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Department of Psychological Sciences
Financial Information

Graduate Student Assistantships for Doctoral and ABA Master’s Students

Applicants for the PhD programs (Clinical, CaBS, and I-O) and ABA master’s program are automatically considered for assistantships. There is no separate application.
No assistantships are provided for I-O Online MS students.*

Assistantships

  • Doctoral students typically receive one of the following assistantships upon entry to doctoral program

    • Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA)

    • Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA)

    • Graduate Assistantship (GA)

  • By default, assistantships are for 20 hours per week (.50 FTE) for 12 months.

  • Doctoral student stipends for a 20-hour assistantship are $1800 per month ($21,600 per year) prior to earning the MS degree within our doctoral program, and $2200 per month ($26,400 per year) after earning the MS degree within our doctoral program. Students with a master's degree and approved master's thesis from another program may pursue exemption from our thesis requirement and receive the higher rate if the exemption is approved.

  • Generally, doctoral students receive up to 5 years of support depending on strong progress and available funding

  • ABA master’s students' stipends are $1600 per month ($19,200 per year), and students receive up to 2 years of support depending on strong progress and available funding

Tuition Fellowship with a minimum .33 FTE assistantship

  • Covers both in-state and out-of-state tuition for up to 15 semester credit hours each semester

  • Can cover up to 110% of the number of credit hours required for the student’s Ph.D. program

  • Assistantship Enrollment Fee

    • Paid by students each semester they have assistantship

    • $758 per semester Fall and Spring; $350 Summer semester

Health Insurance: Graduate Student Group Health Plan (GSGHP)

  • Students with at least .25 FTE assistantship for fall and/or spring semesters are enrolled automatically in GSGHP

  • Student's cost (after $1000 Graduate School subsidy) is $853 for single student coverage for the 12-month academic year (e.g., 8/16/23 through 8/15/24)

  • Students with equivalent or greater coverage through another source may petition to opt out of the GSGHP

  • Complete information on cost, coverage and opt-out procedures

For Clinical Doctoral Students

Additional Assistantship Information

First-year doctoral students in the Clinical program are typically supported through Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs). After the first year, clinical students typically receive their assistantships through a clinical placement, although they may also pursue GTA positions if deemed appropriate. The program also offers research assistant (GRA) positions, depending on available funds. Students are responsible for incidental costs of attendance (e.g., parking passes, textbooks).

For CaBS Doctoral Students

Additional Assistantship Information

First-year doctoral students in the CaBS program are typically supported through Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs). After the first year, CaBS students are supported through GTAs or Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) funding through faculty advisor contracts and grants. After completing the Masters, graduate students may pursue funding as an Instructor of Record. Students are responsible for incidental costs of attendance (e.g., parking passes, textbooks).

For ABA Master’s Students

Additional Assistantship Information

The ABA Program has in recent years operated an Agency Fellowship Program. This initiative involves state and private agencies sponsoring fellowships for ABA graduate students in return for the student agreeing to either one or two years of employment with the agency after they graduate. The purpose of the fellowships is two-fold: (1) to provide financial support for ABA students, who are not permitted to work during their time in the program; and (2) to assure that the sponsoring agency will be able to employ a graduate of the program for at least one year following graduation.

Fellowship funds are used to sponsor students on a .50-time graduate assistantship, which covers their tuition and provides them with a monthly stipend. Alternatively, students may instead be funded via contracts with local agencies which do not require additional payback years of employment. However, funding via either mechanism is assigned based on availability and merit, at the discretion of the contract holder. 

*For MS in I-O Psychology Students

Students in the Industrial and Organizational Psychology Master's program are not provided graduate assistantships or tuition waivers by the Department of Psychological Sciences. Tuition and fees are not waived for students in the online program who are employed in graduate assistantships at Auburn University. 

Auburn University Student Financial Services

For additional information about student financial services and loan information, please visit Student Financial Services (334-844-4367).