GSE Doctoral Funding Package

Five-Year Funding Package

When students are admitted to the GSE, they are offered a five-year funding package. Funding is contingent on satisfactory academic progress. Please refer back to the Apprenticeship Model for additional details. A typical five-year funding package is outlined below:

Funding

Academic Milestone Guidelines

Year 1

25% first-year fellowship
25% assistantship
Tuition for 11–18 units for AWS
Tuition for 1 unit in the summer

Year 1

Successful completion of courses and assistantships
Completion of First-Year Review

Years 2-4

50% assistantship
Tuition for 8–10 units for AWS
Tuition for 1 unit in the summer

Year 2

Successful completion of courses and assistantships
Progress towards the Second-Year Review/Qualifying Paper
Advance to candidacy

Year 3

Successful completion of courses and assistantships

Year 4

Successful completion of all coursework and assistantships for doctoral program and PhD Minor/Disciplinary Master’s
Achieve TGR Status
Completion of Dissertation Proposal
Dissertation Proposal Hearing

Year 5

Students must complete their dissertation proposal and all required coursework (reach TGR status) prior to the start of their fifth year to be eligible for:

25% graduation year fellowship
25% assistantship
TGR tuition (AWSS)

Students who do not meet the dissertation proposal and TGR requirements outlined above will be funded on 50% assistantship in their 5th year, contingent on the faculty advisor(s) confirming the student’s satisfactory academic progress.

Year 5

Confirm Reading Committee
Successful completion of assistantships
Dissertation Oral Exam
Completion of Dissertation

All assistantship funding requires supervised work (10 hours per week for 25%, 20 hours per week for 50%). Per Stanford University policy, enrolled graduate students are required to maintain a significant physical presence on campus throughout each quarter a student is enrolled. The GSE's funding package and apprenticeship is contingent upon students being physically present on campus to work.

During the first year, GSE doctoral students take a heavier courseload, i.e., 11-18 units per quarter. After the first year, students enroll in 8-10 units per quarter until they achieve Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status. Due to the higher courseload in the first year, students cannot work more than 25% time when enrolled in more than 10 units. Once students drop to the 8–10 unit enrollment level after their first year in the doctoral program, students are funded on 50% assistantships.

Acceptance of the GSE funding package requires that students notify the Doctoral Programs Officer immediately when they receive funds not outlined in the funding letter. In the event that total financial support, when GSE funds are included, exceeds the student’s cost of attendance and/or when the external funding source dictates the funds for specific use, differences from the amounts displayed in the funding letter may result in the redistribution, reduction, or cancellation of GSE funding. Students may be required to reimburse funds already received.

The five-year funding period applies to students in their first five years of doctoral study. Regardless of how students fund their studies, students cannot bank partial or full quarters of GSE funding for future use. The impact of leaves of absence on the five-year funding period must be discussed in advance with the Doctoral Programs Officer.

Students who started in the doctoral program in Fall 2023 and earlier:

Students work available teaching and research assistantships with their advisors or other faculty. In all cases, student should:

Discuss assistantship plans for the quarter with the advisor(s).
Determine if the advisor(s) have RA or TA positions available.
If the student is planning to work as an RA/TA for another faculty member, please also inform the advisor(s).

Students within the first 5 years of doctoral study can request Dean’s Office funding for an RAship if they have not identified a source of funding (as a last resort). Should that be the case, the student should discuss with the potential RA supervisor the work expected for the RAship and if it is appropriate, submit a Dean’s Office funding form for the RAship. All submissions will be reviewed by the Associate Dean for Educational Affairs. Students who have Dean’s office-funded RAs must be in residence (i.e., at Stanford) and available to work on campus for a regular weekly schedule.