Graduate Financial Aid

Computer Science Department and NMSU Scholarships

The following scholarships are available for graduate CS majors.

General Computer Science Scholarship
Requirements: CS major. To apply, fill application in NMSU Scholar Dollars .

GAANN: Graduate Assistants in Area of National Need
Requirements: CS major; Qualifies for federal financial aid (FAFSA); US citizen or permanent resident; Pursuing a Ph.D. in CS. To apply, fill application on the GAANN website .

GK-12 DISSECT Fellowship
Requirements: CS major; US citizen. To apply, fill application on the GK-12 website.

NMSU Preparing Future Faculty GA Award
Requirements: Students who aspire to be faculty members in the future; Preference for members of underrepresented groups. To apply, fill application on the NMSU Graduate School Funding Opportunities .

El Paso Energy – Computer Science Scholarship
Requirements: CS major; US citizen; Preference for students who demonstrate academic excellence; Preference for students who are members of a protected group; Preference for students who qualify for federal financial aid (FAFSA). To apply, fill application in NMSU Scholar Dollars .

J. Mack Adams Endowed Scholarship
Requirements: Full-time student; CS major; GPA 3.5 or higher; Qualifies for federal financial aid (FAFSA). To apply, fill application in NMSU Scholar Dollars .

Skip Wagner/ALATEC Current Use Book Scholarship
Requirements: CS major; GPA 3.5 or higher; US citizen; Preference for students with declared minor in mathematics; Preference for students with NM legal state of residency; Preference for students with Java and/or Python language skills as evidenced by classroom work or work experience. To apply, fill application in  NMSU Scholar Dollars .

Other Fellowships

Teaching Assistantships

The department offers several 10 and 20 hours per week teaching assistantships. Teaching assistants (TAs) are allocated each semester to assist with the teaching and educational mission of the department. Their typical duties may include

  • grading homeworks, assignments, projects, and exams
  • conducting lab sessions
  • conducting office hours and tutoring students
  • teaching occasional lectures or complete courses
  • managing online courses, materials and educational tools

The TA selection process is performed according to the following procedure:

  • The availability of these assistantships is announced by email (on the csgrads mailing list), along with instructions and deadlines to apply. At that time, the department will start accepting applications. Students are required to complete and submit an online application form (link will be provided in the announcement). The department does not accept unsolicited applications or applications submitted outside of the application period. Late applications are also typically not taken into consideration.
  • Each faculty member ranks all the applicants based on his/her assessment of the capabilities of the applicant as a teaching assistant. The ranking criteria includes teaching experience, communication skills, GPA and demonstration of excellence in computing knowledge, and special needs of selected CS courses. The top students in the ranking receive the assistantship. Note that teaching assistantship positions are seen as a job in the department, and the department tries to assign the available positions to those students that are considered to be more qualified and effective for the job. Aspects like seniority in the graduate program or financial need are typically not valid qualities to qualify for a TA position. Obviously, competition for the limited number of teaching and research assistantships is strong.

Observe that TA awards are contingent on the students meeting all the requirements imposed by the Graduate School; in particular:

  • Only full-time graduate students are eligible.
  • Only graduate students in good standing (i.e., overall graduate GPA of at least 3.0) are eligible.
  • International students whose native language is not English are required to have cleared an ITA screening (offered by the Communication Department) or have successfully completed the Comm 485 course.

Research Assistantships

Some Research Assistantships are run by faculty members who have research grants. To apply, contact managing research faculty member.

Research Internships