Financial Aid

A typical Bauer Ph.D. admission offer includes a generous package of financial support to accepted applicants who agree to take on the half-time responsibilities of Graduate Assistant.

Depending on a student's particular circumstances, these packages can provide a student with a total of up to $43,000 for in-state residents and up to $52,000 for out-of-state students.

We occasionally accept self-funded students. Contact the Ph.D. coordinator of your intended field of study for more details regarding self-funding.

There are 6 possible sources of financial support provided to Bauer doctoral students:

  1. Instructional Assistantships (including health insurance)
  2. Bauer Ph.D. Program Fellowship
  3. University-Sponsored Graduate Tuition Fellowship (GTF)
  4. University-sponsored Presidential Fellowships
  5. Teaching
  6. Grants Supporting Research and Travel

Instructional Assistantships

Who gets awarded an Instructional Assistantship?

  • All students accepted for any Bauer Ph.D. program unless your application states that you do not require financial aid.
  • Students who are enrolled full-time. Full-time enrollment requires nine credit hours of coursework in the fall and spring semesters.
  • Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA to have their Instructional Assistantships renewed every academic year.

When do I start? How much will I earn? When do I get paid?

  • You start work as an Instructional Assistant at the beginning of your first Fall semester at Bauer.
  • The basic stipend for a 20-hour per week half-time appointment is approximately $2,600 per month based on a 12-month year. This works out to be a stipend of approximately $30,900 per annum.
  • You will be paid monthly, and your appointment is renewable, assuming satisfactory performance.
  • You will be expected to be available in the department that houses your Ph.D. program one week prior to the beginning of the semester.

Is there any fine print regarding the Instructional Assistantship?

  • YES. Please read the following very carefully.
  • A student accepting an appointment as an Instructional Assistant cannot participate in any other form of paid employment during the nine-month academic year. Failure to abide by this regulation may result in the loss of your financial support and may be a violation of visa requirements for foreign nationals.
  • Those without visa restrictions are, however, free to accept paid employment during any summer, although you will not receive tuition reimbursed or a monthly stipend for that summer (June to August).
  • In addition, all students must demonstrate English Proficiency. See information specifically for International Students.

Bauer Ph.D. Program Fellowship

This fellowship is awarded by the Bauer College to selected applicants based on their academic potential and promise. Awards are typically $3,000 per year for up to five years.

University-Sponsored Graduate Tuition Fellowship (GTF)

What does the Graduate Tuition Fellowship (GTF) cover and do I have to apply for the GTF?

You don’t have to apply for the Graduate Tuition Fellowship (GTF). Your appointment as an Instructional Assistant will also qualify you for the GTF. This fellowship will reimburse you for the cost of 9 hours of in-state tuition in each spring and fall semester, paid at the graduate student credit hour rate.

The Bauer College attempts (but cannot guarantee) to provide this fellowship to all doctoral students in good standing for up to five years (the most common time to complete the program).

Receipt of the tuition fellowship also qualifies all non-residents for in-state tuition.

Who gets awarded the University-Sponsored Graduate Tuition Fellowship?

To be eligible, a doctoral student must:

  • Be in good academic standing.
  • Be enrolled full time in a Bauer College Ph.D. program.
  • Be employed by the Bauer College in a 50% FTE assistantship; employment (on or off campus) beyond the assistantship is prohibited. A violation of this restriction will result in the GTF being revoked immediately.
  • Be nominated for the fellowship by the Department Doctoral Coordinator within the student’s major area.

Continued eligibility for this fellowship will be contingent upon meeting the fellowship eligibility criteria.

Is there any fine print regarding the GTF?

YES. Please read the following very carefully.

As per the tuition reimbursement policy of the State of Texas, the University of Houston charges non-resident tuition rates to all doctoral students, regardless of resident status, who have 100 or more doctoral semester credit hours.

If your progress requires that you take more than 99 hours, you will be subject to tuition payments at the out-of-state rate and will most likely have exhausted all your eligibility for tuition fellowships. Thus, it is critical that you work closely with your faculty advisors to complete your studies in fewer than 100 doctoral credit hours (the standard doctoral course load is 9 credit hours per semester, or 18 credit hours per academic year).

University-sponsored Presidential Fellowships

Do I have to apply for this fellowship?

No. All eligible students accepted for admission will automatically be considered for this fellowship. If awarded, this fellowship pays an additional $2,000 per year for a student’s first two years.

Who gets awarded the Presidential Fellowship?

The purpose of the Fellowship is to improve Bauer College’s competitiveness with other prestigious business schools. As such, accepted students will normally be nominated for the Fellowship if they have:

  • A score above 640 on the GMAT or above 320 on the GRE
  • A cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.5 or higher on a 4-point scale in their most recently completed 60 hours of coursework.
  • Three letters of recommendation, all of which provide unequivocal positive assessments.

Teaching

Many students supplement their base stipends with additional compensation for teaching (typically beginning in the third year of study). However, programs within the college differ in terms of how much students are expected and/or allowed to teach. Please contact your department Ph.D. coordinator to discuss this option more completely.

Grants Supporting Research and Travel

Typically, each department provides additional financial aid to support doctoral research. Please contact your department Ph.D. coordinator to discuss details related to research and travel support.