We aspire to offer an assistantship to many individuals admitted to the Ph.D. or Master's Program. While a large majority of these assistantships are for teaching we also offer assistantships in publishing. Applying for a graduate assistantship is a separate process from applying for admission to the graduate program. Students who wish to apply for a Graduate Assistantship must complete both the Admissions Application and the Graduate Assistantship Application.

Applications for graduate assistantships in English for Fall 2009 are now closed. We are no longer accepting applications.

You must have a University Identification number to apply for an assistantship. The admissions office sends you this number 1-2 weeks after you have applied for admission. Alternatively, you can check your admission status and find your University Identification number by logging on to this website and clicking "check application status": www.ilstu.edu/welcome2isu/

Ph.D. Assistantships
Our department aspires to offer a full teaching assistantship to most individuals admitted to the Ph.D. Most teaching assistantships are in the writing program, with a few in the English Language Institute. Doctoral students teach composition and occasionally teach Literary and Cultural Studies, creative writing, technical writing, or linguistics, especially as an internship. All writing courses are taught in one of the department's eleven computer networked classrooms.

All teaching assistants have an office equipped with a computer and have network access. Doctoral students teach two courses each semester, Assistantships for doctoral students currently carry a stipend of $1,519 per month for 9 months and a full tuition waiver. Summer teaching is sometimes available. Many doctoral students who want a teaching assistantship are granted one upon admission.

Master's Assistantships
Most Masters student teaching assistantships are in the writing program, with some available in the English Language Institute. Master's students spend their first semester assisting a teacher and working in the University Learning Center. They teach one course each semester. The assistantship carries a stipend of $760 per month for 9 months and a full tuition waiver. Summer teaching and summer research are occasionally available. All students with a teaching assistantship have an office equipped with a computer and network access.

Sutherland Fellowships in Creative Writing
Sutherland fellowships are awarded to a small number of creative writing students who work a year in the Department's Publications Unit and spend a second year teaching creative writing.