usc math phd stipend

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Investing in your usc education.

When you decide to pursue graduate studies, you are making a major investment in your personal and professional future. USC offers students an interdisciplinary and globally oriented graduate education of the highest caliber. Once you graduate, you will gain the networking advantages of membership in the Trojan Family. It is therefore important to assess the benefits you will receive throughout your career as a return on your investment.

The cost of earning a graduate degree from USC, as well as funding opportunities, vary by school and degree program. We encourage you to thoroughly research your program of interest and plan your finances accordingly. Most graduate-level funding will be provided in the form of loans.

Please visit the Financial Aid website for estimated program costs and for more details about the types of funding you may qualify for.

Assistantships, Fellowships and Scholarships

Phd students.

The Graduate School works with doctoral programs at USC to support a vast majority of our PhD students with fellowships, teaching assistantships and research assistantships, or some combination of these funding sources.

Master’s Degree Students

USC also offers a variety of merit scholarships for students seeking to earn master’s degrees. However, award amounts and distribution vary by program and are subject to the availability of funds. Please contact your intended school directly to learn more or check with the Graduate School for additional scholarship oppo rtunities .

Loans, Work-Study and Student Employment

U.s. students (citizens and permanent residents).

The USC Financial Aid Office administers a variety of federal financial aid programs for graduate students, including the Federal Direct Loan and Graduate PLUS Loan programs and the Federal Work-Study program.

International Students

Though international students (non-U.S. citizens or permanent residents) are not eligible for federal need-based aid programs, they may receive scholarships, assistantships and fellowships and can seek other on-campus employment opportunities or apply for private loans with a qualified endorser (co-signer).

External Fellowships

Graduate students are encouraged to apply for external funding—funds from sources not affiliated with USC. Sponsors range from government agencies and corporations to private institutions. Funds may be limited to a single year of enrollment or may be renewable for multiple years and may be paid to the student or directly to the university.

It is important for recipients to thoroughly understand the terms and conditions of such fellowships when planning for graduate studies. For more information about external fellowships, please refer to the USC Awards and Fellowships database.

ROTC and Veterans Benefits

ROTC and U.S. military veterans should contact the Veterans Certification Office and the Financial Aid Office to determine how their G.I. benefits will be coordinated with their financial aid.

USC Payment Plan

The office of Student Financial Services also offers graduate students the option to pay their university expenses in five monthly installments, interest free, over each semester. For more information, please visit the Student Financial Services website.

What are you looking for?

• Graduate & Professional Financial Aid
• Prospective Students

Types of Aid

Although financial aid for graduate students is composed primarily of federal loans, other resources are available. Depending on your eligibility, you may receive Federal Work-Study, USC or outside scholarships, and fellowships or assistantships.

USC also participates in a variety of private loan programs for interested students who qualify.

After the Financial Aid Office has processed your financial aid application, you will receive your financial aid summary, which will detail your financial need and the types of aid you qualify for.

Scholarships, Fellowships and Assistantships

Scholarships, fellowships, and assistantships are types of gift aid, which does not have to be repaid after you graduate. Scholarships and fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis by USC schools and departments, as well as by outside agencies. Check the following sources for opportunities you may qualify for:

• Your academic department or professional school. Some departments disburse their scholarships in the form of monthly stipends paid directly to the recipient. Stipend payments are made according to the stipend schedule .
• USC Financial Aid Office. Although our office does not award scholarships, fellowships and/or assistantships, we do administer federal aid programs, including Federal Work-Study awards, and coordinate departmental scholarships and stipends.
• The Graduate School administers fellowship programs and provides information about non-university funding sources.
• Federal agencies and private foundations, which support students engaged in specific fields of study.
• Corporations, which offer fellowships or tuition reimbursement for employees.

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistantships are awarded by academic departments based on scholastic accomplishment, academic promise and competence. Your appointment may last for a maximum of one year at a time and confer both tuition credit (you must be registered for at least six (6) graduate units for credit in a full-time course) and a stipend.

Assistantships usually require 20 hours of work per week under the supervision of USC faculty. There are three types of positions. Contact your academic department to apply for any of the following:

Teaching/laboratory assistants Students do not serve as the instructors of record but perform specific duties that assist university teaching staff. These positions help develop research and teaching skills.

Assistant lecturers Students teach in the Freshman Writing Program; language programs in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; the American Language Institute (ALI); and other programs approved by the Director of Graduate and Professional Programs. Assistant lecturers may serve as instructors of record.

Research assistants Students further their own research interests by assisting faculty members in research-related tasks.

Fellowships

Fellowship awards consist of tuition credit and/or stipends. Most Ph.D. students at USC are fully supported by fellowships, teaching assistantships, research assistantships or a combination of these funding sources.

Endowed USC Fellowships Several endowed fellowships are administered by The Graduate School. Some require candidates to be nominated by their department. Others are awarded to students who apply. For more information, visit the Graduate School website.

External Fellowships Detailed listings of outside fellowships, for study and research in the United States and abroad, and for underrepresented students, can be found on our Awards Database .

Federal Work-Study & Other Employment

Offered by the Department of Education, Federal Work-Study provides part-time jobs for students with exceptional financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay their education expenses. The program encourages community service work and work related to a student’s course of study. Most of these jobs are on campus, but some opportunities are also available with local nonprofit agencies. Visit studentaid.gov for more information.

Eligibility

To receive Federal Work-Study, you must:

• Demonstrate financial need (through the information provided in your FAFSA and any supporting documentation).
• Meet all application deadlines.
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
• Enroll in at least 8 units for credit each semester.

Please note that students will not be able to use their work-study awards to pay their university bill. The bill is due before the semester begins, but work-study funds need to be earned over the course of the semester.

Work-study is limited to on-campus students only. Work-study is not offered to students in online graduate programs.

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans

Graduate students may borrow up to a maximum of $20,500 per academic year at a fixed interest rate, regardless of financial need.

Certain health professions may be eligible for a higher amount.

Please visit studentaid.gov or for more details about the program and its benefits.

Managing the Student Contribution

After any financial aid is posted to your account, the following options are available to cover the balance of your cost of attendance.

• Savings or current income. Pay the USC Cashier’s Office directly.
• The USC Payment Plan: Establish an interest-free line of credit for tuition, fees, university housing and other student expenses. The plan is billed in five monthly installments per semester. There is an application fee of $50. For more information, visit the Student Financial Services website .
• The USC Prepayment Plan: Prepay up to five years of full-time tuition and mandatory fees, locking in current tuition rates. For more information, visit the Student Financial Services website .
• Additional loans for all or part of the amount. Apply for the amount you will need for the entire academic year.

Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan

If you choose to borrow loans to manage your contribution, we recommend you start with the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan. It features a fixed interest rate and more favorable terms than most private loans. You may defer repayment while you are enrolled at least half-time. There is no prepayment penalty. For application information, visit our Graduate Plus Loan page.

Please note: Graduate students are not eligible for Grad PLUS Loans until they have first exhausted their eligibility for Direct Unsubsidized Loans.

Private Financing

Students who need to apply for private loans must typically do so with a credit-worthy co-borrower, which can substantially reduce interest and fees. For more information, refer to the Private Financing section of our website.

PhD Stipend Survey Results

The living wage ratio (LW ratio) normalizes each gross pay entry to the local living wage. The purpose is to allow you to quickly compare the pay received by students at universities in different cost-of-living areas. See the FAQ for more information.

Show/Hide gross pay details.

GRADUATE STUDENT RESOURCES INFORMATION

Graduate students have access to resources in and out of the classroom throughout their academic career at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Student support services and resources are available in a number of ways including financial, career, mentorship, and wellness.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

USC aims to fully fund all of its doctoral students. This generally consists of tuition, a stipend for living expenses, and a health benefits package.

Additional Financial support opportunities (internal fellowships, travel awards, WiSE awards…)

• GSG Travel Grants
• WiSE Awards and Grants
• Nationally Coveted College Scholarships
• FastWeb.com’s Graduate Scholarships
• Petersons’ Graduate Scholarship Search Engine
• External National Fellowships and Scholarships Information

CAREER SUPPORT

• Viterbi Career Connections
• Career Success Navigator
• Graduate Student Career Plan
• Viterbi Career Events
• VINE (Viterbi Industry Networking Event)
• Student Profiles

Viterbi Graduate Mentorship Program The Viterbi Graduate Mentorship Program is designed to help new Viterbi graduate students adjust smoothly to life at USC and Los Angeles. Participating new students (mentees) will be paired up with current Viterbi graduate students (mentors).

Viterbi Link Viterbi Link is your exclusive online mentoring platform where engineering alumni and/or current peer mentors share their career-, industry-, or school-related experiences and information

WELLNESS & SAFETY

Student Wellness The University is dedicated to fostering a healthy and safe campus environment. Information on a variety of services including: medical, counseling, wellness and health promotion that are available for students.

Safety Safety of students is the #1 priority of USC. USC is trying every effort and would like to do more to protect students as well as educate students to protect themselves. 

Student Organizations We encourage all graduate students to join student organizations throughout USC. Organizations exist for multiple affiliations, interests, professions, and more. USC has more than 800 student organizations that host programs, events, seminars, and other gathering

Published on November 8th, 2019

Last updated on August 18th, 2023

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What are you looking for?

Suggested search, department of mathematics.

Welcome to the Department of Mathematics at USC Dornsife. We offer a wide range of research and education opportunities in pure and applied mathematics. We also form a lively and engaged community of scholars. Please explore our website, from student resources to faculty personal pages, from math clubs to research seminars, to learn more about us and about our offerings and activities.

Newsletter, April 2024 Newsletter, June 2024

Seminars/Colloquia

Undergraduate.

• General Information
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• Recent Placement
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• Algebra and Algebraic Geometry
• Analysis and Differential Equations
• Combinatorics
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Tenure-Track positions

The Department of Mathematics in the Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, seeks to hire two tenure-track positions at the Assistant Professor level. The anticipated start date of this position is August 2024. Candidates in all fields of mathematics, applied mathematics, and mathematical statistics will be considered.

Congratulations, Greta Panova

Greta Panova is one of the outstanding mathematicians who have been awarded a Simons Fellowship in 2024. The program extends academic leaves from one term to a full year, enabling recipients to focus solely on research .

Paul Newton named Guggenheim Fellow

We are excited to announce that Professor Paul Newton has been named a Guggenheim Fellow by The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. This prestigious fellowship is awarded to exceptional individuals who have demonstrated significant achievement and promise in their field. Professor Newton is an applied mathematician studying tumor cells using mathematical models, computer simulations, and longitudinal data.

Professor Newton’s selection recognizes his project, ‘Cancer evolution using mathematical models guided by ecological principles.’ The Guggenheim Fellowship supports scholars and artists in all fields, providing them the opportunity to work with substantial freedom over an extended period.

Juhi Jang to lecture at ICMP 2024

Juhi Jang will deliver an invited lecture at the General Relativity session during the International Congress of Mathematical Physics in Strasbourg, July 2024.

Congratulations, Eric Friedlander

On the occasion of his 80th birthday, a conference is being organized on Motivic homotopy, K-theory, and Modular Representations. Click here to know more.

Congratulations, Jason Fulman

The book “The mathematics of shuffling cards” written by Persi Diaconis (Stanford) and Jason Fulman (USC), and recently published by the American Math Society, won a 2023 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title award. Click here to know more.

We are sad to announce that our long time colleague Robert Sacker passed away in his sleep on Sunday, December 10, 2023.

Bob joined the faculty at USC in 1966 and he was a member of the Math Department until his retirement in the Spring of 2023.

He was distinguished for his work in dynamical systems and was well known for the “Sacker-Sell Spectrum.” This article by George Sell in the 2009 issue of JDE&A describes aspects of Bob’s work.

Greta Panova receives the AMS Birman Fellowship for Women Scholars

Congratulations to Greta Panova for the 2024-25 Joan and Joseph Birman Research Fellowship for mid-career women scholars which is specially designed to fit the unique needs of women.

USC Graduate Program Information Session

Register here for our virtual open house for prospective graduate students on Thursday, October 26, 2023 from 4-6pm.

The deadline to apply for Fall 2024 admission is December 15, 2023. Apply here .

Juhi Jang receives Best Paper Award as part of the Frontiers of Science awards

Congratulations to Juhi Jang on her work being selected for a Best Paper Award in Mathematics (in Partial Differential Equations) as part of the  Frontiers of Science Awards .

Congratulations to our PhD students who graduated in 2022-23

Nineteen graduate students from our department received their PhD in 2022-23 . Here is the full list, together with their advisor, the current title, and the first place of employment.

• Abdullah Karakus ( Alexander )
• Alexander Sahakian ( Ganatra ), Lecturer, USC
• Andrew Lowy ( Razaviyayn/Minsker ), Research Associate at Inst for Foundations of Data Science (IFDS), University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Aykut Arslan ( Lv ), Lecturer, USC
• Daniel Lundstrom ( Minsker )
• Debtanu Sen (Ganatra), Quant Analyst, Trailstone Renewables GmBH
• Gin Park (Haydn), Mathematics Instructor, CMS (Creverse, Seoul, So Korea)
• Grant Bowling (Assaf)
• Henry Ehrhard (Assaf)
• Jan Ernest (JE) Paguyo (Fulman), Britton Postdoc Fellow, McMaster University
• Kayla Orlinsky (Montgomery), Lecturer, USC
• Lijia Wang (Goldstein/Tong), Assistant Professor (TT), City University of Hong Kong
• Linfeng Li (Jang/Kukavica), Hedrick Asst Adjunct Professor, UCLA
• Maria Allayioti (Rosen), Data Scientist, Cognomotiv
• Mark Ebert (Lauda), Postdoc, UCLA
• Melih Iseri (Zhang), Assistant Professor (NTT), University of Michigan
• Shiyun Wang (Panova), Dunham-Jackson Postdoc Associate, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Shunan Yao (Minsker/Tong), Assistant Professor (TT), Hong Kong Baptist University
• Ying Tan (Ma), Visiting Assistant Professor, UC Santa Barbara

Cris Negron has received an NSF CAREER award

Cris Negron has received an NSF CAREER award for his project “Homotopical representation theory and TQFTs.” This is the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious award for early career faculty and will support Negron’s research at the intersections of representation theory, geometry, and mathematical physics. The project will investigate derived categories of quantum group representations and their appearances in low dimensional topological field theories.

Sami Assaf and Greta Panova awarded Gabilan Distinguished Professorships in Science and Engineering

Susan Montgomery’s work is highlighted in the Notices of the AMS

Susan Montgomery’s contributions in noncommutative algebra are covered extensively in the Notices of the AMS. The article covers her professional journey along with a discussion of her research accomplishments through the course of her long and decorated career. Click  here  to read more.

Virtual open house for incoming Ph.D. students

The mathematics department held its open house for incoming Fall 2023 Ph.D. students on Thursday, February 23, 2023.  To view the recording, please click  here .

Aaron Lauda to explore 4D reality

Aaron Lauda secured an $8 million Simons Foundation grant to push the boundaries of knowledge about our universe and open doors to advances now depicted only in science fiction.

Eric Friedlander gave the Auslander Distinguished Lecture

Eric Friedlander was the Distinguished Speaker at the  Maurice Auslander Distinguished Lectures , Oct 29-30, 2022, at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Quissett Campus, in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA.

Aaron Lauda received the prestigious Senior Raubenheimer Award

The Albert S. Raubenheimer Award is awarded in recognition of outstanding teaching, scholarship and service within the university.

News Archive

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Paul Tokorcheck

Director of Graduate Program

Fellowships

Applicants to Ph.D. programs in engineering are considered for assistantships and fellowships provided that they have completed the application for admission and have submitted all supporting documents no later than December 15 of the year preceding the Fall term to which they are applying.

Fellowships are awarded based on exceptional merit and may consist of one of the following:

These fellowships include an annual stipend, tuition for full-time enrollment, and some mandatory fees. This includes the Orientation fee, the student programming fee, the student services fee, and Norman H. Topping Student Aid. Lab fees or other fees associated with coursework are not covered by the fellowship. All fellowship awards will be credited directly to the student's account. Please view the links below for more information.

USC Graduate School Fellowships USC Graduate School External Fellowships

USC Awards and Fellowship Database FinAid.org Nationally Coveted College Scholarships FastWeb.com’s Graduate Scholarships Petersons’ Graduate Scholarship Search Engine Profellow External-National-Fellowships-and-Scholarships-Information 2021-2022 (Coming soon!) External Fellowship Info Session Presentation 2021-2022 (Coming Soon!)

Did you apply for Nationally Competitive Fellowship Awards? Click here.

Fulbright Programs Social Science Research Council’s Fellowships and Prizes Institute of International Education’s Fellowships Mobility International USA’s Funding International Scholarships for Students from Developing Countries International Financial Aid and Scholarship Search Boren Fellowships for International Study

Fellowship FAQ's

Fellowships are awarded to students who achieve a high level of academic excellence and allow students to focus full time on their studies. Fellowships typically include tuition, student health and dental insurance, access to the Engemann Student Health center, and a stipend distributed over the course of the academic year. Some fellowships also cover mandatory fees such as the Graduate Student Programming fee, Norman Topping Student Aid Fund fee, and the Student Services fee. Lab fees and parking expenses are not covered by fellowships.

All parameters of your fellowship are outlined in your offer letter. We recommend that you review your offer letter carefully and become familiar with the terms of your fellowship.

International fellowship students must Passport Verification (PPV) upon arrival to USC; as well as attend a Viterbi One-Stop session to complete GLACIER paperwork.

Domestic and international fellowship students must be enrolled full-time to receive their fellowship. Full-time enrollment is equivalent to six advisor-approved units or GSRC-800 or 794ABCDZ. We recommend that Ph.D. students register at least two weeks prior to the start of the fall semester, and before the winter recess for the spring semester.

For more information on important dates and deadlines, please visit Ph.D. Important Dates and Deadlines.

Please also visit our   New Student Information website.

26th falls on a weekend or holiday. In which case, the payment will be available the business day prior to the 26th. Stipends are considered late after the 26th of each month. Though you may receive your stipends via direct deposit before the 26th of the month, please note that the stipend schedule does not run through Payment Services on the same day each month, so you will not always receive your stipend on the same day each month.

USC Fellowships are paid over 12 months.

If you have an external fellowship, your fellowship stipend will be disbursed per the foundation's guidelines.

We strongly encourage all of our students to sign up for direct deposit to ensure your payment is delivered as soon as it is available. Domestic Fellowship Students can have their stipends direct deposited through the Office of Payment Services (formerly called Disbursement Control). Please review set-up instructions for more information. If you do not sign up for direct deposit, your stipends will be mailed to your local address. If you do not have a local address on file and you do not sign up for direct deposit, your stipends will be mailed to your permanent address. Please make sure your local address is up to date in OASIS. You may access OASIS directing by logging into MyUSC

International Fellowship Students will receive their stipends through USC Payroll and can Direct Deposit Instructions for International Students New fellows, please note that GLACIER must be completed and processed before you can access Workday. If you do not sign up for Direct Deposit, your stipend will be a paper check and will be routed to the VASE Office. You will be notified when it is ready for pick up.

We strongly suggest that fellows contact the IRS directly, and/or consult with a tax professional. While receiving your fellowship, domestic students will not receive a W-2 form (although when you serve as a Teaching or Research Assistant you will receive a W-2).

This link  contains information regarding tax treatment of fellowship awards. In addition, please review the IRS 1098-t form. These links are not meant to be a comprehensive list of tax resources or forms that you should consider.

International Students should review the OIS website.

In general, you will receive enough tuition units to cover full-time enrollment during the academic year. Please refer to your fellowship offer letter for specific details. These units are split evenly between the fall, spring and summer semesters. If you wish to exceed the number of units stated in your offer letter, please contact your academic department’s staff graduate advisor for advisement. Requests for additional tuition over the fellowship are reviewed on a case by case basis by the VASE Office.

Neither fellowships nor assistantships will pay for audited classes. Funding packages will only pay for classes that count towards the degree. In addition, audited courses or courses not counted towards the degree in many scenarios will not count towards your full-time student status. This may affect your eligibility for funding as well as visa status for our international students. If you are uncertain what courses will be covered by your fellowship, please email [email protected].

You may accept a summer internship or a summer RA/TA position. If you are an international student and plan to work off-campus, you must apply for Curricular Practical Training (CPT).

If it is after the 26th of the month and you still haven't received your stipend, or your stipend amount is incorrect, please email [email protected]. Please include your full name, USC ID# and amount in question. A staff member will work the appropriate department(s) to resolve the issue. As a reminder, students must be enrolled full-time (six advisor-approved units for credit towards the PhD program, or GSRC-800 or 794ABCDZ) by the recommended registration deadline in order for fellowship stipends to disburse on time.

New international fellows must submit GLACIER paperwork by the recommended deadline for processing by the University in order to be paid on time.

Continuing international students must update GLACIER paperwork if there is a change in status, such as changing from fellowship to an RA/TA.

Please work with your academic department administrator to complete your hiring paperwork. If you have remaining semesters of fellowship, please notify the VASE Office to defer your fellowship.

International students will need to update GLACIER paperwork to reflect the change in status working as a graduate assistant and receiving wages. If your fellowship also pays a top-off stipend while on RA/TA, please be sure that GLACIER indicates a fellowship stipend as well as wages, or your top-off stipend will not disburse.

Please review this printable chart   for additional information on several external fellowships held by our current PhD students. Many external fellowships receive an additonal top-off stipend from the USC Graduate School. Please contact Jennifer Gerson, Director, Doctoral Programs, at [email protected] or Tracy Charles, Doctoral Programs Coordinator, at [email protected] with any questions.

Graduate Assistantships

As a new Research Assistant, you may be required to complete a Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training before you can begin your assignment.

To ensure a successful TA experience right from the start, all new TAs must attend a training program. In addition to online resources for new TAs, we offer a one-day training program at the beginning of each semester. It is the responsibility of the TA Coordinator or Graduate Advisor to register new TAs for this program. The training will consist of a day-long session at the Viterbi School of Engineering. You must attend the entire session before you will be allowed to begin your duties in the classroom. Lunch will be provided.

Next TA Training:

Date: August

Time: 9am-12pm

Location: TBA

Published on July 11th, 2017

Last updated on August 10th, 2023

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PhD/Grad Student Salaries

any PhD or grad students willing to share how much their schools pay? is it enough to take care of rent, basic expenses, etc?