Students who receive financial aid (assistantships or fellowships) in the amount of $600 per semester or more will have the non-resident portion of their tuition waived. Students who receive assistantships or fellowships, or a combination of the two (work-study or other employment is not eligible) will receive a scholarship which covers a percentage of the tuition costs. The percentage is determined by Graduate School regulations and depends on the amount of ufnds received by the student and the source of the funds (state vs. grant). Students who accept a tuition scholarship must register for at least 9 hours of graduate credit per semester leading towards a graduate degree.

Foreign students from non-English speaking backgrounds must submit a score of 195 or above on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) which is available as part of the TOEFL in order to be eligible for assistantships as a laboratory assistant. Graduate students employed as Graduate Instructors may be required to submit higher scores on the TSE.

Each year the Electrical Engineering Department receives University funds to support its program with teaching and research assistantships. Students receiving departmental assistantships are assigned duties from 8 - 20 hours per week as teaching or research assistants. Faculty who receive research grants and contracts may support students at higher levels than state funding allows.

The deadline for application for assistantships is March 1. Then, in March, the faculty meet to award assistantships for the following academic year (August - May). A number of assistantships will be used to provide continuing support for graduate assistants already on campus who are doing satisfactory work and showing progress towards their degree. The remaining funds are awarded to applicants on a competitive basis. Factors that increase one's chances for being awarded an assistantship are: a high undergraduate grade point average, high GRE scores, TOEFL over 550 (foreign applicants), good letters of recommendation, and demonstrated ability and interest in electromagnetics. Foreign students from non-English speaking backgrounds must submit a score of 195 or above on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) which is available as part of the TOEFL in order to be eligible for assistantships which require work as a laboratory assistant. All of these factors are taken into account in awarding assistantships, and no single factor is dominant. Note, however, that for students who have not attended the University of Mississippi, standardized scores (GRE & TOEFL) assume added importance.

Persons receiving assistantships are notified in April, and the award begins at the beginning of the next Fall term, in most cases. In general, if progress towards a degree and quality of work performed is satisfactory, graduate assistants can expect to have their assistantship renewed for 2 years for Masters studies, and for 3 years for Doctoral studies. Funds available for new assistantships beginning in a Spring term are generally dependent on the number of December graduates. Consequently, beginning an assistantship in the Spring term is unlikely, and it is not wise to make plans which require such an assistantship.