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Graduate Financial Support

Graduate Assistantships

Many graduate students in Statistics hold a teaching assistantship (TA) or research assistantship (RA). Most of these assistants are recruited by the Department and arrive with a signed Letter of Intent. These students will continue to receive their assistantship as long as they make good academic progress and perform their assistantship duties well. Some graduate students are given an assistantship after they start their graduate studies. These appointments are often given one semester at a time. Continuation of these appointments depends on academic progress, job performance, and departmental needs. That is, students in this category will only continue to have an assistantship if the Department has need for their services. Good academic progress and job performance are not sufficient.

The financial support provided by your appointment is given in your Letter of Intent. The assistantship stipend is subject to change. 

  • Research Assistantship (RA) (Most of these are 12 month appointments.)
  • Teaching Assistantship (TA) (These are 9 month appointments, although summer instruction is possible.) 
  • Statistical Consultant

Graduate assistants receive a tuition scholarship.   These rules are subject to change so you should ask your advisor about these opportunities.   Teaching appointments usually are made for the 9-month period August 16 to May 15 and research appointments for 12 months, July 1 to June 30. Additional appointments or supplementary earnings for teaching assistants may be available in the summer. Appointments are awarded on the basis of academic ability and ability to do the assistantship duties.  A student who receives a departmental assistantship and is in good academic standing qualifies for a tuition scholarship. For Masters students, these scholarships cover half of in-state tuition, and for Ph.D. students, the scholarship covers full in-state tuition.

Grants from federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of the Census, and Army Research Office make research appointments possible. Students supported by a grant receive stipends comparable to those of research assistants.

Some of our students take summer internships with industry or government. Recent interns have gone to General Motors, 3M, Mayo Clinic, Quintiles, Microsoft, and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Most graduate assistantship offers are made between January 15 and April 15. Applications received at a later date will be kept on file for consideration as vacancies occur or new positions open.

Grad Finances

Fees and Tuition
Living Expenses

Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards

The Department of Statistics offers many scholarships and other award opportunities to full-time graduate students who are majoring in statistics. The following information is provided to inform students and potential students about the possibilities of awards and the diversity of the criteria for these awards.

Graduate scholarships and awards are determined by a departmental committee. No applications for these awards are required. All scholarships and awards are based on academic achievement and/or potential.

 

Snedecor Award

This award honors the founder and first director of the Statistical Laboratory, George W. Snedecor, and is awarded to the most outstanding PhD candidate in the Department of Statistics. The eligible candidates are those who completed the PhD written exam in the given year.

 

Bancroft Award

This award, which honors T. A. Bancroft, former head and director of the Department of Statistics and Statistical Laboratory, is presented to a doctoral student with a concurrent MS in Statistics or joint majors in Statistics and another field.

 

Kempthorne Award

This award honors Oscar Kempthorne who came to Iowa State University in 1947 and retired as a Distinguished Professor in 1989.  This award is given to one the top students in Linear Models.  Performance in Stat 500, Stat 510, and the MS written exam is used to select the recipient of this award.

Vera David Fellowship

This fellowship, in memory of Vera David, wife of past director and head H. A. David, is given to a female student who has just completed her first year of graduate studies. The scholarship is awarded on the basis of academic achievement during the student’s first year.

 

Richard Kleber – St. Olaf Scholarship

Through advising hundreds of Statistics and Mathematics majors at St. Olaf College, Professor Kleber guided over 50 advisees toward graduate studies in Statistics at Iowa State. A scholarship has been set up by many of these students to assist a St. Olaf student who is starting work toward a graduate degree in Statistics at ISU.

 

Holly and Beth Fryer Scholarship

In 1940 Holly C. Fryer received the first PhD awarded in Statistics at ISU. This scholarship was started by Holly C. and his wife Beth. Criteria for this scholarship include grades received in Statistics and related courses, performance in assistantship duties and other information that indicates a high likelihood that the student will make contributions to the Statistics profession throughout their career. The award is given after the second year of graduate studies.

 

Jebe Fellowship

Emil Jebe was an associate professor in the Department of Statistics from 1949-1959. After his death in 1996, a fellowship was established to honor him. This fellowship is awarded to one graduate assistant each year.

 

Miller Fellowship

From the earnings of an endowment received by Iowa State University, the Department of Statistics may apply for one Miller Fellowship.  The fellowship provides an annual stipend to the student for three years. This fellowship is in addition to the regular graduate assistantship.

 

Dan Mowrey Consulting Award

The Dan Mowrey Consulting Award is given to a graduate student who holds a consulting assistantship. It is given for excellence in consulting. It is sponsored by Dan Mowrey (PhD ’80) who now works for Eli Lilly.

 

Vince Sposito Statistical Computing Award

Outstanding potential in statistical computing is recognized by the Vince Sposito Award, given annually to a graduate student doing statistical computing in their assistantship. This award is in memory of Vincent Sposito, former professor of mathematical programming and statistical computing at ISU.

 

Teaching Excellence Award

The Teaching Excellence Award is given to the top 10% of teaching assistants at Iowa State University.

The award consists of a certificate, a letter from the President of Iowa State University, and a cord to be worn at graduation.

Research Excellence Award

The Research Excellence Award is given to the top 10% of students writing theses or dissertations at Iowa State University.

The award consists of a certificate, a letter from the President of Iowa State University, and a cord to be worn at graduation.