Financial Support
MSU will fund your graduate education!
All students admitted are provided a graduate assistantship that includes a stipend for living expenses (approximately $24,500/year), academic fees, tuition and health insurance. The total value of a graduate assistantship is approximately $35,000 per year.
In addition to the graduate stipends offered by individual departments, the College of Natural Science and the Graduate School offer a number of fellowship programs for exceptionally qualified applicants, as described below:
BioMolecular Science Fellowships
Full finacial support is provided by the BMS during your first two semesters while you explore research possibilites through laboratory rotations. Subsequent support comes from a variety of sources and amounts to a yearly stipend of $24,500, health insurance, tuition waiver (9 credits in Fall and Spring, and 5 credits in Summer).
Plant Science Fellowships
Full support for the first 2 years that includes a stipend for living expenses (approximately $25,000/year), academic fees, tuition and health insurance, and a professional enhancement stipend to facilitate travel to professional meetings. [More]
Van Andel Research Institute Fellowships
Students with an interest in cancer biology and cell biology are eligible. Recipients receive a 12-month stipend of $25,000 plus health insurance and a $7,800 tuition waiver for the academic year. Fellows are encouraged to consider rotations with adjunct faculty at the Van Andel Research Institute, in addition to MSU faculty. [More]MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory (PRL)
The PRL is a research unit on the MSU campus comprising faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral associates engaged in fundamental research on the cellular and molecular biology of photosynthetic organisms and fungi. The unit is funded by multiple sources including a core research and training grant from the Department of Energy that can provide research assistantships for BMS students interested in topics relevant to the goals of the PRL. [More]College of Natural Science Fellowships
Full support in the first year amounting to a stipend of $26,000, health insurance, tuition waiver (10 credits in Fall and Spring, and 5 credits in Summer).University Distinguished Fellowships/University Enrichment Fellowships
Full support for five years (two years from the Grad School and 3 years from the department). First-year support amounts to a stipend of $26,000, health insurance, tuition waiver (10 credits in Fall and Spring, and 5 credits in Summer). [More]
In addition, there are several training grants on campus to provide additional support to qualified students:
