Financial Aid

Financial aid is available for outstanding applicants for the Ph.D. in Statistical Science and for the Ph.D. in Biostatistics. In both programs the financial aid covers SMU tuition, fees, and a health insurance subsidy.

Ph.D. in Statistical Science

Entering students are eligible for Teaching Assistantships for which the stipend is $22,500 per academic year (September – May). TAs typically meet with undergraduates in small lab sessions, hold office hours, and/or assist in grading undergraduate course assignments. Summer support is often available (to serve as a TA or in some cases to teach summer courses). Since there is no summer coursework in the Statistical Science program, students often seek outside funding through summer internships. This past summer six Statistical Science Ph.D. students had internships at: Frito Lay, Sabre, Capital One, Sanofi Pasture, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Elite Research.

Third and fourth year students can be funded on Research Assistantships. These students (GRAs) are typically paid by a research grant and work closely with the faculty member who has the grant. The academic year support for GRAs is typically the same as for TAs ($22,500); however, GRA support may extend through the summer months. During the last two years, GRA support has included internships at Baylor Medical Center and at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas (UTSW) and five students funded on faculty grants.

Ph.D. in Biostatistics

Ph.D. students in the Biostatistics Ph.D. program are funded on Fellowships for their first two years. These fellowship stipends are $28,000 per calendar year. There are no TA or GRA duties associated with these fellowships, and students are required to take 4 courses per semester for the first two years instead of the typical 3 course load taken by Ph.D. students in Statistical Science. Additionally, since the funding is for the calendar year, the students are involved in research projects either in UTSW labs, supporting SMU or UTSW statistics /biostatistics researchers, or other approved activities.

During years 3-4, students making appropriate progress are funded on research grants, primarily by researchers at UTSW.