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Financial Aid for PhD Students

    
Financing Your Doctoral Education at the School of Information Studies
 
The School of Information Studies generally only accepts Ph.D. students whom it intends to fund. About 5 percent of students receive funding from an external source, such as their government. Occasionally, a student who is admitted without funding will decide to attend the program anyway, but we discourage this practice.

Students in good standing may generally receive funding for four years. Some students receive funding for their fifth year, often in exchange for teaching one or more classes. Note that the school is constrained by the University with respect to contractual commitments made with graduate students, and thus in most cases funding is not guaranteed for four years. Rather, the dean makes a moral commitment to funding students based on the value and importance of doctoral education in the
information field.
 
Admitted Ph.D. candidates who have requested financial aid will have their application file automatically forwarded to the Financial Aid Committee. No additional application forms are necessary for these awards. Check the appropriate section on the graduate application to indicate your interest in receiving aid.
 
Applicants seeking financial aid of any kind from the School of Information Studies must have completed their interviews and be admitted to the program prior to March 15. Applicants whose materials are not ready for consideration by the Admissions Committee at the January or March meetings may be admitted but have very little chance of receiving financial aid.
 
Financial aid decisions are made in March and admitted students are notified by mid-April. A variety of financial aid sources are available for doctoral students to help them cover tuition and fees as well as provide them with a stipend for living expenses. The School of Information Studies has a strong record of finding support for our doctoral students throughout their studies.
 
 
 
 
Tuition and Cost of Attendance

Financial Aid Office Estimated Cost of Attendance for Graduate School: http://financialaid.syr.edu/COA-grad.htm

 
School of Information Studies Fees 2009-2010
 
In addition to the costs listed above, the School of Information Studies charges a fee to support the acquisition and maintenance of the latest technology necessary for its programs. The fee is charged each semester, according to the following schedule.
 
Graduate Students
         3 credit hours or less = $75
         4 to 8 credit hours = $125
         9 credit hours or more = $175
 
 
 
Syracuse University Graduate Fellowships
These awards consist of a stipend ($19,000 for doctoral students in 2005-06) and a full-tuition scholarship (up to 30 credits for the academic year). Where appropriate, they are awarded for more than one academic year. Multi-year awards typically include a year of fellowship followed by a year of teaching or research assistantship, followed by a third year of fellowship support. Fellows are appointed annually by the Dean of the Graduate School, primarily from among incoming graduate students, although some returning students entering the final year of a terminal degree program at Syracuse (e.g. M.F.A. or Ph.D.) receive these awards.
 
Graduate Education for Minorities (GEM) Fellowships
GEM is a program of the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science Inc. Through GEM, African Americans, Latino Americans, and Native Americans compete for portable fellowships to be used for graduate study in an engineering or science discipline at a GEM member institution to which the fellow has been admitted. Syracuse is a member and encourages its students to apply for GEM Fellowship. These fellowships provide a stipend of $14,000 a year to doctoral students. Corporations provide funds for the fellowship stipends and some tuition; graduate schools provide the remainder of the tuition and sometimes supplement the stipends with their own funds. For more information about the program and how to apply, students should contact: GEM Consortium, P.O. Box 537, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, or the web site.
 
School of Information Studies Awards
The School of Information Studies also provides support to some Ph.D. students in the form of teaching assistantships (TAs), research assistantships (RAs), graduate assistantships (GAs), and other forms of direct aid.
  • TAs are usually assigned to those doctoral students teaching undergraduate courses.
  • RAs are usually awarded to students working on funded research projects.
  • Newly admitted students are often awarded other forms of financial aid such as graduate assistantship (GAs) assisting faculty.
  • In recent years, the school was awarded a few Graduate Assistantships in Areas of National Need (GAANN), which support students from underrepresented minority groups.
  • Each year, the school also awards the $5,000 Wilson Scholarship to a deserving Ph.D. student.
 
 
 
 
Many graduate students nationwide rely on one or more forms of need-based financial aid to help meet the costs of their studies. Need-based aid at Syracuse University is primarily in the form of loan programs and college work-study.  
 
Syracuse University encourages all graduate students to apply for any types of aid for which they may be eligible. Students sometimes find that although they were not eligible for need-based aid as undergraduates or previous graduate students, they qualify in subsequent years.
 
Descriptions and guidelines for all financial aid programs are subject to change at any time as a result of new or amended state or federal legislation or changes in Syracuse University policies. Graduate students who are U.S. citizens may inquire about need-based financial aid through the Office of Financial Aid, 200 Archbold North, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244-1140 or call 315-443-1513.
 
Matriculated graduate students can find out information on University resources and student loans at http://gradsch.syr.edu/finances.htm.
 
 
Applying for Aid
 
U.S. Citizens/Eligible Non-Citizens
To apply for need-based financial aid, applicants must first fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Syracuse University does not accept the Graduate and Professional Student Financial Aid Service (GAPSFAS) form. The FAFSA is available from the financial aid offices of most colleges and universities, as well as most high school guidance offices.
 
Matriculated students enrolled in six credits or more are eligible to apply for:
  • Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan
  • Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan
  • Federal PLUS Loans
They can also take out alternative loans from private lenders, who provide their own loan guidelines based on each student applicants creditworthiness. For more information, visit http://financialaid.syr.edu/gradloans.htm.
 
International Students
While international students are not eligible for federal loans, they may be eligible for loans through private lenders. Some of these lenders require a co-signer who is a U.S. citizens or legal permanent resident. Others, such as the CitiAssit Global Loan, do not require a co-signer. For more information, visit http://gradsch.syr.edu/international.htm or http://financialaid.syr.edu/International.htm.
 
 
 
Other Sources
 
Of course, this represents a small sampling of the funding opportunities available to graduate students. Several organizations provide scholarship and tuition assistance to students seeking graduate degrees. Some resources to help locate other funding sources include the following:

Visit Syracuse University's Financial Aid Office web site for additional information regarding financial aid.

 
 
External Funding Sources
 
To aid students in the search for merit based awards outside of the university and school, several lists have been compiled for reference: