Understanding Scholarships for Graduate School From A to Z
You小蝌蚪APP檝e decided to go to graduate school. That小蝌蚪APP檚 great! Choosing to get your master小蝌蚪APP檚 or doctorate is a big decision, and now there are two more steps: choose your school and figure out how you小蝌蚪APP檙e going to pay for it.
When you小蝌蚪APP檙e going to grad school, relying upon financial aid should be the option turned to only after you小蝌蚪APP檝e explored all others. There are almost always graduate school scholarships available, but grad school funding comes in different forms (and here小蝌蚪APP檚 a hint: it小蝌蚪APP檚 not typically called a scholarship).
Here小蝌蚪APP檚 how to navigate all of the different kinds of graduate school 小蝌蚪APP渟cholarships小蝌蚪APP (or funding) out there.
Graduate Assistantships
Assistantships are essentially part-time, on-campus jobs for graduate students, where you work in exchange for some form of funding. At UL Lafayette, most assistantships include a waiver of tuition and many fees, along with a monthly living stipend. There are also some assistantships available that offer only a tuition waiver.
Your typical tasks as a graduate assistant will vary depending on where your assistantship is 小蝌蚪APP you could be in a classroom teaching yourself or assisting a professor, in a research lab, or in an administrative or student services environment. Because of these different 小蝌蚪APP渓ocations,小蝌蚪APP we award teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and administrative graduate assistantships.
To apply for a graduate assistantship at UL Lafayette, you need to submit the assistantship application form along with your other application materials. If applying for a teaching or research assistantship in your academic program, make sure to do so before March 1. The Graduate School ensures that assistantship applications get to the graduate program coordinators; often, it also lets these graduate coordinators (and students) know when administrative assistantships open up in offices around campus.
If you want an assistantship within a specific area on campus, whether that小蝌蚪APP檚 teaching or in a research lab related to your graduate program or in a particular office, make sure to be in contact with graduate coordinators, faculty, or offices directly.
Doctoral Fellowships
If you小蝌蚪APP檙e pursuing your PhD, the grad school scholarship waters can get a little bit hazier. Even so, fellowships are the most prestigious support available to our graduate students so getting one is a big deal. Here at UL Lafayette, doctoral fellowships are awarded and administered by the Graduate School in cooperation with our graduate programs, but you can also apply for external fellowships to help fund your studies. We offer 小蝌蚪APP Doctoral Fellowships, Louisiana Board of Regents (BOR) Fellowships in a few specific disciplines, and Louisiana Board of Regents-Southern Regional Education Board (BOR-SREB) Minority Doctoral Fellowships. There are also a few 小蝌蚪APP research centers that offer fellowships.
With fellowships, you don小蝌蚪APP檛 work just anywhere 小蝌蚪APP you小蝌蚪APP檒l be able to focus solely on research within your area of study. That小蝌蚪APP檚 a huge benefit to you. In fact, many fellowships are all, or at least in part, 小蝌蚪APP渘on-service小蝌蚪APP and that means that all of your fellowship 小蝌蚪APP渨ork小蝌蚪APP is work that you put into your academic coursework and research.
Fellowship students earn a higher stipend than they would with assistantships, ensuring again that you can give all of your attention to your academic work. But if you小蝌蚪APP檙e planning on keeping other jobs during the year, be careful 小蝌蚪APP you won小蝌蚪APP檛 be able to keep any other employment during the semesters when you receive fellowship funding.
To apply for a fellowship, first make sure that you meet the minimum requirements and understand the application process. After that, take time to talk to your professors and graduate coordinator about your application and get their advice for making it as strong as possible. Last step? Apply for the fellowship. At UL Lafayette, the deadline to submit your application for a 小蝌蚪APP Doctoral Fellowship is February 15. For external fellowships, see their guidelines and deadlines.
Master小蝌蚪APP檚 Fellowships
Master小蝌蚪APP檚 fellowships are also available for students in master小蝌蚪APP檚 programs, but they are fewer in number and thus more competitive. At UL Lafayette, they also have high expectations for your undergrad GPA and official test scores; they also require that you小蝌蚪APP檙e a new graduate student (or haven小蝌蚪APP檛 yet completed more than 12 graduate credit hours). But, like doctoral fellowships, they offer a much higher stipend than assistantships and are 小蝌蚪APP渘on-service小蝌蚪APP in that they don小蝌蚪APP檛 require you to 小蝌蚪APP渨ork小蝌蚪APP beyond your own graduate studies and research.
Another big difference is that the 小蝌蚪APP Master小蝌蚪APP檚 Fellowship is awarded only for one year of your grad school career. So, if you小蝌蚪APP檙e eyeing a master小蝌蚪APP檚 fellowship, make sure to talk to the graduate coordinator in your program about funding possibilities for the rest of your studies once the fellowship ends.
There are typically four 小蝌蚪APP Master小蝌蚪APP檚 Fellowships awarded every year at UL Lafayette. Applications are due directly to the Graduate School by February 15.
Scholarships
Traditional scholarships are not typically used to pay for grad school, but that doesn小蝌蚪APP檛 mean they don小蝌蚪APP檛 exist. Sometimes a university will offer graduate scholarships, but most often they小蝌蚪APP檙e offered through your graduate program or outside organizations. At UL Lafayette, for example, the Alumni Association awards a scholarship each year to a graduate student.
If you were a member of any student or professional organizations or honor society while you were an undergraduate, check with those organizations小蝌蚪APP national or international headquarters to see if they offer scholarships to graduate students.
Employer Tuition Support
If you小蝌蚪APP檝e been working for a few years, ask your employer what options you have for pursuing your graduate degree. If you小蝌蚪APP檙e looking to stay in the same field and advance your career, your employer may offer some form of tuition assistance. After all, your company benefits when employees learn more and become stronger leaders, and some companies can deduct tuition assistance on their taxes. The larger your company is, the more likely it is that they offer a tuition waiver.
UL Lafayette also offers the Teacher Tuition Incentive program for educators and school administrators earning their master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree or doctorate. You apply for this program through the Graduate School, but you cannot receive any other form of financial assistance (including a fellowship or assistantship) if you receive a Teacher Tuition Incentive Award.
McNair Graduate Scholars Program
If you were a McNair scholar during your undergraduate studies and are now looking to pursue a master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree at UL Lafayette, you小蝌蚪APP檙e eligible to apply for a graduate tuition and fee waiver, along with an application fee waiver. To apply, you小蝌蚪APP檒l need to submit a few additional materials when you apply to the Graduate School: a signed letter from your McNair director saying you successfully completed the McNair Scholars Program as an undergraduate, three letters of recommendation, and a personal letter indicating you小蝌蚪APP檙e applying for the McNair Tuition Waiver Award. Once you小蝌蚪APP檝e applied and have been accepted, you小蝌蚪APP檒l be asked to interview with the Dean of the Graduate School.
Currently, UL Lafayette offers up to 20 graduate and tuition fee waivers to McNair master小蝌蚪APP檚 students.
G.I. Bill & Military Funding
If you小蝌蚪APP檙e a U.S. veteran who served in an active duty position in the last 15 years, you can use your G.I. Bill to fund your graduate studies. If you want to know more about using your G.I. Bill at UL Lafayette for grad school, visit veteran.louisiana.edu.
Learn More about Tuition & Costs
Read more about all of these types of funding and Graduate School costs >>