WHERE CAN I GET INFORMATION ABOUT SCHOLARSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS?

A variety of scholarships and fellowships are available through the Graduate School, through the unit deans, or from external sources. The procedures and stipends attached to these change from time to time, as do the rules of eligibility. The Graduate School’s Resource Center for Graduate Student External Support assists graduate students with identifying and applying for external grants and fellowships.

WHAT IS THE EXCELLENCE FELLOWSHIP?

These major fellowships are now administered through the professional unit deans with the Graduate School directly responsible only for SAS programs. Fellowships are typically awarded forone or two years, ideally as part of multi-year packages with assistantships. Programs are expected to routinely fund doctoral students, from varied sources, for five or six years if possible; fellowships are intended to contribute to that funding.

WHAT IS THE TORREY FELLOWSHIP?

Henry C. Torrey Fellowships are awarded to exceptionalapplicants to programs in biological, social and physical and mathematical sciences andengineering. They are created by supplementing existing excellence fellowships with funds from both the Graduate School and the degree program.

WHAT IS THE DIVERSITY FELLOWSHIP?

The Graduate School has access to a number of different sources of fellowship funding intended to enhance diversity. The Associate Dean will determine whether a fellowship can be provided and also from what source and with what name.

WHAT IS THE UNIVERSITY AND BEVIER FELLOWSHIP?

Post-qualifying students may apply for Louis Bevier Fellowships and University Fellowships. The fellowship year should ideally be the student’s final year. Funds provided by the state and by the Louis Bevier Memorial Fund (established through the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Ralph G. Wright in honor of the late Dean Louis Bevier) support 12 fellowships which now carry stipends of $18,000 plus 6 credits tuition. In addition, one fellowship is awarded each year to a new student who attended Rutgers as an undergraduate; this fellowship carries full tuition remission. Applications should be made before March 1 to the Graduate School Office

WHAT ARE THE ENTITLEMENTS FOR TEACHING AND GRADUATE ASSISTANTS?

All teaching assistants and graduate assistants holding standard (.33) 10 or 12 month appointments and many fellows, receive full remission of tuition during the Fall and Spring terms. However, assistants who replace a prior appointee after the beginning of a semester receive no remission for that semester. Assistants with standard appointments also receive an additional Summer remission for 6 credits. Teaching Assistants on fractional appointments receive remission on a prorated basis.

WHAT ARE THE PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS OF STUDENT FEES, HOUSING AND DINING?

Teaching Assistants, Graduate Assistants, and Fellows with salaries or stipends of $10,000 or more may complete a payroll deduction form prior to each semester. They may elect to have any of the following student fees deducted from their university paychecks: Housing, Dining, College fee, Computer Fee and/or Health fees. Those with salaries of $7000.00 or less may deduct their full time student fees only (not housing or dining). Students must be on payroll with valid social security numbers and the form must be submitted within the first two weeks of each term. There is a significant tax advantage to the students in this arrangement; however, the student's first biweekly paychecks will be significantly decreased to pay the fees. It is the responsibility of thegraduate School and graduate programs to inform students of this opportunity. A copy of the payroll deduction form is included in the appendix to this section. Please make copies and distribute these to students who may qualify.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR TEACHING ASSISTANTS WITH ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE?

All International students who are offered Teaching Assistantships, regardless of their results on the TOEFL examination, are required by Rutgers University to take the SPEAK test or an oral interview given by the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program. The ESL program uses the SPEAK Test, which is sponsored by Educational Testing Service (ETS) as an initial placement test for all ITAs. The SPEAK Test is a standardized test, which is administered via audiotape. Students are assigned booths in the Language Lab and provided with a blank cassette and test booklet. The test is then administered by a proctor. The SPEAK Test questions range from giving directions to presenting information to a group. The allotted time for each response is 30 to 90 seconds. The entire SPEAK Test takes twenty minutes. Once the test is begun, it cannot be interrupted or stopped.