Graduate Support


Financial support

Most PhD students are awarded graduate teaching assistantships (GTAs). These are half-time positions (20 hours/week). Most GTAs teach calculus; some teach pre-calculus. A GTA position includes tuition and fees, and an initial nine-month salary of about $18,704. International students must meet additional English language requirements to qualify for GTA positions.

The Department ordinarily does not award GTA positions to students in the M.A. program.

Graduate research assistantships (GRAs) are very limited and usually attached to externally funded research projects of faculty members in the department. GRAs are generally awarded to PhD candidates who are ready to be involved in research work.

Self graduate fellowship

The Department and University offer several additional opportunities for financial support for PhD students.

The Self Graduate Fellowship supports exceptional PhD students in a number of areas, including mathematics, who demonstrate the promise to make significant contributions to their fields of study and society as a whole. Departments nominate applicants who have a record of academic excellence and who fit the Self Graduate Fellow Profile. Self Graduate Fellows receive a stipend of $34,000 per year for four years and participate in the distinctive Fellow Development Program. The program is limited to US citizens.

Summer research scholarships  

This scholarship is available for math PhD graduate students who have passed both qualifying exams. The amount of the scholarship depends on available funds and the number of awards made. The department’s Graduate Studies Committee determines who qualifies for the scholarship and the amount of the award followed by approval of the faculty. This scholarship is awarded so that advanced graduate students can concentrate on research and/or prepare for their preliminary or oral comprehensive exam. The scholarship is awarded on the first day of the summer session.

Travel support

The Mathematics Department and KU's Graduate Studies provide support for travel for graduate students presenting papers or participating at meetings of professional organizations.