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Table 3-5. Primary mechanism of support for full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health, by broad field: 2018

Broad field Total Fellowships Research assistantships Teaching assistantships Traineeships Other types of support
Self-support Other
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
All graduate students 491,449 41,779 8.5 111,469 22.7 87,682 17.8 12,896 2.6 196,114 39.9 41,509 8.4
Science 321,063 29,730 9.3 67,981 21.2 68,476 21.3 9,941 3.1 119,458 37.2 25,477 7.9
Agricultural sciences 6,899 421 6.1 3,808 55.2 955 13.8 42 0.6 1,281 18.6 392 5.7
Biological and biomedical sciences 74,013 9,572 12.9 23,131 31.3 10,440 14.1 6,248 8.4 19,182 25.9 5,440 7.4
Computer and information sciences 57,789 1,906 3.3 7,657 13.2 6,704 11.6 358 0.6 36,838 63.7 4,326 7.5
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 9,770 1,087 11.1 3,648 37.3 2,757 28.2 119 1.2 1,459 14.9 700 7.2
Mathematics and statistics 24,955 1,610 6.5 2,023 8.1 9,568 38.3 205 0.8 10,230 41.0 1,319 5.3
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 6,656 638 9.6 838 12.6 769 11.6 96 1.4 3,527 53.0 788 11.8
Natural resources and conservation 8,034 714 8.9 2,432 30.3 1,335 16.6 81 1.0 2,843 35.4 629 7.8
Physical sciences 37,671 3,698 9.8 13,764 36.5 14,731 39.1 761 2.0 3,015 8.0 1,702 4.5
Psychology 38,525 1,788 4.6 4,445 11.5 6,131 15.9 984 2.6 21,277 55.2 3,900 10.1
Social sciences 56,751 8,296 14.6 6,235 11.0 15,086 26.6 1,047 1.8 19,806 34.9 6,281 11.1
Engineering 120,521 9,971 8.3 38,457 31.9 15,259 12.7 1,557 1.3 45,136 37.5 10,141 8.4
Health 49,865 2,078 4.2 5,031 10.1 3,947 7.9 1,398 2.8 31,520 63.2 5,891 11.8
Clinical medicinea 19,656 985 5.0 1,929 9.8 1,052 5.4 659 3.4 12,909 65.7 2,122 10.8
Other health 30,209 1,093 3.6 3,102 10.3 2,895 9.6 739 2.4 18,611 61.6 3,769 12.5
Master's students 248,552 6,880 2.8 20,147 8.1 22,636 9.1 2,253 0.9 171,930 69.2 24,706 9.9
Science 151,059 4,224 2.8 11,911 7.9 15,801 10.5 1,059 0.7 103,646 68.6 14,418 9.5
Agricultural sciences 3,626 121 3.3 1,799 49.6 492 13.6 24 0.7 967 26.7 223 6.2
Biological and biomedical sciences 24,759 516 2.1 2,310 9.3 2,876 11.6 175 0.7 16,925 68.4 1,957 7.9
Computer and information sciences 44,193 603 1.4 1,648 3.7 3,120 7.1 189 0.4 34,993 79.2 3,640 8.2
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 3,820 150 3.9 1,037 27.1 1,272 33.3 18 0.5 1,022 26.8 321 8.4
Mathematics and statistics 12,707 222 1.7 364 2.9 1,942 15.3 22 0.2 9,356 73.6 801 6.3
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 4,268 299 7.0 237 5.6 274 6.4 7 0.2 3,111 72.9 340 8.0
Natural resources and conservation 5,072 232 4.6 1,227 24.2 698 13.8 46 0.9 2,425 47.8 444 8.8
Physical sciences 3,915 129 3.3 508 13.0 1,175 30.0 59 1.5 1,632 41.7 412 10.5
Psychology 21,987 94 0.4 939 4.3 965 4.4 268 1.2 17,281 78.6 2,440 11.1
Social sciences 26,712 1,858 7.0 1,842 6.9 2,987 11.2 251 0.9 15,934 59.7 3,840 14.4
Engineering 59,228 1,752 3.0 6,404 10.8 4,858 8.2 536 0.9 39,879 67.3 5,799 9.8
Health 38,265 904 2.4 1,832 4.8 1,977 5.2 658 1.7 28,405 74.2 4,489 11.7
Clinical medicinea 16,233 659 4.1 843 5.2 621 3.8 363 2.2 12,022 74.1 1,725 10.6
Other health 22,032 245 1.1 989 4.5 1,356 6.2 295 1.3 16,383 74.4 2,764 12.5
Doctoral students 242,897 34,899 14.4 91,322 37.6 65,046 26.8 10,643 4.4 24,184 10.0 16,803 6.9
Science 170,004 25,506 15.0 56,070 33.0 52,675 31.0 8,882 5.2 15,812 9.3 11,059 6.5
Agricultural sciences 3,273 300 9.2 2,009 61.4 463 14.1 18 0.5 314 9.6 169 5.2
Biological and biomedical sciences 49,254 9,056 18.4 20,821 42.3 7,564 15.4 6,073 12.3 2,257 4.6 3,483 7.1
Computer and information sciences 13,596 1,303 9.6 6,009 44.2 3,584 26.4 169 1.2 1,845 13.6 686 5.0
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 5,950 937 15.7 2,611 43.9 1,485 25.0 101 1.7 437 7.3 379 6.4
Mathematics and statistics 12,248 1,388 11.3 1,659 13.5 7,626 62.3 183 1.5 874 7.1 518 4.2
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 2,388 339 14.2 601 25.2 495 20.7 89 3.7 416 17.4 448 18.8
Natural resources and conservation 2,962 482 16.3 1,205 40.7 637 21.5 35 1.2 418 14.1 185 6.2
Physical sciences 33,756 3,569 10.6 13,256 39.3 13,556 40.2 702 2.1 1,383 4.1 1,290 3.8
Psychology 16,538 1,694 10.2 3,506 21.2 5,166 31.2 716 4.3 3,996 24.2 1,460 8.8
Social sciences 30,039 6,438 21.4 4,393 14.6 12,099 40.3 796 2.6 3,872 12.9 2,441 8.1
Engineering 61,293 8,219 13.4 32,053 52.3 10,401 17.0 1,021 1.7 5,257 8.6 4,342 7.1
Health 11,600 1,174 10.1 3,199 27.6 1,970 17.0 740 6.4 3,115 26.9 1,402 12.1
Clinical medicinea 3,423 326 9.5 1,086 31.7 431 12.6 296 8.6 887 25.9 397 11.6
Other health 8,177 848 10.4 2,113 25.8 1,539 18.8 444 5.4 2,228 27.2 1,005 12.3
a Clinical medicine includes graduate students in public health and clinical medicine not elsewhere classified.
NOTE: Percentages may not add to total because of rounding.
SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering, 2018.