The faculty of the Learning Sciences and Educational Psychology program strive to provide financial aid to as many students as possible. The major sources of funding are teaching and research assistantships. In addition, students frequently obtain professionally relevant employment in the Iowa City area. We encourage all students to consult with their advisors prior to taking employment. In general, financial aid in the form of teaching and research assistantships is available to students for no more than two years of work toward an M.A. degree and for no more than four years of work toward a Ph.D. degree. General information about financial aid for graduate students may be found at the UI Graduate Admissions' website.

Research and teaching assistantships: Each year, the program is able to support a number of students as research and teaching assistants. In general, research assistants are supported with funds that faculty members obtain through external grants and contracts. Thus, the number of research assistantships available fluctuates from year to year. Generally, the students appointed to these assistantships have been in the program long enough to acquire the skills that enable them to contribute to the research program. The duties of teaching assistants range from grading to taking full responsibility (with appropriate supervision and support) for teaching a section of a course. Again, first-year students rarely have the skills and background necessary for appointment as teaching assistants. Students are encouraged, through coursework and other experiences, to gain research and teaching skills that will make them eligible for appointment to these assistantships. In most years, some research assistantship or fellowship funds are available especially to support first-year Ph.D. students.

Assistantships for a 25% time or greater appointment qualify the student assistant and his or her spouse for in-state resident tuition, which is substantially lower than out-of-state tuition. Compensation for student assistants also includes a health-care plan and, in some cases for students with children under 24 months of age, a modest contribution toward child-care costs.

Special Graduate Assistantships are open to graduate students pursuing an advanced degree offered by the College of Education. These assistantships are half-time appointments (i.e., 20 hours). During the assistantship, students pursue both individual and collaborative research projects with a faculty advisor. Summer support is not available through this program. The application must be filed on a special form obtained from:

The Chair of the Selection Committee
334 Lindquist Center, The University of Iowa
Iowa City IA 52242-1529
Tel: 339/335-6010

The deadline for completed applications is usually in February. Students should file these applications at the time they apply for admission to the program.

Each year, the program is able to support a number of students as research and teaching assistants. In general, research assistants are supported with funds that faculty members obtain through external grants and contracts. Thus, the number of research assistantships available fluctuates from year to year. These assistantships follow the same general guidelines as the special research assistantships. Summer support may not be available. Unlike the special graduate assistantships, no special form is required. If they indicate an interest, all applicants to the Educational Measurement and Statistics program are considered for these assistantships.

Several Fellowships are available in addition to these assistantships. These include Graduate Opportunity Fellowships for minority students and University of Iowa Fellowships. The University of Iowa Fellowship involves a four-year waiver of tuition, plus a stipend. The faculty will review your materials when complete and will forward to you the necessary forms to enable you to apply to either of these fellowships for which you may be qualified.