Cunningham Doctoral Assistantships

Cunningham Doctoral Assistantships cover new students’ tuition and stipends for up to two years with funding from the Graduate School and a matching commitment from the department. The department selects the pay step and offers a one- or two-year assistantship for the academic or calendar year.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be planning to enter a doctoral program at Virginia Tech (preferably from a master's or bachelor's program outside of Virginia Tech)
• Have an outstanding academic record and strong potential for completing a doctoral degree
• Nomination from an academic department
• Financial need
• U.S. citizenship

Funding

• Competitive assistantship stipend for graduate research assistantship or graduate teaching assistantship position
  • Stipend is determined by a candidate’s qualifications and academic discipline
  • Work responsibilities are defined by the department
  • 9- or 12-month appointments are available
• Tuition scholarship

Nominations

• Academic departments must email nominations to the Vice President and Dean for Graduate Education with the following information:
  • Applicant’s name
  • Virginia Tech degree the applicant is seeking
  • Previous university
  • Recommendation letter from the department addressing eligibility requirements
• Nominations for the following fall semester’s admission may be submitted starting November 1.
• Decisions will be made by February 1 for 50 percent of the available assistantships and by March 1 for the remaining assistantships.
• Students can be re-nominated if they were not selected for a previous academic year.