Besides the financial aid available to all University graduate students via student loans, grants, fellowships, and scholarships (students may contact the Financial Aid Office), graduate students accepted to the Nuclear Engineering Program (NEP) are also eligible for two specific other sources of financial assistance:  Teaching Assistantships (TAs) and Research Assistantships (RAs). National Scholarships and Fellowships are available through various off-campus providers.

National Scholarships and Fellowships

Nuclear Engineering and Health Physics Scholarship and Fellowship Program
Naval Nuclear Propulsion Graduate Fellowship
American Nuclear Society Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships

Teaching Assistantships (TAs) 

Teaching Assistantships are awarded semester by semester at the discretion of the professor responsible for the course where a TA is needed.  Selection is made by the professor teaching a particular course based on the professor's need for an assistant in the following semester.  NEP graduate students are given priority as candidates for Teaching Assistantships in all Nuclear Engineering courses.  Since Teaching Assistantships for Nuclear Engineering courses are determined only on a semester basis, students interested in becoming a TA should contact the appropriate professor well in advance in the semester preceding the scheduled course and request consideration for an open TA position.

Research Assistantships (RAs)

Applicants for a Research Assistantship at the Center for Excellence in Nuclear Technology, Engineering, & Research (CENTER) must apply in person after they begin graduate work at the University of Utah.  First-year graduate students are eligible for Research Assistantships, but not before they have begun their academic programs.  While students often want to secure financial assistance ahead of time, CENTER faculty have found that this policy allows for a better match of capabilities and time to provide training that enhances the academic experience for both the RA and the students learning from the RA.  Faculty also want to encourage a vital connection between sponsored research and an individual graduate student's academic program, so priority is given to students who express an interest in research areas related to funded contracts or projects that are currently in progress at the CENTER.

Graduate School Tuition Waiver Benefit

Beginning in 1994, the Graduate School at the University of Utah implemented a tuition waiver benefit program for graduate students.  The program is successful and current plans are to continue the program indefinitely.  Nevertheless, candidates relying on this benefit may want to verify with the University that the program is in continuance for their year(s) of attendance.  For academic year 2006-2007, the scaled tuition waiver benefit stipulates that graduate students who receive at least $5,000 in funding within an academic semester (through Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships, and/or stipends) shall have their tuition for that semester completely waived;  graduate students who receive at least $3,750 qualify for a 75% tuition waiver; and graduate students who receive at least $2,500 qualify for a 50% tuition waiver.  Additional stipulations may apply to this benefit; however, a majority of the RAs and TAs in the Nuclear Engineering Program have qualified for this benefit each semester during the past three years. For more detailed guidelines, see http://www.utah.edu/gradschool/tbp1.html.