Financial Aid

To find out the current tuition, contact the Office of the Controller-Student Accounts and Cashiers. Teaching Assistantships are available through the English Language Center. The application process is separate from the application for admission. In addition to a stipend, assistantships include a tuition waiver of 9 credits per semester. Applications for teaching assistantships can be obtained from the English Language Center at elc@msu.edu. In addition, you can print a copy here. Applications for assistantships must be received by the program by February 1st, 2009 for the following Fall semester. Some summer support is possible through a separate application process. If you are interested in summer support, please submit TWO copies of your application with the appropriate boxes checked (i.e., summer or fall). Because TA support is not guaranteed, candidates for admission are encouraged to seek outside funding for their graduate studies. For additional information on financing your graduate education, contact the Office of Financial Aid .

Most funding for students in the MA TESOL program comes through assistantships teaching ESL at MSU's English Language Center. To be considered for an assistantship, international students must have near-native ability in English. Nonnative speakers of English must submit:

1. TOEFL score of 640 or above (paper and pencil test) or 273 or above (computer-based test). The minimum for the iBT has not been determined.
2. Test of Written English (TWE) score of 6
3. Speak/TSE test score of 60

There are no exceptions to these requirements. If an applicant meets the above requirements, he or she is not guaranteed an assistantship; however, a personal or telephone interview can then be arranged.

In addition to assistantships, the College of Arts and Letters has a small number of fellowships. These are extremely competitive. Students should have all materials submitted by about December 15 to be considered for this award.