Department Funding Opportunities
GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS-ASSOCIATESHIPS
Assistantships (Masters students) and Associateships (Doctoral students) are awarded through contracts for the Academic Year (AY = fall and spring) or Semester (fall or spring) and must be renewed annually. Refer to the terms of the original Letter of Offer or your major's degree program handbook. The current Academic Year (major semester) salaries and the summer hourly student wages are provided at the link above.
Individual faculty members and research scientists affiliated with the department provide these opportunities; the department administration does not have employment opportunities to support student stipends/salaries. The official Letter of Offer outlines the terms and the period covered by the award, Academic Year or specific Semester.
If you want to be hired (new hire or re-hire) as a Graduate Assistant in Teaching or Research, you must apply annually. Positions are not automatically renewed. To be eligible, you must be in Good Academic Standing and making satisfactory academic progress, i.e. official forms up-to-date and making good progress in course work and research effort (if applicable). See your current faculty advisor or supervisor regarding new or continued funding requests. All positions are part-time hires indicated by the Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) of a standard 40-hour work week. Students are not permitted to work full-time during the Academic Year (fall and spring semesters).
- In most (but not all) cases, students hired at 0.25 FTE or 0.33 FTE* (quarter-time and third-time positions) receive the following:
- Salary-stipend (see PDF above for current AY salaries-hourly summer wage rates)
- Full individual student health insurance coverage for the period of hire (full 12 months if hired fall and spring)
- Tuition scholarship covering 50% of the resident tuition fee
- Non-Arizona Residents: The Graduate College also provides a full waiver of the non-resident tuition fee
- Not covered: Mandatory Miscellaneous Fees, Special Course Fees, and similar Bursar fees
- Refer to the Notice of Appointment contract for full details
- Sponsored Students: Some Sponsors provide partial or full coverage of resident and non-resident fees (sponsor payments are applied first)
- In most (but not all) cases, students hired at 0.50 FTE* (half-time positions) receive the following:
- Salary-stipend (see PDF above for current AY salaries-hourly summer wage rates)
- Full individual student health insurance coverage for the period of hire (12 months if hired fall and spring)
- Tuition scholarship covering 100% of the resident tuition fee
- Non-Arizona Residents: The Graduate College also provides a full waiver of the non-resident tuition fee
- Not covered: Mandatory Miscellaneous Fees, Special Course Fees, and similar Bursar fees
- Refer to the Notice of Appointment contract document for full hiring details
- Sponsored Students: Some Sponsors provide partial or full coverage of resident and non-resident fees (sponsor payments are applied first)
*FTE = Percentage hire based on a Full Time Equivalent salary. The Full Time Equivalent salary may vary depending on degree program (MS vs. PHD), duties (teaching or research), or length of time in program (new vs. continuing--Pre-Comprehensive Exam or near completion--Post-Comprehensive Exam).
TUITION SCHOLARSHIP & FELLOWSHIP AWARDS top
Through funding provided annually by the Graduate College and administered through the College of Science, the department provides partial tuition scholarships (typical range $1000-2500) and partial fellowship awards (typical range $500-$1000) for eligible students (official majors) currently enrolled in the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences. The minimum award is typically valued at $500; no specific amounts are guaranteed from semester to semester or year to year.
DEADLINE: Tuition scholarship and fellowship award application deadline is generally late summer (date to be announced) for the forthcoming academic year for awards that must be posted before the first day of classes for Fall Semester. If additional funds are available for the Spring Semester, a second call for applications will occur near the end of the Fall Semester.
PERIOD OF AWARD: Tuition scholarships may only be applied to a student's Bursar account during the major semesters of Fall and Spring. Awards cannot be made for Summer Session (mid-May through mid-August) or Winter Session (mid-December through mid-January).
APPLICATION: The department's graduate program coordinator will notify students if and when funds become available and will extend a call for applications. This is an internal departmental process. Applications are not submitted through Scholarship Universe. It is important to note:
- The department does not have funding to provide a full fellowship/stipend to cover the cost of living or a full 100% tuition scholarship to cover both the resident and non-resident fees.
- Please do not request a full maximum-value award (e.g. $15,000 for both resident and non-resident tuition fees), or you increase your risk of receiving no award.
- If you will receive financial aid through the Office of Student Financial Aid (e.g. subsidized loans), please provide information on the form when describing all sources of funding.
HOW THEY WORK: Tuition scholarships will be applied only to resident (in-state) or non-resident (out-of-state) fees on the student's Bursar account. Fellowship funds may be used to pay mandatory miscellaneous fees, a student health insurance premium, special course fees for lab or field courses, or similar charges on the student's bursar account. Students may also request fellowship funds for attending conferences (e.g. costs associated with travel, conference registration, approved per diem expenses).
ENDOWED SHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES top
Scholarship applications are made prior to the Academic Year in which they are disbursed. The following scholarships for the next Academic Year (Fall and Spring Semesters) will be available to students enrolled in the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences who meet specific eligibility requirements (requirements may vary).
- Donald R. Davis Scholarship Endowment for Undergraduate Excellence
- John W. Harshbarger Memorial Endowment
- Chester C. Kisiel Fellowship for Graduate Research on Applications of Statistics in Hydrology
- E. Philip Krider Endowed Undergraduate or Graduate Scholarship in Atmospheric Sciences)
- Shlomo and Yael Neuman Hydrology Endowment
- Sol D. Resnick Scholarship for Graduate Research Programs in Hydrology
- Eugene S. Simpson Prize in Groundwater Hydrology
TIMELINE: Endowed scholarship applications begin in early spring and winners announced in late spring or early summer for the following Academic Year.
PERIOD OF AWARD: Awards will be disbursed during the subsequent Academic Year to continuing students. If you will graduate in the same Spring Semester when applications are submitted or one of the following Summer Terms, do not apply for these awards. If it is determined that you will complete degree requirements prior to the intended semesters of disbursement, you will be deemed ineligible and your application withdrawn from consideration.
APPLICATION: Please go to the Scholarship Universe online application system. The Scholarship Universe system will match you to scholarships based on how you answer the profile questions, so please answer all questions. You may feel like you're answering the same question in different ways, but they are all important for your qualification profile.
1) Login to Scholarship Universe with your UA Net ID and password.
2) Answer ALL the questions in the PROFILE Tab. This step may take up to 30 minutes if you've never created a profile before. Your answers will be used to match you to UArizona and Non-UArizona scholarships for which you may be eligible to apply for year-round.
3) Look under the SCHOLARSHIPS Tab and your ELIGIBLE folder for blue-colored scholarships with a deadline of (TBA). Click on one to open it. UArizona scholarships will be blue and non-UArizona scholarships will be orange. You may be eligible for other UArizona scholarships, so read the description to confirm it is from the College of Science and/or the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences.
4) Scroll down to the APPLY HERE section of the scholarship you opened. You will see instructions about how to apply. Some scholarship applications can be linked to multiple scholarships which may possibly qualify you for multiple awards.
5) Follow all of the instructions in the APPLY HERE section. You must upload all of the items required for each scholarship and complete the entire application to be eligible for the award.
6) Return to one of your College of Science or Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences scholarships and select your documents from the appropriate dropdown menu in the APPLY HERE section.
7) NOTE: If the application requires a Letter of Recommendation (LOR), please complete this step immediately as you must send an email request through the online application system to the individual from whom you are requesting the LOR. It's important to allow that person adequate time to respond. In your email message, be sure to include these details:
- Who you are
- What scholarship you are applying for and the requirements
- Why you chose him or her to write your LOR (e.g. we worked together in your research lab, I was a TA or preceptor for your course, you are my research supervisor and know my qualifications)
- The scholarship deadline so they can submit the LOR through the link provided before the deadline
- Your contact information (email, phone) so they can contact you
- Ask them to confirm--on receipt of your email--if they can, or cannot, meet the deadline. If they cannot, just login to the Scholarship Universe system and request a LOR from another individual.
- Check back periodically to see if they have submitted the LOR.
- IMPORTANT: Even though you may have completed the application and submitted all required documents, if the LOR is not submitted, your application is marked INCOMPLETE.
8) Once you verify that all of the scholarship application requirements are uploaded and the LOR has been submitted (if required), you are done!
If you have any questions, please contact Lupe Romero at romerog@arizona.edu or 520-621-.6831.
FAQs top
Q: I am graduating in May (Spring Semester) or August (Summer Sessions). Do I still qualify for the HAS Scholarships to be awarded for the next Academic Year?
A: The university's Scholarship Universe system has been set up to match a HAS student based on his or her current status. The matching data field has been set to equal "Full Time." However, only continuing students who will be enrolled for the full upcoming Academic Year (Fall and Spring) will be eligible for the HAS scholarships. We apologize for the confusion.
Q: I received one of the HAS scholarships last year (or in another previous year). Do I qualify again for the same scholarship?
A: Yes, we encourage you to apply again. You have a great opportunity to receive the scholarship again. We want to ensure we continue the ongoing support of our students.
Q: Can I apply for more than one scholarship?
A: Yes, you can apply to all of the scholarships that you are matched with. Retention of our students and ensuring they are financially supported is our top priority.
Q: If I am hired as an RA or TA, can I still apply for these scholarships?
A: Yes, these scholarships do not interfere for either RA or TA funding. They can supplement your graduate assistant/associate funding.
Q: Is a FAFSA form required for all scholarships?
A: No, only a scholarship that lists "financial need" as one of the criteria for selection requires submission of a FAFSA. If financial need is required, an international student would not be eligible to apply because he or she is not eligible to submit a FAFSA. The University of Arizona's office of Global Initiatives requires that each international student provide a bank or government certification of full financial resources to cover 100% of their tuition and living expenses. This document, known as the Financial Guarantee, is required of every international student before she or he can obtain a visa to study in the U.S. However, not all scholarships are based on financial need. In those cases, an international student might be eligible to apply if she or he met the other eligibility requirements.
