Frequently Asked Questions

What are the chances of getting financial aid (Assistantships) for Graduate Students?

Funding for Graduate Students is generally available through Scholarships/Fellowships and Assistantships. Fellowships and Scholarships are generally awarded on academic basis and require very high academic credentials. Contact your department /College for more details. These involve committed/non committed academic work/research for the specified time frame. There are three types of assistantships: Research Assistantship (RA), Teaching Assistantship (TA) and Graduate Assistantship (GA). All these Assistantships entitle waiver of out-state tuition component alone and the In-state tuition will be deducted from the students assistantship funding. Research and Teaching assistantships are generally confined to the students of the departments and the numbers vary from department to department. Graduate Assistantships involve working mostly in outside departments or agencies in areas like computer maintenance, Office management, Library etc. RAs and TAs depend on the availability of funds in your department. For more information on this, contact your department and professors in your area of interest. Regarding GAs, the availability of assistantship varies widely from year to year. If you are familiar with Windows NT, Visual Basic, Web technologies, C programming etc., you have a better chance. There is intense competition for assistantships and it is all up to your credentials and efforts. We cannot guarantee your chances about getting an assistantship here. So please come prepared to support your self for at least one semester. Having a fair knowledge of computers certainly furthers one's chances of obtaining an assistantship.

What kind of financial aid is available to Undergraduate Students?  

You will receive a full tuition waiver only at the time of admission based on your academic credentials and so it is advisable to apply early. This does not mean that all students will get a tuition waiver and it’s up to your academic standing. You are also eligible to apply for a out-state tuition waiver after completion of one year at LSU. However competition is very high and you need to have very good GPA to stand a chance.

What are Student Worker/ On-campus jobs?  

Student Worker jobs are regular on-campus jobs and they do not come with out-state tuition waiver. You will have to pay for your tuition and other fees (About $6500-7000/semester at present). They are available through out the campus and the minimum pay is $6.55 per hour. A student worker job will suffice only for your monthly expenses and will not help you much in paying the tuition. You can work a maximum of 20 hours/week during regular semesters and 40 hours during semester breaks and summer.

Where can I find a student worker job?

  These jobs are available in most of the departments in LSU. You can work in Cafeterias, Library and Computer labs. Most of the students manage to find a student worker position after coming here but the same cannot be said for assistantships. You cannot apply for these positions from India . You need to come here and try for it.

Can I get funding for the second semester?

  It is very difficult to answer this question in terms of a yes or no. It again depends on the availability of funds and the efforts put in by the prospective student to obtain an assistantship. Nothing is certain. So please come prepared for everything.

How much does the living expenses (housing, food, electricity) work up to?  

Most of the Indian students stay off-campus. Four students usually share a 2-bedrooom apartment. Apartment rents at present vary from $800-1000.  Groceries/Food will cost you around $100 a month per head. The electricity bills will be varying between $120-$150/apt. You also need to make some initial deposits like $200/head for Apartment, $150/connection for telephone and $150 for electricity. So on the whole, monthly expenses excluding phone bill will be around $350-$400 per person. Your phone bill will depend on your personal use and the basic charges will be around $50/connection per month. Local calls are free and calls to India through calling cards cost around 5-6cents/min.

What should I do for accommodation?

  Accommodation can be arranged by the ISA on request. You need to email the ISA well before your arrival. We recommend that you contact ISA for accommodation only after you decide your university and get your Visa on LSU. Otherwise it is hard for the ISA, if you change your plans at the final moment. Initially students will be put up as guests with some of the seniors and later on allocated to their own apartment. You can directly arrange your on-campus housing if you follow the material provided by LSU along with your I-20 (or check 'Residential life' in LSU website). ISA does not help the new students with On-campus housing. On-campus housing is expensive than Off-campus housing. Also Off-campus housing is not too far from the university. Both are almost at the same distance from campus. For more details regarding how to register for off-campus housing through the ISA, go to the housing section on the Prospective Students page.

Will ISA arrange for a pickup from the Baton Rouge Airport / Greyhound bus terminal?  

Yes, but you need to provide us all your details (Name, flight number& company, day and time of arrival) as soon as you finalize/confirm your travel plans. You need to submit this information through the form available in the ISA website. ISA can arrange for a pickup only if you fly to Baton Rouge . We cannot make arrangements to pick students from New Orleans . If you have plans to fly to New Orleans , you need to take a bus from the Greyhound terminal in New Orleans . However ISA would recommend you to fly to Baton Rouge , as it is cumbersome to travel from New Orleans (about 80 miles from here) by bus when you are new to the place and carrying a lot of luggage. We will definitely make arrangements to pick up students from the Baton Rouge Airport or the Baton Rouge Greyhound bus terminal. Wait at the passenger lobby of the bus station or at Ground floor (Luggage pickup area) of the Baton Rouge Airport . Also, please check our pickups page  

What should I bring (clothes, utensils, etc.) from India ?  

Baton Rouge typically experiences very high temperatures (21-38 oC) in summer (March-October) accompanied by high humidity. Typical clothing here is casual wear like T-shirts, Jeans and shorts. It is also advisable to bring along some sweaters for winter. You can bring along some dry masalas and spices for your initial use. There is an Indian store here and therefore there is no need to bring items like Rice, Dhal, sugar etc. As for utensils, you can also bring along a pressure cooker, frying pan, 2-3 multi purpose vessels and some plates. You are restricted to two bags/suitcases of 32 kgs each and a hand luggage and so don't pack too much.

How should I bring the money and how can I pay the fees?

    It is generally advisable to carry the money in the form of a DD (demand draft) and/or traveler's checks. Don't carry too much cash with you. Only some $150-$200 in different denominations will be sufficient for your travel expenses. If you do not have an assistantship then you need to pay the tuition fees. Please bring along at least around $9000 for your first semester if you do not have an assistantship. You can address the DD in favor of Louisiana State University for that tuition amount. The tuition fee is mentioned in the I-20. You can also make out the DD out in your name and then open a bank account here and then pay the fees with your personal check. You also have a provision to pay the fees in installments but you may be required to bear at least 50% of the tuition in the first payment during the orientation. The rest of the amount can be paid in 2-3 installments within that semester and the amounts are as specified by the University. If you have an assistantship, your out-state tuition fees will be waived, but you will have to pay the in-state tuition fees. This is normally deducted from your Assistantship amount. For student with an Assistantship, you will get your paychecks only after one month. But you will have a number of initial expenses like apartment advance and so we would advise you to bring at least $1500-2000 with you.

When should I come there?  

We would advise you to arrive 7-10 days before the orientation, so that you can settle down and start searching for funding.  Remember, arriving too early may not fetch you a job and also it will be expensive for you to stay without a job (because you are not permitted to work until you get a valid work permit, which is only given after the semester starts). Also if you arrive too early, it may be difficult to arrange temporary accommodation for you.

What are the Immunization requirements?

    Please check the student health center link in LSU website. You can also download the Immunization form. Take all the specified immunization shots well before you plan to get here (get the certificate/book). You can submit it after you come here.

What is the English test?  

Irrespective of your GRE and TOEFL scores, LSU requires all the new students to take the Michigan English test. This is a simple test, which tests your basic comprehension skills, and it doesn’t require any preparation. Students clearing this test need not take the class. You have to pay $25 for this test after coming here. All graduate assistants have to take the spoken English test (no extra fees).

What is the ranking of LSU?  

Depends on the department. Check out US school rankings.

What books should I bring?  

Please contact your department students here in LSU and know about what courses you should take and what useful books you should bring.

When should I register for the courses?

    You will have enough time to register for the courses after you come here for the orientation. You can register only after the orientation is over. If you want to know about what courses will be offered, check course offerings.

What are the minimum score requirements?

  The minimum score requirements vary from department to department. Check them in the websites of respective departments. Usually the minimum TOEFL score requirement is 550 (Paper based).

Can I shift immediately to another university after coming to LSU?

LSU usually doesn’t permit students shifting in their first semester. They generally expect you to be at LSU at least for one semester. Trying to shift universities at the Port of entry is risky and is generally not advisable.