Financing Graduate School

  • Always contact the schools’ financial aid offices directly for the most up-to-date information!
  • This information is an introductory summary of basic information about financial assistance for graduate/professional study and it is not intended to provide comprehensive information
  • Most people attending graduate or professional school qualify for and receive financial assistance

TYPES OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE 

-Teaching Assistant  -Private Loans
-Research Assistant  -Free Application for Federal Student Aid Form (FAFSA)
-Graduate Opportunity Funds -Fee Waivers

HELPFUL HINTS AND TIPS...

-Reach out to individual programs you are applying to and find out about financial assistance they offer.

-Check if any groups/associations affiliated with populations you belong to provide any financial aid.

-Many financial aid applications are due before graduate and professional school general applications and they might require GRE scores or other test scores so it is better to take those earlier rather than later!

-Ask institutions about waiving application fees!

-Financial aid applications typically ask for parental income information but this will not limit the amount and type of financial aid you receive. This information is used to determine if you belong to a certain category or population that may have access to more financial assistance. 

-Don't rule out applying to private schools due to cost, many private schools have the ability to offer more financial assistance! Try to leave your options open if possible.  

-Fullbright Scolarships are offered for international graduate study through the Institute for International Education. For information about applications and deadlines visit https://us.fulbrightonline.org/

-Another potential source of financial assiatance for international graduate study is foreign governments. Some countries may have shortages of people in certain professions and in order to remedy this they may offer funding support for the education of quality graduate students! To learn more contact foreign embassies in the United States. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TYPES OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Federal Aid: Graduate students in good financial standing are eligible for $20,500 aid per year. In addition, the Graduate Plus Loan allows students to borrow up to the cost of attendance, minus other estimated financial assistance. Teaching Assistant: Most graduate departments have TAships where you teach an undergraduate section. Research Assistant: RAships are normally offered by the faculty adviser to assist in his/her research. The sciences and engineering have more RAships since grant money is more readily available in these areas. Graduate Opportunity Funds: Offered through the department to students from underrepresented populations. Fee waivers: Waives registration fees and/or nonresident tuition Special scholarships/grants/fellowships from the university, department, government, associations related to the discipline, or private sources such as alumni donors. ** Private Loans The quantity and kinds of financial assistance vary by field, between academic graduate study and professional graduate study. **Free Application for Federal Student Aid Form (FAFSA) is required for application for much financial assistance, including some private assistance.

Ask each institution to which you are applying about its own financial assistance options including institution-based grants. Check with all associations related to your chosen field of study to see if they offer assistance for graduate/professional study. Find out if your employer helps employees with graduate/professional study. Thoroughly research books, on-line listings offering diverse sources of funding. If you are a member of a specific population, check with that population’s groups/associations to see if any financial aid is offered. Also, research funding resources that list population-based, cultural sources. Examples of assistance include, but are not limited to: African American men studying law, re-entry single mothers studying art, or someone who graduated from a specific high school and is pursuing professional study in Public Health. These books are available in the Career Center Library.

GENERAL
American Association of University Women Education Foundation (fellowships, grants and awards)
Berkeley's Fellowship Resources on the Web (not limited to Berkeley)
CollegeNet (online free search)
Fast Web (free sign up for researching scholarships)
Graduate Fellowship Notebook (mostly non-Cornell fellowships)
Graduate School Scholarships
Graduate Student Fellowships
IRIS (links for funding sources)
Jack Cooke Foundation (contact: Bill Ladusaw, Dean of Undergrad Studies)
Nationally coveted scholarships, fellowships & Postdoctoral awards 
Post-docs
Scholarstuff.com (grad school directory, financial aid and other info)

SPECIFIC DEISCIPLINES/AREAS OF STUDY

Abe Fellowship Program (US-Japan Relations)

Accounting Scholarships 

American Political Science Association (go to “students”)

American Psychological Association (APA) Scholarships and Fellowships

The American Institute for Yemeni Studies (AIYS) or Intensisve Arabic Language Study

Andrew Mellon Fellowship for the Humanities

Anita Borg Scholarship (women interested in computing and technology)

Beinecke Scholarship Program (Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences)

Business & professional women's foundation career advancement scholarship program (women 25 yrs. old +, in financial need)

The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation (Demonstrate a vision of a balance between the advance of technology and the preservation of the natural/human environment)
CIB Foundation Scholarship Program: engineering, architecture, etc. for the “built environment&#8221 c/o James Anderson, Metcalf & Eddy, Inc. 60 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10165

Colombe Foundation - Grant Program (national) (funding supports peaceful project/programs to eliminate weapons of destruction):

Dissertation Fellowship in Military History 

FBI Counterterrorism/Forensic Science Research Unit

Government Finance Officers Association, GFOA (interest in state and local government in public administration, finance, business administration) 

Graduate Science Education (bio-medical research)

Grants, Scaife Foundation, Inc., Sarah (funding for general operating support, research grants, special programs support, internships, fellowships)

Hazel D. Cole Fellowship in Jewish Studies (applicants from all universities interested in any field of Jewish studies)

Hertz Foundation (physical sciences)

Hobart Houghton Research Fellowship in the Department of Economics and Economic History(Economic problems of the Eastern Cape)

International Atomic Energy Agency Coordinated Research Activities

Jacob K. Javits Graduate Fellowships (through Dept. of Education)

Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship (CSUS)

Master's in education, government or history

National Medical Fellowships (targeted to underrepresented groups)

National Science Foundation (graduate research funding) 

National Security Education Program Fellowships (language, cultures, world regions other than western Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand)

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans

Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship

Rhodes Scholarships (to study at Oxford University): 

Rotary International

Social Science Research Council (list of grants)

Science (Advanced degree in oceanography, marine biology, or maritime archeology)

Smithsonian Office of Fellowships

Tylenol Scholarship (health related careers)

Graduate Research Program United States Department of Energy (DOE) Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

Woodrow Wilson Fellowships (public policy or foreign affairs)

Dissertation Fellowships in Women Studies

STUDYING ABROAD
Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation (1 year study in Germany)

American-Scandinavian foundation awards

British Marshall Scholarships (studies in the UK)

Dissertation Fellowships, American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Southeast European Studies Program

Flemish Community Fellowships (In any discipline)

Fulbright Fellowship (numerous opportunities abroad)

Marie Curie Fellowships (European placement for pre and postdoctoral research) 

Research Travel - North America Awards (in Korea )