The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers financial assistance in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, fellowships, and scholarships to exceptional incoming graduate students. Teaching assistantships, some fellowships, and scholarships are administered by the department. Research assistantships, some fellowships, and scholarships are administered by the various areas of specialization and/or individual faculty members.
Your application for admission will automatically be considered for financial assistance from the department. You do not need to submit a separate application for teaching assistantships or fellowships. However, the department makes decisions about admission and assistantships at different times. You may receive an offer of admission and then, at some later point in time, a separate offer of financial assistance.
The department offers up to 50 Fellowships and Teaching Assistantships that cover tuition and fees, as well as a $2,500 monthly stipend, for incoming Ph.D. students. In addition, the department offers approximately 6 fellowships that provide a stipend of $5,000 on average, as well as over 200 scholarships offering a stipend of $1,000. All of these awards make students eligible for in-state tuition and fees (an additional benefit of about $9,000 for international and out-of-state students).
Research Assistantships (RAs)
Research assistantships are offered by the faculty based on the student’s background, research interests, and their match to the faculty‘s research projects. The Graduate Office does not have the resources to help you find an assistantship. You should reach out to the faculty and ask about their funding availability. Please only reach out to faculty members with whom you are genuinely interested in working. Tell them what is in their research you would like to learn more about. Make it a conversation. Do not just email and ask if they have funding; instead, consider reaching out to them directly. Emailing a professor and not starting a conversation is a sure way to get your email deleted.
Several of our faculty members are actively involved in various research projects, and exceptional students often are offered research assistantships by the faculty before they arrive on campus. The students are advised to contact the faculty in their areas of interest for consideration for research assistantships. The areas of specialization, which briefly summarize research programs and faculty interests, are enclosed to help you contact the appropriate faculty.
RAs provide a monthly stipend (minimum $2,500), as well as in-state tuition payment, and are provided by individual faculty members. Sometimes, this also covers tuition and fees. This will be up to the professor granting the assistantship. Inquiries regarding RAs should be directed to the faculty member you want to work with.
Teaching Assistantships (TAs)
TAs provide the same support as an RA (stipend plus tuition). The teaching assistant is assigned to teach laboratory courses within the department.
Requirements for international students
International students must pass the English Language Proficiency Examination (ELPE) administered by Texas A&M before they can be eligible for a TA position. Incoming international students with a TA offer can arrange to take and pass the ELPE via Zoom before starting as a TA at Texas A&M. An international student must receive a bachelor’s degree following 4 years of study at a US-accredited institution to be exempted from taking the ELPE.
International students who do not have a current TA offer are encouraged to sign up to take the ELPE upon arrival on campus so that they may be considered for TAs in future semesters.
Departmental TAships
-
ECEN Department TAships (Up to 25 TAships available to incoming PhD students in Fall 2027, and up to another 200 $1,000 scholarships for both Master’s and PhD students that allow recipients to pay in-state tuition.)
Teaching Assistant Application (TA)
Incoming students will be contacted if offered one as part of the admission package. For international students, specific English proficiency requirements must be met in order to be eligible to hold a TAship. Details will be included in the offer letter.
Fellowships
The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department offers a range of fellowship opportunities, including those from the department, the university, and external sources. These fellowships are available to both domestic and international applicants. All admitted applicants will be considered for internal fellowship opportunities. There is no separate application for you to submit, aside from your Engineering CAS application, to be considered for departmental fellowships. For external sources of funding, the applicant must contact the funding source directly.
The graduate admissions committee will prepare and submit your fellowship applications. Upload a copy of your CV to Engineering CAS. To be considered for the departmental fellowships, please submit your Engineering CAS application no later than February 1. Tuition, mandatory fees, and insurance are covered.
Departmental Fellowships
The following fellowships will be awarded at $35,750 each for the duration of 9 months during Fall 2027 & Spring 2028. The stipend will be $2,500 per month. Total tuition and fees will amount to $13,250.
All eligible students will be automatically considered for these fellowships.
- Ebensberger Fellowship (2 available)
- Fouraker Fellowship (2 available)
- Del Whitaker ’65 Analog Fellowship (1 available in analog area. Domestic students only.)
- Thomas Powell Fellowship (3 available in power area. 2 for domestic students, 1 for international students.)
- Whitaker Fellowship (2 available)
- ECEN Fellowships (3 available)
- Qualcomm Fellowships (7 available)
- Microtune Fellowship (1 available)
- Texas Instruments UIDP Fellowship (3 available. Domestic students. 4-year support)
Other Fellowships
- Chancellor fellowships (available for graduate studies, 4-year support. For more info: https://hias.tamu.edu/stem-fellowship/)
For more information on our department assistantships and fellowships, please email us at ecengradprograms@tamu.edu. We will be happy to answer any questions.
Departmental Scholarships
- For all incoming students: The department will offer up to 200 $1,000 scholarships to incoming students on a competitive basis. These scholarships also qualify the recipient to be eligible for the in-state tuition rate for the remainder of the year. This can represent approximately $9,000 in tuition savings. You may not have an RA, TA, or Fellowship if you receive this award.
- For Master’s and PhD students: (6 $5,000 fellowships available)
Please email ecengradprograms@tamu.edu for more information.