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Funding

Funding for graduate students in the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism comes from different sources: departmental funds, grants of individual faculty members, assistantships offered by other administrative units on campus, and foundation fellowships or stipends.

Departmental Funds

The Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism offers a limited number of graduate assistantships, and tuition and fee waivers. The allocation of funds is split between Research Assistants (RA), Teaching Assistants (TA), and Graduate Assistants (GA), based upon the needs of the department and re-assessed on an annual basis.

The standard assignment for departmental funding is a four-year limit for Ph.D. students, and a two-year limit for M.S. students. These limits may be extended due to needs of the department in either teaching or research.

The assistantship package includes a full tuition waiver, service fee waiver, summer tuition, summer service fee, and a stipend. The amount of the assistantship package varies depending on whether the student is awarded a 50% or a 25% assistantship and on the residency status of the student.

Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism Assistantship Package

• 2011-2012 25% resident 9 months 25% non-resident 9 months 50% resident 9 months 50% non-resident 9 months
• Full Tuition Waiver 25% resident 9 months: $10,908 25% non-resident 9 months: $24,174 50% resident 9 months: $10,908 50% non-resident 9 months: $24,174
• Campus Fees Waiver 25% resident 9 months: $1304 25% non-resident 9 months: $1304 50% resident 9 months: $1304 50% non-resident 9 months: $1304
• Summer Tuition 25% resident 9 months: $3,827 25% non-resident 9 months: $8,808 50% resident 9 months: $3,827 50% non-resident 9 months: $8,808
• Summer Service Fee 25% resident 9 months: $138 25% non-resident 9 months: $138 50% resident 9 months: $138 50% non-resident 9 months: $138
• Stipend 25% resident 9 months: $7410.06 25% non-resident 9 months: $7410.06 50% resident 9 months: $14,820 50% non-resident 9 months: $14,820
•  
• Total Benefit 25% resident 9 months: $23,87.06 25% non-resident 9 months: $41,834.06 50% resident 9 months: $30,997.00 50% non-resident 9 months: $49,244
• ** Students are responsible for additional fees totally approximately $380 for the academic year

In awarding funding from the departmental funds preference is given to students considering the following priority:

Preference priority list

1. The student is enrolled in our Ph.D. program
2. The student is making satisfactory progress toward his/her degree.
3. If a tenure-track faculty member requires an RA, then assignment is based upon needs of the faculty member.
4. If a faculty member requires a GA (e.g., Graduate Studies Director), then assignment is based upon needs of the faculty member.
5. Assistantship assignment will be prioritized to achieve a diversity of characteristics among the departmental graduate students. The department includes, but is not limited to, the following characteristics of students within its funding decisions: area of interest, ethnic and racial background, sex, disability, and country of origin.
6. If a M.S. student is on a thesis track, he/she will be preferred over a non-thesis M.S. student.
7. Continuation of funding will require that the student successfully complete the tasks he/she was assigned the previous semester/year.

If TA positions are available, additional considerations are in the following priority:

Considerations

1. Students who have taken the UIUC TA training will be given priority. International students whose native language is not English are required to pass the SPEAK (Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit) test prior to enrolling in UIUC TA training.
2. Students who have successfully completed certification offered by the UIUC Center for Teaching Excellence, such as the Graduate Teaching Certificate or the Advanced Graduate Teaching Certificate, will be given priority.
3. If the student's advisor is teaching a course that requires a TA, then the student may be assigned to TA the course their advisor is teaching.
4. Students may be assigned to courses they have either taken, have a history as a TA in the course, and/or have an interest in the content of the course.

Other sources of funding:

Many of our graduate students are able to secure funding from sources other than departmental (state) funds. Securing other sources of funding requires students to negotiate directly with individual faculty and/or organizations. Other sources of funding potentially available to graduate students include, but are not limited to:

Other sources of funding

• Assistantships funded by research projects of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism and/or other UIUC faculty
• Assistantships funded through other administrative units on campus (such as the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics or Division of Campus Recreation)
• Stipends or fellowships offered by organizations and agencies outside of campus
• Illini Scholars Graduate Assistantships

For additional financial information, please visit the Graduate College website at www.grad.uiuc.edu/current/financial.htm.