Northern Illinois University
Department of Psychology
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

We generally provide financial support for students who are making adequate progress in the program. Financial support comes in the form of competitive nine-month graduate teaching and research assistantships, fellowships or externships with outside organizations. A limited number of one-, two- and three-month summer assistantships are also available to continuing graduate students.

A separate application for graduate assistantships should be sent to the Graduate Studies Assistant in the Department of Psychology, PM 405, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115.

Full-time assistantships require approximately 20 hours of service each week and receive a stipend of approximately $1400 per month. Half-time assistantships require approximately 10 hours of service per week and receive a stipend of approximately $740 per month. All assistantships carry a waiver of the portion of tuition that is calculated as the instructional charge ($357 per credit hour). Students are responsible for books, other charges associated with tuition, course specific fees and health insurance. Visit NIU's Planning and Cost Estimator for more information.

Two types of assistantships are generally available:

• Teaching assistant duties vary in nature and may involve responsibility for several introductory psychology sections, supervising undergraduate laboratory sections, assisting in large lecture classes and facilitating engaged learning of undergraduate research assistants Advanced students may have primary responsibility for a more advanced undergraduate course.
• Research assistants are involved in the ongoing research programs of the faculty members to whom they are assigned. Research assistantships are typically funded by faculty research grants.

We endeavor to support students throughout their studies, but, of course, resources are limited and support cannot be guaranteed throughout the student's graduate program of study. Nevertheless, a clear majority of continuing graduate students who are making high quality and timely progress through the program receive graduate assistantship support.

Additional sources of support exist in other units of the university. For example, the Graduate School offers a limited number of fellowships awarded annually on a university-wide competitive basis. The Graduate School also offers a limited number of Rhoten A. Smith assistantships on a matching basis for minority students with excellent credentials.