The School of Marine Science (SMS) recognizes the importance of educating the next generation of marine scientists while minimizing barriers to graduate education, and awards scholarships, fellowships, graduate assistantships, and workship opportunities to help reduce costs of attendance for full-time degree-seeking students. In addition, the William & Mary Office of Financial Aid administers a comprehensive financial aid program including a number of federal and private loan resources.
Awards of financial aid by the SMS to admitted students are based on merit; no separate application is required. Potential applicants for the M.A. degree should contact Admissions or the M.A. Program Director via admissions@vims.edu for additional information. For the research-focused M.S. and Ph.D. programs, portions of the direct support for graduate student stipends and tuition is typically provided through research grants to advisors. For that reason, it is essential that potential applicants to M.S. and Ph.D. programs discuss funding availability with potential advisors.
Graduate Assistantships
Students awarded graduate, teaching or research assistantships work on average 10-20 hours a week depending upon the stipend awarded. To maintain funding eligibility, students must satisfactorily carry out the duties assigned by their advisors or supervisors, remain in good academic standing and make satisfactory progress in their degree programs as defined by university degree requirements and School of Marine Science (SMS) policies. This includes meeting the milestones for normative progress in the degree program.
Graduate assistants are normally paid in equal installments (minus any deductions for federal and state withholding taxes and applicable federal social security taxes) on the first and sixteenth of each month. Rates of pay for assistantships are periodically adjusted to account for local cost of living. For graduate research assistants, every effort will be made to ensure that assistantship duties are related to the student’s course of study and research program. Teaching assistantships support the classroom activities of SMS faculty and contribute to student professional development. Depending on funding availability, SMS may also award a small number of graduate assistantships for students to work with VIMS’ Marine Educators, the Office of Research & Advisory Service and other units of VIMS.
Students on assistantships who seek to hold outside employment or appointment of a remunerative nature should discuss the matter with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Any outside employment must adhere to conflict of interest policies of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and may also affect exemptions on withholding from Social Security and Medicare taxes for graduate students on assistantships as granted by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). To ensure that their IRS status as students is maintained, students should consult the appropriate IRS documents and/or a tax advisor. It is the responsibility of international students to understand their visa restrictions before accepting on-campus or off-campus employment.
Graduate Workships
Graduate workships allow School of Marine Science (SMS) students to expand the breadth and depth of training while supporting the operational needs of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. A particular workship assignment may be recurring, but workships are generally short-term in duration. For more details on workships, contact the Office of Academic Affairs (academicaffairs@vims.edu).
Under no circumstances may a student work more than 29 hours each week, averaged over the period June 1-May 31.
Fellowships & Scholarships
The School of Marine Science (SMS) awards fellowships and scholarships to approximately one third of SMS students each year. The funds are provided by the VIMS Foundation and VIMS. Additional information regarding funding opportunities, including fellowships for graduate students is available on the VIMS website.
Student Loans
For details on student loans, visit the William & Mary financial aid website. Loan eligibility for U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents is evaluated by the university’s Office of Financial Aid, as determined by the information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is submitted to the U.S. Department of Education. The Office of Financial Aid manages all information regarding loan programs, and can provide information, if available, regarding loan options for international students.
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