you are interested in. What University X has to offer, and what University Y has to offer may be quite different. While you are looking for a good department for you, take a look at childcare options for your son, and employment opportunities for your wife at each of these universities/locations.</p>
<p>When I was in grad school, and when I was working and Happydad was finishing his Ph.D., I met any number of students in situations like yours. You can make it work.</p>
<p>There are no blanket policies that cover your situation. As happymom pointed out, each school has its own policies. You should start contacting the graduate schools that you are specifically interested in now and asking them what fellowships and/or financial aid might be available to you. </p>
<p>One other hint: You might want to look for schools that do NOT offer a PhD but only a masters degree in your field so that you are not competing against PhD candidates. For example, the highest math degree offered at Boston College is a masters – so all available financial aid for graduate math students goes to Masters candidates.</p>
<p>I don’t have any specific advice, just that when I was in graduate school in math there were quite a few foreign students in your position, married with a small kid at home and in some cases the wife didn’t work. They managed on what they made as a teaching assistant, I don’t know how.</p>
<p>$30,000 a year + the cost of tuition is not unheard of for some PhD students. When my son was applying, all of his offers were for for tuition, health insurance, plus a living stipend. As others have said grad students with families have been known to live on their student stipends.</p>
<p>Are you applying to private universities for grad school? Those costs seem like they would align with private costs. At many places, if you get a graduate assistantship, you either get a tuition remission as part of your package (along with a stipend) OR you get a reduction to the instate rate. Most grad school students we know who got grad assistantships received a tuition remission AND a stipend of about $15K per year…AND health insurance through the university. In fact, they applied to a number of programs in their fields and specifically looked for programs where they would qualify for such funding. </p>
<p>Agreed with others…you need to contact the department chairs in the departments where you plan to apply, and discuss possible funding opportunities and how to apply for them.</p>
<p>Your GRE score is one thing used to award grad school stipends. The other things will be your undergrad GPA in the field AND your letters of recommendation.</p>
<p>I don’t know YOUR field but I do know two (out of state) students who received masters stipends as grad assistants at UMass Amherst…$15K per year, tuition remission and health insurance. One was in computer science, the other in engineering. Both had NO difficulty living on their stipends.</p>