The Department of Economics offers fellowships/assistantships to students who meet the standards for entrance or continuation in the PhD program.
All Ph.D. students are given a departmental fellowship which includes a full tuition and fee waiver , followed by a teaching assistantship (TA) or RA through the fifth year. Beyond year 5, funding is not guaranteed, but sixth year students typically receive a TA ship as well if needed.
First year students will take the EPI during their first or second semester on campus. If the EPI is passed, the student is eligible for a teaching assistantship. If the EPI is not passed, the student is required to take an ESL (English as a Second Language) course or participate in a minimum of ten hours with a tutor approved by the Center for Teaching Excellence. The EPI can be taken a maximum of three times.
Note: International students have additional requirements to be a TA, please visit the Graduate College website for additional information.
International students are not eligible for teaching assistantships unless they have either scored at least a 24 on the speaking portion of the TOEFL or passed the English Placement Interview (EPI) which is administered by our Center for Teaching Excellence. Visit our International Student page for more information.