All psychology graduate students admitted to a Ph.D. program receive assistantships or other jobs that facilitate and enhance their educational goals. Financial assistance is most frequently available to graduate students in the form of teaching and graduate assistantships from the Department of Psychology. Several research assistantships are also awarded to students to work on projects funded by grants and administered by the individual faculty members responsible for the projects. Additional assistantships are available through the Office of Student Affairs and other administrative departments at the university.
The basic graduate assistantship in the department is a half-time (20 hours/week) nine-month (academic year) appointment The stipend for a half-time academic year appointment for the 2024-2025 academic year is $20,264. Students on a graduate assistantship will also receive a tuition scholarship. Ph.D. students on a half-time appointment will have their tuition fully covered by this scholarship (you will only need to pay university fees).
Program Costs and Assistantship or Fellowship Support
Graduate students admitted to our program typically receive funding for up to five years as long as they remain in good standing. The following standard support package requires 20 hours per week of work for the nine-month academic year:
- Taxable stipend of $20,264 for the academic year
- Full tuition waiver per academic year of $12,884 for in state residents and $29,738 for out of state residents
- Paid “single student” health insurance with an estimated value of $2,820 per calendar year
- The department will pay $189 toward student fees per year.
Students are required to pay a composite university fee of $727.45 per semester. Additional funding sources, accorded on a competitive basis, include:
- Diane Brandt Scholarship for Women – financial assistance for women in science, engineering, math, and other fields in which women have traditionally been underrepresented.
- George A. Jackson Award – financial assistance for masters and doctoral students who identify as African American, American Indian, Hispanic/Latinx, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.
- Iowa State Ronald E. McNair Scholarship – financial assistance for students who are current or past participants in the federally funded Ronald E. McNair Postbaccaluareate Achievement Program.
Additional Funding
Minority applicants are urged to submit an application to the American Psychological Association Minority Fellowship Program. Information and application forms may be obtained from: Director, APA Minority Fellowship Program, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242; 202-336-6027; http://www.apa.org/pi/mfp/index.aspx.