Financial Assistance for MS Students

Application Fee Waiver

Applicants who need assistance with the application fee are encouraged to apply for a fee waiver. Preference is given to low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented minority students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

University Resources

Estimated Expense Budget

The Estimated Expense Budget provides information about the cost of graduate tuition and estimated living expenses for the current academic year.

Full-time MS students in Electrical Engineering typically enroll in 8-10 units each quarter (excluding summer) and complete the degree in five (5) quarters.

Financial Aid Office

The Financial Aid Office can connect you with University and outside resources for funding graduate study, including:

  • Federal student loans
  • Federal work-study assistantships
  • Outside funding
  • Emergency funding

Knight-Hennessy Scholars

The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program cultivates a diverse, multidisciplinary community of emerging leaders from around the world and guides them to collaborate, innovate, and communicate as they prepare to address the complex challenges facing society. Knight-Hennessy Scholars become part of a supportive family of fellow scholars. Through the King Global Leadership Program, scholars will broaden knowledge, develop skills, and strengthen character; this platform provides a collection of community experiences, workshops, meetings with leaders, domestic and global study trips, and personal development opportunities. Knight-Hennessy Scholars also receive funding for graduate study at Stanford University. Apply at https://kh.stanford.edu/apply. The application deadline is October 14, 2020 at 1:00 pm Pacific Time.

Departmental Financial Support

The below table summarizes the primary departmental funding options available to MS students after initial enrollment. Please note that positions are limited and preference is given to PhD students. MS students are not eligible for grants, scholarships, or fellowships from our department. We encourage prospective students to apply for external awards and to explore options available through the Financial Aid Office to secure aid before enrollment.

 Course AssistantshipResearch Assistantship

Responsibilities

Assist a faculty member who has primary responsibility for a course. Duties vary but do not include classroom teaching. Duties may include:

  • Assisting in the preparation of lecture materials and running laboratory sessions.
  • Conducting review sessions and grading exams.
  • Holding office hours.
  • Monitoring or maintaining existing course web sites.

Work on a research project under the supervision of a faculty member. Specific duties and expectations are determined upon mutual agreement with the faculty member.Who is Eligible

Graduate students who:

  • have been enrolled at Stanford for at least one quarter,
  • are in good academic standing (3.8-4.0 GPA),
  • have taken the course for which they are applying or a more advanced course in the same subject area,
  • received an "A" letter grade or better in the relevant course, and
  • apply and are selected through the department's quarterly CA application process.

Graduate students who receive approval from a faculty member with sufficient funding. The faculty member may ask the student to complete one or more quarters of EE 390/391 (research for credit) before agreeing to provide a research assistantship.

Time CommitmentAssistantship appointments are made for a full quarter (3 months of either teaching or research work). Appointment percentage may range from 10% (4 hours/week) up to 50% (20 hours/week) during the academic year.

Compensation Package

For 50% appointments:

  • Tuition allowance for full-time enrollment (8-10 units)
  • Salary to cover living expenses (see minimum salary rates)
  • Health insurance subsidy (50% of insurance premium, if enrolled in Cardinal Care)

For appointments of less than 50%, the compensation package is prorated accordingly.

For More InformationConsult the CA Appointments section of the EE website.Contact the faculty member with whom you are interested in doing research. Links to EE faculty profiles may be found in the Faculty section of the EE website.

Additional opportunities for financial support include EE course grader positions and teaching assistantships in other departments (e.g., Computer Science, Physics).

External Financial Support

The University recommends that prospective students apply for fellowships or grants from national, international, industrial, or foundation sources for which they may be eligible. Information may be obtained from college or university financial aid or career counseling offices, from other references found in university libraries, or on the Internet.

For a list of nationally competitive fellowships available to Stanford students, see the Outside Funding page of the Financial Aid website.

Students receiving an external award that provides a non-tuition stipend may be eligible to receive a health insurance subsidy from the University. For more information, see the Cardinal Care Subsidy page of the Financial Aid website. To receive the subsidy, students must send a copy of their award letter to the EE department by September of each academic year.

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