Nearly all of our Ph.D. students receive full financial support in the form of fellowships, graduate research assistantships, and teaching assistantships throughout their Ph.D. program. The financial support covers full tuition, a generous stipend and health insurance coverage.
Corporate-sponsored Ph.D. students may receive a combination of company support, fellowship, graduate research assistantships, and teaching assistantships. Please see your specific company’s academic plan and funding options.
Fellowships
Typically, our fellowship offers will be made to the strongest applicants and usually last only one semester or one year, depending on the type of fellowship. For fellowships that last longer than one year, stipends tend to be slightly higher for the first year. Applicants who are awarded fellowships enter the program without any formal obligations (such as teaching or research for a specific sponsored project) for the duration of the fellowship itself.
Diversity Fellowships
Systems Engineering offers several fellowships supporting diversity and encourages qualified applicants (U.S. citizens or permanent residents only) to apply for them. The four available fellowships are, (1) Sloan Fellowship, (2) Colman Fellowship, (3) Sage Fellowship, and (4) Diversity Fellowship. Each of these funding opportunities is geared towards providing aid for applicants that meet several of the following criteria:
- A history of overcoming disadvantage
- First-generation college student
- Raised in a single-parent household
- Member of an under-represented minority group (American Indian or Alaskan Native, Black/African American, Mexican American, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, Puerto Rican, Other Hispanic)
If you meet the criteria listed above, we encourage you to submit a diversity essay in your online application that clearly demonstrates how any of these eligibility criteria apply to you. Please be sure to include a sentence or two at the conclusion of your Statement of Purpose indicating that you have submitted a diversity essay and that you hope to be considered for one of these fellowship opportunity.
Graduate Research Assistantship
The graduate research assistantship is is the most common type of financial support, and is given to a student whose research interests coincide with a faculty member’s sponsored research project. Ph.D. students typically serve as graduate research assistants for most of the semesters they are enrolled in the program. The faculty member making the offer will become the student’s advisor and committee chair upon entering the systems program, and will provide funding for the Ph.D. student.
Students receiving a graduate research assistantship receive funds that cover full tuition expenses and a stipend for the academic year. They have no teaching obligations, and are expected to immediately begin focusing on research in the group of the faculty member who made the offer. These assistantships are typically offered to continuing—rather than incoming— students. Stipends are typically paid bi-weekly. Summer support appointments are made separately.
Teaching Assistantship
Teaching assistantship offers come directly from Systems Engineering. Admitted applicants are expected to perform the required duties of a teaching assistant—assisting a faculty member in administering a class—during at least one semester of their program. Duties include grading, managing a course website, leading discussion sections, holding office hours, or other tasks. There is a maximum limit to the number of hours a student can be expected to devote to their duties. Please consult the Cornell Policy on Graduate Assistantships for further details and expectations.
Teaching assistant positions are a very valuable piece of a student’s experience. Being a teaching assistant helps reinforce your knowledge of the subject matter and is an attractive addition to your resumé. Colleges and universities value teaching experience when considering job applicants in academia, especially for tenure track positions. While teaching assistant positions require additional work, they offer important benefits and many teaching assistants enjoy helping others learn and become more confident in systems engineering. Stipends are typically paid bi-weekly.