Financial Aid

Many graduate students receive financial aid and are able to finance a free graduate education. Aid can be found in the following forms:

Assistantships

These are typically work-based aid offered to perform research, teaching assistant positions, and administrative jobs. Many offer full or partial tuition remission and/or a salary. Some are awarded through your department as part of your admission package, while others can be found and applied for on the school's employment website or directly through other departments in which you may have experience. Be sure to ask about assistantships when you request your application packet, as many positions have application deadlines that are earlier than your program's application for admission.

Scholarships, grants, and fellowships

This type of aid does not require paying money back or work in exchange. Many can be found and applied for through your department, others may be found through the graduate school admissions office, and still others come from private and nationally-funded sources. These can be found in books at the CEL or through some of the links below.

Federal loans

These are typically awarded on a need-based system by filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which has an application deadline earlier than many program application deadlines. For more information, see the links below.Additional sources of financial aid information:

FinAid-- The SmartStudent guide to Financial Aid - information on a variety of financial aid sources

Spotlight on Careers-- Fellowships, Scholarships and Grants Information

Financial aid for international students

Fastweb's Scholarship Search

UCLA's Grapes database--A large listing of fellowships, scholarships, and grants

Grants in graduate study

FAFSA