Financing Graduate School

It is important to investigate the variety of options available for financing graduate education! The types and amounts of funding available are often based on financial need and/or merit.

Tips for Funding Graduate Education

  • Apply early!
  • Research financial assistance options early. Talk to professors as well as checking with the Financial Aid Office at Brandeis University and your school(s) of interest. Also ask to talk to students in the programs to which you are applying. 
  • Determine requirements, procedures, and deadlines for assistantships and work study. 
  • Find out what forms are needed. The GAPSFAS or FAFSA are frequently required. (Note: As an independent graduate student, your family’s income will no longer be used to calculate your federal financial aid.)
  • Consider the advantages, disadvantages, and need to work during graduate school. 
  • If you are unable to obtain an assistantship or work-study position, consider other work using your job search skills. Counselors in the Hiatt Career Center will be glad to help as you plan a job search.

Types of Graduate Education Funding

School Assistance

  • Assistantships - You may choose to apply for graduate assistantships or one may be part of your financial aid package. Assistantships may be for different percentages of time, and may provide tuition waivers and health insurance. Several types of assistantships exist. Teaching Assistants (T.A.) may present lectures, grade papers and exams, tutor students or provide other course related assistance. Research Assistants (R.A.) work with professors on their research. Administrative Fellows or Graduate Assistants work at administrative offices such as academic advising or admissions. Residential Assistants work in university housing. The number of these positions is limited, and Ph.D. candidates may have preference.
  • Departmental Fellowships/Scholarships - The departmental chair, not the financial aid office, controls these. Fellowships and scholarships may or may not require the student to work in return for this source of funding. Fellowships pay a stipend and may include tuition and health coverage. Be sure to research fellowships connected with graduate schools and departments as well as external sources such as private foundations, special interest groups, professional associations, and the government.

Government Assistance

  • e-Scholar - The Office of Personnel Manamgent (OPM) has launched a new web site to increase the number of minority students who take advantage of federally funded scholarship and job opportunities. This site lists government internships, scholarships, fellowships, and grants for undergraduate and graduate students, and offers advice on creating resumes that will appeal to government employers.
  • Federal Perkins Loans - This is a need-based program in which graduate students may borrow up to $40,000 total, less any amount borrowed as an undergraduate. Repayment begins nine months after graduation. 
  • Federal Stafford Loans - Formerly known as Guaranteed Student Loans, this is another need-based loan program. Graduate students may borrow up to $8,500 per year to a maximum of $65,000, less any amount borrowed as an undergraduate. Repayment begins six months after studies end. 
  • Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loans - These loans are not based on financial need. Graduate students may borrow up to $10,000 per year to a maximum of $73,000. Repayment begins 60 days after the loan is disbursed; however, you may defer repayment while you are a full-time student. 
  • Cooperative Education - Cooperative education combines academic study with an off-campus job related to your program. 
  • Work-Study - This is a need-based program funded primarily by the government in which your school finds you a job. Your salary will approximate minimum wage. If you receive a $1,000 work-study award, you may work until you earn $1,000 at which point employment terminates.

Foundations

Foundations offer financial aid in areas that concern them. A Reference book on graduate study financial aid is published by The Foundation Center in New York City. (Address: 79 Fifth Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, New York 10003. Telephone: 212-620-4230). Grants offered in different fields are listed on Grant Guides, a fee-based databank

  • National Research Council - Seven hundred fifty fellowships of up to $14,000 per year are available for students in the Sciences, Social Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering. For more information, contact the National Research Council, Office of Scientific and Engineering Personnel Fellowship Programs, 2101 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20418. (202) 334-2000. http://www.nas.edu/subjectindex/fel.html

Corporations

Some corporations offer support through sponsoring research at universities and providing tuition support to employees. Corporate Tuition Aid Programs: A Directory of College Financial Aid for Employees at America's Largest Corporations by Joseph P. O'Neill.

Other Loans

•    Alternative loans (e.g., Law Access Loan, Medloans, MBA Loans, Professional Education )

Resources for Funding Graduate Education

Online Resources

  • FastWEB - For graduate fellowship/scholarships. Takes about 20 minutes to fill out individual profile that then enables FastWEB to search for scholarships based on specific majors, heritage, etc. FastWEB completes the results of the financial-aid search in approximately 5 minutes.
  • National Association of Graduate and Professional Studies (NAGPS) - Includes information on taxes, financial aid, benefits of NAGPS membership, including grad student discounts, and NAGPS regional/national conferences.
  • The Foundation Center – Helping grant-seekers succeed and grant-makers make a difference
  • Thomson Peterson's Graduate School Planning
  • FinAid!
  • Education World - Offers some terrific links to free information on how to secure the right loan or find the perfect scholarship or grant, and some great general information sites.
  • Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Programs (CFDA) - Government-wide compendium of all 1,499 Federal programs, projects, services, and activities that provide assistance or benefits to the American public. These programs provide grants, loans, loan guarantees, services, information, scholarships, training, insurance, etc., to millions of Americans every day.

Additional Resources

  • Graduate Cooperative Education Programs: National Commission for Cooperative Education, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115. http://www.co-op.edu/
  • Foundation Grants for Individuals (in your local library).
  • Gale’s Encyclopedia of Associations (in your local library).
  • America's Largest Corporations
  • Corporate Foundations Profiles
  • Corporate Tuition Aid Programs
  • Directory of Special Programs for Minority Members
  • Financial Resources for International Study
  • Funding for U.S. Study--A Guide for Foreign National
  • Grants Register
  • Reference books and computerized databank, Grant Guides through the Foundation Center (70 Fifth Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, New York, 10003)
  • The Graduate Scholarship Book: The Complete Guide to Scholarships, Fellowships, Grants, and Loans for Graduate and Professional Study
  • The Annual Register of Grant Support
  • Foundation Grants to Individual
  • The Foundation Directory
  • Directory of Financial Aids for Minorities
  • Directory of Financial Aids for Women
  • Scholarships and Grants for Study or Research in the USA: A scholarship Handbook for Foreign Nationals
  • The International Scholarship Book: The Complete Guide to Financial Aid for Study Abroad
  • Financial Resources for International Study: A Definitive Guide to Organizations Offering Awards for Overseas Study