Financial Support for Your Graduate Education
Don't overlook the possibility of going to graduate school because you are afraid of student loan debt. Financial support for graduate school may come in the form of sholarships, grants, loans, or teaching or research assistantships.
The links below may help you get started, but remember that you may be able to obtain support from the graduate programs to which you apply: Ask for information about financial support when you contact any graduate program!
Application Fee Waiver Programs. If you are currently receiving need based financial aid, you may qualify for the application fee waiver program that many institutions have. You should contact the admissions office at the institution to which you are applying to find out what you have to do. Usually, you will need a letter from the undergraduate financial aid office.
Scholarships & Grants:
- To explore external scholarships worth billions of dollars, click here and then on the "Scholarship Search Engines" tab to access free scholarship search sites.
- Check out the American Psychological Association's Science Student Council's Funding & Grants page.
Special programs:
- Consider (or re-consider) career fields & specialties where the need for professionals is greater than the supply:
- Some states will pay back your school psychology loans for you if you work in underserved communities for a period of time after you graduate.
- For the past few years, the demand for occupational therapists has been so high that employers will pay off sizable portions of new employee's student loans to attract the best students from the best OT programs.
- Indiana's Child Protective Services has a program that will pay tuition for a Masters in Social Work degree for their employees -- once you have the MSW degree you can begin working toward an LCSW license.
- Loan forgiveness programs. In September 2007 the federal government approved a sweeping student aid bill that included a new loan forgiveness program for direct-loan borrowers who work in public-service fields and make regular payments on their student loans for 10 years. Public-service fields include licensed mental health counselors and school counselors who work in approved governmental or non-profit organizations for 10 years after they graduate. You'll want to read about this, talk to financial aid counselors here at IU, and to the potential graduate schools. The American Counseling Association wrote about the loan forgiveness program here and here.
Graduating seniors who have excelled in their undergraduate studies may be eligible for:
- The Fulbright Program is the largest international exchange program offering opportunities for U.S.students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, or teaching. A Fulbright might be in your future if you will soon hold a B.S./B.A. degree; are a master's or doctoral degree candidate; or are a young professional or artist, and are thinking of studying, teaching or conducting research abroad. Contact the IUB Fulbright Program Advisor with your questions!
- Graduating seniors who are preparing to attend graduate school overseas should look into Marshall, Mitchell, Churchill, Rhodes and similar scholar programs. See the Graduate Awards Quicklist and Post Baccalaureate / Graduate Students opportunities posted by the Office for the Vice President for International Affairs.
