Aid & Awards

Most Ph.D. students in mathematics receive a Graduate Teaching Assistantship and support is usually provided for a five-year period. Teaching assistants (TAs) receive a University Tuition Scholarship (a service-free award that pays all tuition costs), student health insurance coverage, and a stipend. For 2026-27, the stipend is $36,500. Read more about the duties and training of teaching assistants.

The Department of Mathematics offers several internal awards per year for incoming students. These awards are called the Arenstorf Fellowships and come with an additional stipend of $5,000 for 1–2 years.

Some highly qualified applicants are awarded University Graduate Fellowships that provide an additional stipend up to $5,000. Also, the Graduate School awards several Provost’s Graduate Fellowships that provide an additional $10,000 to incoming U.S. citizens and permanent residents with outstanding potential.

The Graduate School offers a variety stipends to help support students during their graduate studies, including the Launching Student Success stipend ($2,000 one time supplement for new students), the Regalia Reimbursement, the Candidacy Success Supplement ($500 supplement), the Vanderbilt Award for Doctoral Discovery, and the Provost Pathbreaking Discovery Award: https://gradschool.vanderbilt.edu/costandfunding/phd/

The Graduate School also provides support for travel, up to $1,000 per student per year.

Students who do not have financial aid pay tuition of $2,215 per credit hour.

Read more about funding opportunities for graduate students, as well as departmental scholarships.