Methods for Funding Graduate Students

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Assistantships

Graduate student assistantships enable students to earn compensation for their research or teaching while continuing their academic and professional development. Graduate assistantships are controlled and/or administered by academic departments. The department decides who receives these forms of financial support, and at what level the graduate student will be supported.

See the Graduate Support Policy Manual, Section 1, for more detail on assistantships.

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Fellowships

Graduate fellowships from Stanford-based funds generally are controlled by the school and administered by the department. The department determines the requirements and restrictions as well as the level of support given, ranging from funds to cover partial tuition to full tuition and a living stipend.

See the Graduate Support Policy Manual, Section 2, for more detail on fellowships.

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Funding Through Financial Aid Offices

Graduate financial aid is administered by Stanford University's Financial Aid Office, the Schools of Medicine Financial Aid Office, the School of Law Financial Aid Office, and the Graduate School of Business Financial Aid Office.

See Resources: Financial Aid Offices for links to specific aid offices.

Stanford Exchange Fellowships

Exchange Fellowships are applicable to graduate students in the Schools of Engineering, Humanities & Sciences, Education, and Earth Sciences.

Only a few Stanford Exchange Fellowships (e.g., the Free University of Berlin Exchange) are awarded each year. All require the graduate student to be enrolled. Although most fellowships provide recipients with necessary tuition support, each fellowship determines its policy rules, regulations, and stipend level. Contact the Financial Aid Office for information.

Loans

Graduate student loans are available for qualified graduate students enrolled in the schools of Engineering, Humanities & Sciences, Education, Earth Sciences, and Medicine (Ph.D. program only).

Student loan programs are administered through the University Financial Aid Office or by the Financial Aid Offices within the schools. Applications and additional information are available from the Financial Aid Office (or call 650-723-3058 or email financialaid@stanford.edu).

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Federal Work-Study

The purpose of the Federal Work Study (FWS) program is to provide part-time employment to graduate students in the schools of Engineering, Humanities & Sciences, Earth Sciences, and Medicine (Ph.D. program only) who need the income to finance their education. Where funds are available, schools or departments may offer assistantship appointments or hourly employment, partially supported by the FWS funds. FWS requires a matching component from the University; a portion of the salary in the case of an hourly appointment, or tuition allowance (TAL) in the case of an assistantship. The Financial Aid Office advises students to check for FWS fund availability from their schools or academic departments.

Note that for the Schools of Law, Medicine and Education, some graduate students may participate in Community Service Federal Work-Study sponsored by their schools. This program allows students to earn needed funds through work with a non-profit or governmental agency. These are not assistantships; they provide hourly wages with matched funds from the School.

Contact the Financial Aid Office for information.

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Grant-in-Aid Programs

The Financial Aid Office has limited funds to award Grants-in-Aid to doctoral students in the schools of Engineering, Humanities & Sciences, Education, Earth Sciences and Medicine to assist those whose financial circumstances have changed significantly since beginning their doctoral studies at Stanford. When a student meets the following criteria, faculty or staff should encourage the student to apply for a Grant-in-Aid through the Financial Aid Office:

  • admitted to study for a doctoral level degree: Ph.D., D.M.A, Ed.D
  • experiencing an unexpected financial hardship, associated primarily with health (medical / dental costs) and/or family emergencies
  • cannot reasonably be expected to alleviate the financial difficulty through fellowship or loan sources
  • must have basic support covered from another source

Every effort is made to keep the circumstances of these awards confidential. Only the faculty advisor, who must submit a statement regarding the student's academic status, are made aware of the request. Department records are not maintained on these applications; department administrators have no responsibility in this process other than to make the availability of the Grant-in-Aid fund known to students. The application is available to students and administrators from the Financial Aid Office.

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