Funding & Finances FAQ

For Entering and New Students

  • Graduate Assistant Tuition Fellowships
  • Diversity Graduate Assistantships
  • McNair Graduate Assistantships
  • NM HED Fellowship/Assistantships
  • The Paul D Coverdell Fellowship at NMSU for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

Graduate Assistant Tuition Fellowships

The Graduate School awards tuition fellowships, based on departmental nominations and available funding, to graduate assistants in order to aid students and to help departments recruit outstanding graduate students to their programs.

Master’s degree students may receive up to 2 years of support and doctoral degree students may receive up to three years of support, depending on the award. Not all awards are multi-year in nature. For those that are, in order for students to qualify for a second and third year of support, the graduate students must maintain their status as graduate assistants for the duration of the tuition fellowship period. These awards are for students receiving 10 hour and 20 hour graduate assistantships. The tuition fellowships do not include fees.

Diversity Graduate Assistantships

The diversity awards are allocated to departments on a competitive basis to help increase the diversity and quality of the student body. Matching support is required to win one of these awards for your student. The diversity award can be used to recruit domestic students. Please note that the award is for an academic year. Departments will need to commit funds to the selected student for at least one additional semester, or preferably a year.

The selected student must be admitted to the department prior to applying for the diversity award.

McNair Graduate Assistantships

The Graduate School wishes to support and recognize the success of the McNair program by offering several McNair Graduate Assistantships for one academic year with a match of one year from a department.

State of New Mexico Department of Higher Education (NMHED) Graduate Scholarship Programs

The State of New Mexico Higher Education Department Graduate Scholarship Program offers Graduate Fellowships/Assistantships for women and minority persons who are citizens or permanent U.S. residents and who are a first year student or a student that is beginning graduate studies in any graduate department at the master’s or doctoral level at NMSU. The selected student must be admitted to a graduate program prior to applying for this award.

NMHED fellowships carry stipends of $7,200 per annum and matched with half-time (10 hours per week) teaching assistantship provided by the student’s department for a total award of $15,800.

The total amount of this award is based on the salary for a 20 hour graduate assistantship and usually increases from year to year, based on raises awarded by the State of New Mexico.

Fellowships are available for two years for master’s students and four years for doctoral students. One of the NMHED fellowships is, when possible, designated for a McNair Scholar.

In order for the student to establish financial need, students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form available in the Financial Aid Office. This form is not to be returned to the Graduate School. The form must be mailed to the Federal Student Aid Programs address listed on the application or submitted via computer at the Financial Aid Office. The results will be sent to the student and the Financial Aid Office . Students must have a complete file and have been approved for financial aid to be considered for this fellowship.   Preference will be given to those students that have a current FAFSA form on file at the NMSU Financial Aid office.

The Paul D Coverdell Fellowship at NMSU for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers – RPCVs – often find that after their time in the Peace Corps, they have an even deeper desire to help others. One way for RPCVs to continue their passion to serve others is to begin a Graduate School program of study. It’s a logical next step for many, but it can be difficult to find funding for their graduate studies. The NMSU Graduate School and the Paul D. Coverdell Fellowship help make graduate studies possible for RPCVs. The Coverdell Fellowship is specifically for aiding qualified RPCVs in pursuing a master’s degree, doctoral degree, or professional certificate.
 
NMSU is a proud Fellowship partner with the Peace Corps’ Coverdell Fellowship, administering both tuition support and a 10-hour per week Graduate Assistantship for qualified RPCV applicants who choose a graduate program of study with the College of Health, Education, & Social Transformation (HEST) or the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES).
 
The same action-oriented service opportunities that attracted Peace Corps Volunteers to serve overseas are embedded in the service requirement of a Coverdell Fellowship. Each Coverdell fellow completes a minimum 300 hours per academic year internship to serve or to benefit a significantly under-resourced segment of their local community; 300 hours is equivalent to a 10-hour graduate assistantship in the fall and spring semesters.
 
For more information on the HEST and ACES Coverdell Fellowship opportunities and programs of study, please visit these webpages:  HEST Coverdell Fellowship and  ACES Coverdell Fellowship. For more information on eligibility requirements for the Paul D. Coverdell Fellowship, visit the Peace Corps website,  here.