Financial Benefits
Fellows and Master’s International students at Illinois State University receive financial support through the following methods:
Graduate Assistantships
Fellows and Master’s International students awarded graduate assistantships currently receive a stipend of $871-915 per month during the Fall and Spring semesters of their on-campus work, which is usually one calendar year. Graduate Assistants are required to work up to 20 hours per week in exchange for these awards. Some assistantships involve work in the academic departments, while other assistantships require work with local non-profit organizations or government agencies.
To be eligible for a graduate assistantship, newly admitted students need to have achieved at least a 2.8 grade point average for the last 60 hours of their undergraduate coursework. To remain eligible once enrolled, students need to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better.
Availability of graduate assistantships is contingent upon the programmatic needs of the Center, the programmatic needs of academic departments, and/or allocation of funds for the positions.
Full Two-Year Tuition Waiver
Year 1: Graduate assistantships include a full waiver of all tuition charges during that semester and the following summer. Graduate assistants must pay all student, health insurance, and other fees, as do other graduate students at Illinois State University. (Graduate assistants with appointments totaling at least 50% during fall or spring are eligible for reimbursement of the Student Insurance fee assessed for that term.)
Year 2: Fellows and Master’s International students also receive full tuition waivers for their professional practice:
- 11-Month Paid Professional Internship, with student fees often reduced (Fellows)
- Peace Corps service, with student fees waived (Master’s International)
Over a two-year period of participation in the Fellows Programs or Master’s International Program, the tuition waivers are worth up to $24,921.
Fellows: Paid Professional Internship
Fellows currently receive a stipend of $1,804 per month during their second-year 11-month internship. The kinds of skills applied and level of responsibility during the internship allow students to pursue developmental work both in the U.S. and overseas. Most Fellows receive job offers from their host organizations.
Availability of internships is contingent upon the programmatic needs of the Center and/or allocation of funds for the positions.
Master’s International Students: Peace Corps Service
Master’s International students receive the same financial support during Peace Corps service as the other volunteers in their country and in their program receive. These benefits include travel costs to and from the country of service, living and housing expenses while serving overseas, medical and dental coverage, vacation time and allowance, and a readjustment allowance of $7,425 upon completion of service. See Peace Corps for more information.
Other Benefits
The Stevenson Center may be able to offer AmeriCorps Member status and benefits to some graduate students as they serve communities in Illinois through their graduate assistantships or internships. A benefit of successful AmeriCorps service is the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of up to $5,550.
For additional financial aid, please contact Illinois State University’s Financial Aid Office .
