Iowa State University

About the Graduate College

Special Graduate College Programs/Initiatives

English Proficiency Testing for Non-native Speakers of English

Reading and writing in the English language are essential skills for succeeding in graduate school at Iowa State University and equally essential for future success in careers that require a graduate degree. To identify students who may need to improve their English skills, the English Placement Test is required of all non-native speakers of English who DO NOT have a prior Bachelor's or Master's or PhD degree from a U.S. college or university.

Fulbright Scholar Awards for Faculty

The Fulbright Scholar Program, recognized as the U.S. government’s premier program in international educational exchange, was instituted by the U.S. Congress in 1946 as a much-needed vehicle for promoting "mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries of the world." Since 1946, more than 85,000 U.S. Fulbrighters have traveled abroad to lecture or conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields ranging from journalism and urban planning to music, philosophy and zoology. More than 144,000 foreign citizens have come to the United States under Fulbright auspices. For more information on this series of exchange programs, consult the Fulbright Scholar homepage. Applications for the U.S. faculty program are available annually in the Graduate College, Pearson Hall, Room 1137. The deadline for the U.S. program is generally August 1.

Fulbright Graduate Research and Study Abroad Program

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program annually awards approximately 900 grants to recent B.S./B.A. graduates, master’s and doctoral candidates, and young professionals and artists for international study and research experience. The deadline for receipt of applications is mid-October each year, and a campus interview is required for each university-enrolled student. For more information, consult the Student Fulbright homepage. Applications and information are also available in the Graduate College at Pearson Hall, Room 1137.

George Washington Carver Doctoral Fellowship

The Iowa Board of Regents has mandated that Iowa State University increase the diversity of enrolled U.S. students. The George Washington Carver Doctoral Fellowship provides funding to ethnic minority students admitted into Ph.D. programs across all areas of graduate study offered at ISU. The program offers to students the opportunity to devote full-time to preparation as researchers. Departments or programs submit nominations for the fellowship. The annual stipend for the fellowship is $20,000 split evenly between the Graduate College and the department or program. Full in-state tuition is covered. Students do not apply.

Graduate Minority Assistantship Program

The Iowa Board of Regents has mandated that Iowa State University increase the diversity of U.S. students enrolled. To assist in attracting outstanding ethnic minority students to graduate education, GMAP offers funding for graduate research, teaching, and administrative assistantships as well as separate funding that may cover all of in-state tuition. Departments or programs submit nominations. Students do not apply.

Graduate College Tuition Scholarship

A tuition scholarship may be awarded to graduate students who are awarded a graduate assistantship. Graduate assistants who are on a graduate assistantship appointment for at least 3 months during each semester and 6 weeks during the summer, and are on full or provisional admission (and not on probation) usually receive a Graduate College Scholarship for a portion of resident tuition unless they hold a fellowship or traineeship that provides funds for tuition and fee payment. For students on a half-time assistantship, the scholarship is for half of full-time resident tuition; for those whose appointment is at least quarter time but less than half time, the scholarship is for one quarter of full time resident tuition. This scholarship is awarded automatically to all students who qualify; no special application is required.

Postdoctoral Fellows

In many fields, post baccalaureate education does not stop with the Ph.D. degree but is followed by two or more years of experience as a postdoctoral research fellow. The position of postdoctoral fellow is something of a hybrid between a graduate assistantship and a faculty appointment. Because postdoctoral fellows fall between the educational arm of the university and the employment arm, postdoctoral fellows need a place to turn when they have questions, need help, or just want to vent their frustration. At Iowa State University, the Graduate College serves as the home for postdoctoral fellows and is responsible for developing policies that govern the postdoctoral experience.

Preparing Future Faculty (PFF)

It is nationally recognized that the Ph.D. experience can be exceedingly narrow in its focus, yet the majority of Ph.D. recipients do not have careers at research-intensive universities. For those graduate students who desire a career that involves college or university teaching, the PFF program at Iowa State provides opportunities to understand better what a college teaching career is all about and what faculty life is like on smaller campuses. The program also provides teacher training beyond that gained by graduate teaching assistants and opportunities to broaden the graduate experience by exploring ethical and societal issues that are important for becoming a well-rounded college teacher.

Professional Advancement Grants (PAGs)

Two types of small grants are offered to graduate students by the Graduate Student Senate. One is partial support for travel to professional meetings and the other is a small grant fund for research that is outside a student’s thesis or dissertation project. Students may receive up to $300 per fiscal year for a research grant, and/or up to $100 plus a per diem for travel support to professional meetings. Students apply for a PAG through their department. The application form is available on the Graduate College web site

SPEAK/TEACH (International TAs)

In many departments graduate students undertake some teaching responsibilities. Graduate students who are not native speakers of North American English have their oral proficiency tested in a classroom situation before departments assign them their responsibilities. Those students identified 1-2 semesters of training classes prior to or concurrent with their teaching duties. The SPEAK/TEACH program organizes this testing and training, as well as orienting new international TAs to the U.S classroom and publishing the TA handbook.

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