Financial Aid

Students interested in receiving financial aid have a few avenues available to pursue. Kent State University offers internal scholarships and assistantships as well as links to external scholarship resources. Students may also complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to receive educational grants and/or loans from the federal government. Answers to frequently asked questions on financial aid can be found on the Financial Aid FAQ page.

Graduate Assistantships
IAKM currently has up to three (3) graduate assistantships available for each academic year. Students admitted to any graduate program at Kent State University are welcome to apply, but preference is given to students admitted to IAKM.

Students with below a 3.0 GPA are not eligible for a graduate assistantship . This is completely separate from your program application and will have no effect on your admissions decision. Completed applications will not be carried over each semester; you must reapply every time a graduate appointment position becomes available.

To apply for an assistantship in the IAKM department students must submit a completed IAKM Application for Graduate Assistant Position, accompanied by a cover letter detailing their experience, technical skills, managerial capabilities or other information that would be relevant to their being awarded a GA position. Completed applications should be mailed to the following address:

Information Architecture and Knowledge Management
Attn: Admissions Committee
314 Library
Kent State University
P.O. Box 5190
Kent , OH 44242-0001

Benefits and requirements of the IAKM GA positions are listed below:

Assistantship benefits:
• Stipend of $9000 for 9-month appointment.
• Tuition waiver for up to 16 graduate credit hours.
• Health insurance credit.

Assistantship requirements:
• Admitted unconditionally to graduate study (Generally with a GPA of 3.0 or higher).
• Enrolled as a full time student (Minimum of 8 credit hours at the graduate level).
• Student is required to work about 20 hours per week over the course of the Fall and Spring semesters. Assistants are expected to be available the week prior to the start of each semester and may have to work during finals week. The faculty member and assistant will negotiate the work schedule. Work commitment will be adjusted for course schedule.

Other Assistantships
Assistantships are also available through other departments of the university. The Directory of Graduate Assistantships is produced by the Division of Research, Graduate Studies and Technology Transfer, which updates the directory yearly. Benefits and requirements may vary depending on the department offering the assistantship. Each department makes independent hiring decisions, so students must submit an application for each position they are interested in pursuing. Any questions about specific positions shoudl be directed to the hiring department.

Scholarships
The Kent State University Scholarship Database is a searchable compilation of departmental and university-wide scholarships, as well as select scholarships from external sources.

The Office of Student Financial Aid has a page dedicated to reviewing external scholarship search sites to guide students toward relevant aid opportunities.

FAFSA
FAFSAs can be completed through the U.S. Department of Education's FAFSA site. Several types of federal financial aid may be available for students completing FAFSAs, including grants, loans and work study. Assistance in filling out a FAFSA and information on the different types of federal financial aid are available on the FAFSA site and through the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Contact the IAKM Office at iakm@kent.edu for an application packet.