There are three major ways that graduate students get funding for graduate school: teaching assistantships (TAs), research assistantships (RAs), and fellowships. The obligations associated with each of these funding sources are described in Chapter 1. In this section we will discuss some of the issues involved with getting and handling these three types of fundings. If you are in a special funding situation, some of this information may still apply to you, but you should consult your field's graduate office or your funding source for specific information.