Financial Support

Graduate Teaching Assistantships

About 80 graduate students are funded through Graduate Teaching Assistantships. For the 2024-2025 academic year, first-year graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) will have stipends of $18,900 for the nine-month academic term. GTAships include full-tuition remission and subsidized health benefits. The department also has numerous fellowships available for new and continuing students. In addition, summer support, in the amount of $3,500-5,200, is often available.

Taking into account the relative low cost of living in Lincoln (check out this cost of living calculator to compare Lincoln with other cities in the US), our financial package is very competitive. Duties as a GTA hired at the $18,000 level will include service in four class periods per week and the attendant grading, preparation and office hours for an expected time commitment of 13-15 hours per week.

Fellowships

The department has fellowships that supplement a GTA stipend. All students that apply for admission in our program are automatically considered for these fellowships.

The Department of Mathematics has several university fellowships that supplement GTAships. In particular, the department awards Othmer Fellowships to top students entering each Fall. Othmer fellowships pay $4000 to $8,000 in addition to the GTA stipend for each of three years of graduate study. Students with Othmer Fellowships are still eligible for summer support.

Continuing graduate students may apply for other fellowships in a university-wide fellowships competition each spring.

Summer Support

Summer support for graduate students is often available and pays between $3,500 and $5,200, depending on the precise assignment.

Information for International Students

Financial aid for first-year international students is primarily in the form of graduate teaching assistantships.  English language ability is an extremely important factor in awarding these assistantships. To be considered for a GTA, a non-native speaker must score at least: 600 on the paper-based TOEFL; 250 on the computer-based version of the TOEFL; or 100 on the internet TOEFL or an IELTS score of 7.5. Students for whom English is the second language must participate in UNL's Institute for International Teaching Assistants and pass a panel review of their preparedness to teach in English. Students who do not pass the panel review are assigned grading duties and will be paid $12,100 for the academic year.

GTA Pay Scale

The Department of Mathematics offers GTA academic year stipends for 2024-2025 starting at $18,900 per year, which increase with performance and senority in the program up to $20,500 per year.

Total GTA compensation also includes:

• Possible Summer Appointment (typical appointments are $3,500-$5,200). Graduate students are encouraged to look for internships and other summer opportunities. While summer appointments are not guaranteed, the department has been able to offer summer appointments to almost all interested graduate students over the last decade.
• Tuition Waiver - All students with a 0.33 FTE or greater appointment receive a tuition waiver for up to 12 hours per semester and an additional 6 - 12 hours in the summer. (Students do have to pay fees of about $850 per semester.)
• Benefits - All GTAs receive health benefits. Students are required to pay approximately 21% of the premium, which is approximately $760 annually for 2022-2023.

Students for whom English is the second language must participate in UNL's Institute for International Teaching Assistants and pass a panel review of their preparedness to teach in English. Students who do not pass the panel review are assigned grading duties.

In considering a GTA offer, a potential student should look at the total benefits and the time commitment to assess the value of one offer in comparison with another offer. Additionally, the cost of living, which is quite low in Lincoln, Nebraska, is an important consideration when comparing offers. To compare Lincoln with other cities in the US, check out this cost of living calculator.