Teaching Assistantships are available on a limited basis in most graduate programs. In addition, many faculty members have research projects that provide Research Assistantships.
Teaching Assistants (TAs) are employed a maximum of twenty hours per week to help meet the instructional needs of the university and are paid from faculty salary funds. Appointments and reappointments as Teaching Assistants are subject to the availability of financial support, satisfactory academic progress, and performance review by their academic department on a semester-by-semester basis. In consultation with, and under the direction of, an assigned supervisor, the Teaching Assistant will aid in the teaching of one or more courses. The Teaching Assistant serving as a primary instructor will work closely with an assigned faculty supervisor. To be eligible for appointment as the primary instructor of record of a course, a Teaching Assistant must have completed at least 18 semester credit hours of graduate course work in a field appropriate to the course.
Research Assistants (RAs) are employed a maximum of twenty hours per week to assist the research efforts of the faculty in a capacity that relates to the student’s educational goals. UT Dallas pays RAs from individual research awards or externally funded contracts or grants. Research Assistant appointments and reappointments are subject to the availability of financial support, satisfactory performance in and progress toward specified research assignments, and performance review on a semester-by-semester basis. The Principal Investigator or Project Director of the award will designate and supervise the research activities of the Research Assistant. Duties may include library searches, field work, laboratory experiments, and preparation of reports. The duties should provide an opportunity to acquire professional skills that complement his/her graduate department and must not be for services unrelated to the student’s educational department or be clerical in nature.
Students holding these assistantships must enroll for a minimum of nine semester hours for each regular semester in which UT Dallas awards the assistantship. The Dean of each school designates the minimum semester hours for a summer session. A student on a Teaching/Research Assistantship who enrolls in the minimum number of hours and wishes to drop a course must obtain the signature of the Dean of Graduate Studies. UT Dallas will not support students on probation on an assistantship. Please make applications to the appropriate Graduate Program office at least 60 days prior to the date of registration.
Prior to their appointment as Teaching Assistants, international students must meet the English requirements described in the English Requirements for Teaching Assistants section. All TAs are required to attend TA Orientation held immediately prior to fall and spring semesters.
Financial Aid Office - Applying for Financial Aid
The mission of the Financial Aid Office is to help remove financial barriers and assist students with the costs of attendance at The University of Texas at Dallas. The role of the Financial Aid Office is to try to fill the gap that exists between the cost of attendance and funds available from your family, savings and other resources. Due to limited funds in some programs, we are not always able to offer enough aid to meet each student’s financial need. Alternative sources of assistance are often available.
The Financial Aid office is located on the first floor of McDermott Library on the UT Dallas campus in Richardson. Our regular operating hours are:
The financial aid staff is available during these hours to answer questions regarding your financial aid application.
See Eligibility for Financial Aid page.
The Guaranteed Tuition Plan is designed to help new students and their families better plan for the cost of a college education, while allowing the university to maintain the quality of its academic programs. For current tuition and fees, visit the Bursar.
See Scholarships at UT Dallas page.
Graduate students receiving a Teaching Assistantship or Research Assistantship appointments may apply for a Texas Public Education Grant through their academic program. The Financial Aid office may be awarding Texas Public Education Grants.
A set-aside of Designated Tuition Funds makes this program available to students. Graduate students demonstrating financial aid need through a completed FAFSA will be considered for aid. The amount of the award will vary each year based on availability of funds. Undocumented students may complete a paper FAFSA or a Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA).
Texas residents who meet eligibility requirements may borrow funds to meet a portion of their school expenses. The loan carries a modest interest rate. Repayment begins six months after graduation or withdrawal from the university. Visit the College Access Loan Program Fact Sheet to learn how to apply.
Lending institutions such as banks, savings and loan associations, and credit unions make these program funds available to students. Students must qualify for a Stafford Student Loan based on financial need.
Lenders make the loans at a modest interest rate, and there exists a maximum amount that can be borrowed for a given academic year. See the Financial Aid office concerning the maximum loan amount. The borrower will be required to begin repayment of principal and interest upon graduation or after he or she ceases to be at least a half-time student. Repayment may extend over ten years, but the program requires a minimum monthly payment.
Graduate students admitted to graduate studies as non-degree seeking students because they lack pre-requisite coursework or need to take the appropriate test (s) (GMAT or GRE) before being admitted to a UT Dallas degree program are limited to the following conditions:
Visit the Federal Stafford Loan Online Application to apply.
Students needing emergency help with educational expenses may borrow from the short-term loan fund. Students must repay the loans within 60 days from the date of issuance or one week prior to the end of the term for which the student applied for the short-term loan, whichever comes first. UT Dallas will charge a late fee of $30.00 per month, up to a maximum of $90.00 per loan. Mrs. Lloyd V. Berkner, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Castelli, the Kiwanis Club of Richardson, Rotary Club of Richardson, Richardson Savings and Loan Association, the First Texas Savings and Loan Association of Dallas, and Richardson Altrusa have contributed to these funds.
This loan program provides a combination of federal and institutional funds to students who qualify based on financial need. UT Dallas gives high priority to those students who demonstrate exceptional need.
A graduate student may borrow up to a maximum amount of $30,000, which includes all undergraduate Federal Perkins loans.
A Federal Perkins loan bears a modest interest rate. Borrowers are required to begin repayment of principal and interest six months after they cease to be at least half-time students. Repayment may extend over a ten-year period; however, there is a minimum rate of repayment. Visit Applying for Financial Aid to learn how to apply.
Applications are available in the Financial Aid office. For more information, see the Veteran's Affairs page.
College work study employment is available to students based on demonstrated financial need. The acceptance of employment reduces the amount of loan assistance a student will be permitted to accept in order to meet financial need to cover educational expenses.
Compensation depends on the type of job, qualifications, and classification. The number of hours and work schedule will vary depending on the position. For information on job availability, students need to contact the Career Center at (972) 883-2943.
Various programs and schools of the university employ students in positions that are not work-study positions and not based on need. In accordance with appropriate guidelines, pay scales depend on the type of job, qualifications, and classification. Normally, students can work a maximum of 19.5 hours per week. Students interested in these positions should contact the Career Center at (972) 883-2943.
