Elements of Financial Aid

Tuition Awards

MIT tuition and fees are posted by the registrar. The tuition component of a financial aid award is applied directly to the student’s account in the Bursar’s Office. Academic year awards are divided equally between the fall and spring terms.

Payment in full, or a satisfactory arrangement for payment, is due in advance of Registration Day each term. Students may opt to pay tuition in monthly installments under the Bursary Payment Plan, but there is a finance charge for this plan.

Student Accounts coordinates the billing and collects payment of all official Institute charges, including on-campus housing, medical insurance, tuition and the Student Activity Fee. Questions or concerns about student accounts, billing, charges and/or payments should be directed to the Student Services Center.

Student Employment

Teaching Assistantships

The duties of a Teaching Assistant (TA) include assisting a faculty member in grading homework and quizzes, providing classroom and laboratory instruction, preparing apparatus or material for demonstrations, posting web-based materials, and conducting tutorials and discussion sections. TAs may also take on such tasks as ordering supplies for design studio projects, preparing class readers, contacting outside reviewers, reserving special lecture and jury spaces and securing audiovisual equipment.

A full-time (100 percent) Teaching Assistantship is defined as 20 hours of work per week. Half-time positions (10 hours of work per week) are also available. Note that these positions are salaried rather than hourly jobs, so the number of hours required may vary slightly from week to week.

Departmental TA positions are posted online prior to the beginning of each term. Students apply electronically for positions that interest them, and faculty supervisors make their selections. (Note: The Discipline Group director determines TA assignments before each term for PhD students admitted with a TA work requirement.)

First preference for TA employment is given to students enrolled in graduate programs in the Department of Architecture. If no architecture graduate student is available or qualified for the position, next preference is given to undergraduate students enrolled as majors in the department. The online form is accessible here for Fall 2008.

Teaching Assistant salaries are set by the department in conjunction with Institute guidelines and are paid on the last business day of each month. The Institute is obliged to withhold federal and Massachusetts state income taxes, and the appropriate forms must be filed before payment can be made.

Research Assistantships

The principal duty of a graduate Research Assistant (RA) is to contribute, under supervision, to a program of departmental or interdepartmental research. Through project work, the assistant gains increased facility in organizing work, applying new experimental techniques to real problems, and making oral presentations. Research Assistantships offer students the chance to participate as junior colleagues of the faculty in ongoing research; this experience frequently influences the choice of thesis topic.

RAs are compensated on the basis of the time devoted to research; the appointment generally carries a tuition component in addition to the salary. A full-time (100 percent) Research Assistantship is defined as 20 hours of work per week and carries full tuition. Partial positions are also available, with corresponding reductions in workload and remuneration. Note that these positions are salaried and not hourly jobs, so the number of hours required may vary slightly from week to week.

Research Assistantships are funded through externally sponsored research projects and are generally scarce in architecture. However, Research Assistantships can materialize at any time. Occasionally, faculty members will advertise the availability of these positions, but generally students whose skills and interests are appropriate to a project will be contacted directly.

Research Assistant salaries are set by the department in conjunction with Institute guidelines and are paid on the last business day of each month. The Institute is obliged to withhold federal and Massachusetts state income taxes, and the appropriate forms must be filed before payment can be made.

Hourly Positions

The Department of Architecture offers employment in a number of hourly positions, with both short-term and full-semester assignments available. Opportunities typically exist for audiovisual assistants, shop and computer resource monitors, Registration Day and Orientation aides, tour guides and lecture series support. Departmental hourly positions are posted online prior to the beginning of each term. Students may apply electronically for positions that interest them. Supervisors will make their selections. Refer to this list of current hourly positions and use this application to sign up for positions.

Students with hourly positions are paid on a weekly basis, upon submission of electronic time cards approved by the supervisor of the position. Students must contact the department office to be placed on the weekly payroll and must complete the appropriate forms.

Maximum Funding Guidelines

MIT limits the total amount of financial support a student may receive from/through MIT. All graduate students are limited to a maximum of a full stipend and full tuition per term.

When the receipt of a Research Assistantship or an internal or external fellowship would push a student over the funding limit, the Research Assistantship or fellowship supplants the departmental financial aid award for that term. The student does not forfeit eligibility for financial support in other terms for which aid has been promised.

Maximum Employment Guidelines

Graduate students may hold a maximum of one full-time appointment during term. A full-time appointment is defined as the equivalent of 20 hours per week. Normally this takes the form of one full-time TA or RA appointment.

Students may combine partial appointments provided the combined hours do not exceed 20 per week. Students are advised to check with the Department of Architecture to confirm eligibility requirements before accepting more than one position.

Graduate students who hold full-time Research or Teaching Assistantships or who receive full support on a fellowship are not usually eligible for additional employment. A US citizen or permanent resident who applies for work in addition to his or her full-time RA or TA appointment may be permitted additional compensated employment at MIT up to a maximum of 10 hours per week. But, this is a rare occurrence and requires prior permission from the faculty TA/RA supervisor and the department’s administrative officer.

Regulations for international students are stricter due to US immigration laws. International students must be full-time registered students; their work cannot exceed 20 hours per week when school is in session; and those who hold full-time Research or Teaching Assistantships are not allowed to take any other employment on or off campus.

Note that the summer term is not considered a period of regular enrollment for immigration purposes; thus, from June through August only, international students may work on campus in addition to their full-time RA or TA positions. However, they may do so only with the permission of the RA/TA faculty supervisor.

International students should contact MIT’s International Students Office (ISO) for more information on determining how/if visa status and US Department of Homeland Security regulations affect employment eligibility.

Employment Outside the Department

On-campus and some off-campus job listings are posted at the Student Services Center, Room 11-120, or online at the Student Employment Office. On-campus jobs are available in technical and non-technical fields within academic departments, laboratories and administrative offices.

Required Forms for Student Employment

I-9 Form

Everyone in the United States, not just students, must complete the Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9) from the Department of Homeland Security. The most common documents needed to complete this form are an original Social Security card, birth certificate (certified copies are acceptable) or passport. Detailed instructions and required documentation are on the back of the form itself.

This document needs to be completed only once while at MIT and may be obtained online from Student Financial Services. Graduate students must submit the completed form to the Student Services Center, Room 11-120, before employment can be confirmed.

Tax Forms

By law, the Institute must withhold federal and Massachusetts state taxes from all salaries. All individuals who receive salary payments must complete the federal (W4) and state (M4) forms. Note that the forms must be submitted to the Payroll Office (Room NE49-3131). The form is available online from Student Financial Services.

Salaries paid to international students are also taxable by US law, and international students must obtain a US Social Security number. Some countries have a tax treaty with the United States that affects the taxability of salary payments. Contact the International Student’s Office, Room 5-133, for additional information and instructions.

Direct Deposit Authorization Form

All MIT employees, including students, are required to have their paychecks deposited electronically in a bank account that they designate by completing this form. Students must submit the form to the Payroll Office (Room NE49-3131) before employment can be finalized. The form is available online from Student Financial Services.

MIT Inventions and Proprietary Information Agreement

Graduate Research Assistants must also sign the MIT Inventions and Proprietary Information Agreement (IPIA), acknowledging that all inventions created at MIT, with MIT funds, become the property of MIT. Signing the form is required, and it should be submitted to the headquarters of the Department of Architecture.

Educational Loans

MIT offers a number of student loan programs, and also participates in alternative loan programs. Student and Parent Loans, a division of Student Financial Services at MIT, can assist students in financing their education and repaying educational loans. Loans are generally available only to graduate students who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States or Canada.

MIT will only authorize loan amounts that, when combined with family resources, financial aid and other assistance, do not exceed the cost of attendance. Standard student budgets reflecting these costs have been developed by Student Financial Services and are used to determine financial need. Application forms and specific information may be obtained from Student and Parent Loans.