Financial Assistance
The Department makes a commitment to support each full-time graduate student with a combination of research and teaching assistantships and fellowships. Support of both M.S. and Ph.D. students is year round and typically includes tuition remission of up to 10 credits per semester and access to health benefits. The number of graduate assistantships is limited, and they are awarded on a competitive basis.
FY2021 Graduate Assistant Stipends
(includes a 2% cost-of-living adjustment from the 2020 fiscal year)
(includes a 2% cost-of-living adjustment from the 2020 fiscal year)
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Step I: 1st year MS & 1st year PhD students w/o MS
9-Month = $24,058 Summer = $5,533 12-Month = $29,592 |
Step II: 2nd year MS & 1st year PhD students w/ MS
9-Month = $24,952 Summer = $5,739 12-Month = $30,692 |
Step III: PhD students that have advanced to candidacy
9-Month = $25,429 Summer = $5,849 12-Month = $31,278 |
Tuition Remission & Fees
- Full-time MS and PhD students receive up to 10 credits of tuition remission/semester. The current cost is $768/credit, so this benefit totals $15,360/year.
- All graduate students are required to pay mandatory fees each semester, which are not covered by tuition remission. For 1 – 8 credits, the current fee is $417.50, and for 9 or more credits, the fee is $817.50.
- Although it does happen on occasion, ENTM graduate students rarely take more than 8 credits per semester.
Health Insurance
- Health insurance is required for all UMD graduate students.
- Supported by assistantships are provided access to health insurance benefits through the State of Maryland.
- Students supported by full-time fellowships are required to obtain health insurance on their own. Very similar plans to those provided through assistantships are available to students on fellowships through the University Health Center. Students may also choose to enroll in a health insurance plan from an external source (e.g., a parent’s or spouse’s plan).
Duration of Support
- MS students are guaranteed support for the first 3 years of their program.
- PhD students are guaranteed 5 years of support during the first 6 years of the program.
A more detailed description of stipends, tuition remission, and conditions of graduate assistantships appears in Policies for Gradaute Assistantships section of the Grad Catalog.
Fellowships for Graduate Students
- Several types of fellowships are available and administered by the Grad School. Information is available from the Grad School's Fellowship Information page and Office of Diversity & Inclusion. The fellowships are awarded annually on a competitive basis. Students are nominated for these awards by the Department.
- The Gahan Fellowship, administered by the Department, is available to advanced Entomology graduate students. This generous scholarship provides a full stipend plus a supplemental half-time research assistantship stipend to provide health benefits and tuition remission (up to 10 credits per semester). Applications are requested annually by the Grad Director.
Policy on Support
The guidelines above enable the Department to be competitive in recruiting and retaining outstanding students and help students pursue their graduate degrees without uncertainty about funding. In addition, by placing a time limit on the period of funding, they encourage students to complete the degree on time. Departmental support may be terminated if a student fails to make satisfactory progress and meet programmatic deadlines.
The guidelines above enable the Department to be competitive in recruiting and retaining outstanding students and help students pursue their graduate degrees without uncertainty about funding. In addition, by placing a time limit on the period of funding, they encourage students to complete the degree on time. Departmental support may be terminated if a student fails to make satisfactory progress and meet programmatic deadlines.
