What type of financial support do PhD students receive?
International students who are admitted to the PhD program are eligible for the following support package: the Literature Department pays for their Nonresident Supplemental Tuition ($15,102 per year) for six years, while they are enrolled as full-time students. Through Teaching Assistantships, they receive a salary, a Tuition waiver ($11,220 per year), a Student Services Fee waiver ($972 per year), and paid health insurance. Students must apply for Teaching Assistantships after they are accepted into the PhD program.
Non-Residents who are admitted to the PhD program are eligible for the following support package: the Literature Departments pays for their Nonresident Supplemental Tuition ($15,102) for the first year. (Prior to the beginning of their second year, students apply to become residents of California and if their application is approved, they do not have to pay Nonresident Supplemental Tuition in subsequent years). Through Teaching Assistantships, they receive a salary, a Tuition waiver ($10,152 per year), a Student Services Fee waiver ($972 per year), and paid health insurance. Students must apply for Teaching Assistantships after they are accepted into the PhD program.
California Residents who are admitted to the PhD program pay Tuition (formerly Educational Fee) ($10,152 per year). Through Teaching Assistantships, they receive a salary, a Tuition waiver ($15,102 per year), a Student Services Fee waiver ($972 per year), and paid health insurance. Students must apply for Teaching Assistantships after they are accepted into the PhD program.
How much can I expect to earn as a Teaching Assistant (TA)? As a Reader?
It depends on the percentage of time worked. In general, our TAs work 50% time (approximately 20 hours per week). At 50% time, students earn approximately $1923 per month before taxes. Readers work anywhere from 25% (110 hours per quarter) to 50% time (220 hours per quarter) and earn $13.23 per hour.
I do not know what I want to do in graduate school. Can I talk to an advisor in the department?
Please contact a career counselor or faculty advisor at your educational institution. You may also want to talk to professors who taught your courses.
Can I visit the campus and talk to the graduate advisor or a particular professor?
You are always welcome to visit us, but it is best to make meeting arrangements in advance. If you would like to meet with a particular professor, please contact them directly to arrange a time. Please keep in mind that there may be times when faculty members are not able to meet with prospective students. This is true in the summer and any holidays. Please be respectful of the professors' time. If you have administrative/application questions, please contact the graduate coordinator to make an appointment.
What if I can't get all the information submitted by the deadline?
Make sure your online application is submitted by the due date. We cannot accept late applications. If the professor who is writing you a recommendation is late, we can wait a couple of weeks at most for the letter to be uploaded into GradApply. However, we cannot consider an application that has no supporting documents.
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