The different kinds of financial aid are described here, taken directly from the University web page on graduate student financial aid.
Teaching assistants (TA) are required to perform teaching and other instructional activities. As with any professional appointment, the amount of service may vary from week to week but the average is usually expected to be 20 hours per week.
Research assistantships (RA) are generally funded by research grants and contracts provided by external funding agencies. Research assistantships require twenty hours of service or research a week. The amount of service or research may vary from week to week but the average is usually expected to be 20 hours per week. Research assistants are expected to work on their assigned research projects during winter session and may be required to work during summer as well.
Graduate assistantships are awarded by academic departments and other University offices to students in exchange for work. Graduate assistants are employed for twenty hours a week in a variety of capacities as administrative assistants to University faculty and administrators. These tasks may or may not be related to the student's program. The amount of service may vary from week to week but the average is usually expected to be 20 hours per week.
Tuition assistantships provide tuition but do not pay a stipend. They are awarded according to the same rules that govern all graduate student assistantships and the compensation is the payment of the student's tuition. State and federal income tax is assessed on the value of the tuition when the student is a full tuition assistant.
University fellowships are awarded on the basis of nominations by the graduate departments and programs to students with regular, full-time status and high academic standing. Fellowships usually provide full tuition and a stipend. There are three categories of University fellowships: block fellowships, competitive fellowships, and President's fellowships.
University fellowships are awarded through a nomination process, which begins with nominations from the faculty to the Graduate Program Committee which selects the Department's nominees. These nominees are submitted to the University committee that decides final fellowship awardees. These fellowships are decided in the spring for the upcoming academic year.
Research assistantships are generally decided by individual faculty who have grants and contracts to support research assistantships participating in their research projects. Students interested in an RA should contact the individual faculty members directly.
Teaching assistantships and tuition assistantships are supported by the CIS Department, and thus decided by the Graduate Program Committee, Graduate Admissions Committee, and the Chair of the CIS Department. Prospective students should indicate in their application for admission that they are interested in being considered for financial aid. Current students should indicate their interest by contacting the Chair of the Graduate Program Committee. Decisions on continuing students' financial aid for fall semester are generally made in early spring, so a current student should contact the Chair of the Graduate Program Committee by February 1 to be considered for financial assistance for the upcoming fall semester. To be considered for financial assistance for the spring semester, a continuing student should contact the Chair of the Graduate Program Committee by October 1. A currently funded student need not make this contact, unless there is an expected change in their situation.
Expectations for funded students and continued funding:
If awarded financial aid and if satisfactory academic progress is maintained along with satisfactory performance of assistantship duties (when applicable), students entering with a bachelor's degree are normally supported up to two years for the M.S. degree, or up to five years for the Ph.D. degree. Students entering with a master's degree are normally supported up to four years for the PhD degree, assuming satisfactory progress toward the degree.
To maintain satisfactory academic progress toward the PhD, those students entering with a bachelor's degree are expected to take and pass the Ph.D. preliminary examination after no more than three semesters of study. Students entering with an M.S. degree in Computer and Information Sciences (or a related area) are expected to take and pass the Ph.D. preliminary examination after one semester of study. In addition, at the time of taking the PhD preliminary examination, students are expected to have a research advisor who speaks highly of their research ability and who is committed to serving as the advisor for their PhD thesis. To maintain satisfactory progress after passing the PhD preliminary exam, students are expected to successfully defend their thesis proposal within a reasonable period of time, certainly no later than two years after passing the PhD preliminary exam.
Students who receive financial aid midway in their studies should speak to the CIS Graduate Committee Chair regarding their expected length of support. With regard to financial aid, Ph.D. students are those who have passed the Preliminary Exam.
Students with a teaching assistantship or tuition assistantship are expected to be registered for a minimum of 9 graduate-level credits each fall and spring semester.
It is important to understand the department and university policies and expectations (written above) for students to continue their funding. The meaning of "satisfactory progress" is of particular significance.
Financial assistance from the CIS department is decided in the following way. In early spring for the next academic year, (and on a smaller scale in fall for spring semester), the Graduate Program Committee reviews the progress of students currently funded through a fellowship, teaching assistantship, or tuition assistantship, and the obligations of the department to their funding commitment. The student's satisfactory progress in their program is determined as well as their performance in their teaching-related duties. Based on this determination, students may be recommended for continued funding, and letters offering continued funding for the next semester or next academic year are given to those students.
At the same time, currently non-funded students who have recently passed the PhD preliminary examinations in January are reviewed; if the students have a committed research advisor who supports the quality of their research, these students are generally offered funding for the upcoming year, if not already offered a research assistantship by a faculty member. In addition, top performing students who have an outstanding recommendation regarding research capability and commitment to pursuit of a PhD may be offered Department support. Then, a certain number of positions are made available for prospective graduate students.
When all responses from continuing and prospective students who have been offered funding have been returned, sometimes there are some open positions. At this time, any current students who have not been offered funding yet, and who have expressed interest in funding, are considered for the open positions. The decision is based primarily on research participation to date, professor recommendations, and academic performance in classes so far. Note that these are in all likelihood students who have not yet passed the PhD preliminary exam.
In very rare circumstances, an open position becomes available very late, possibly as late as the week before classes start. In that case, the same criteria are used to determine a candidate from the pool of current students who are interested in financial assistance. However, students should not rely on such circumstances in their planning.
International students who are awarded Department support will be required to attend ELI (English Language Institute), as this is a requirement for being a teaching assistant. A good ELI score will significantly enhance continuing TA possibilities for international students. International students who are being considered for Department support at the last minute will be required to pass the ELI SPEAK test at an acceptable level prior to the award being made, and then to attend ELI prior to the second semester of funding.