Financial Aid

The Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards Administration is responsible for facilitating all Graduate School funding programs and awards. Funding programs are available for both incoming and current graduate students.

It is important to realize that the Graduate School funding process, like the admissions process, is decentralized. Therefore, applicants for Graduate School funding must be nominated and supported by the academic department and college.

Students should begin looking for funding approximately one year in advance of their need for funding and stay in close communication with their department or program head. Given that competitions for funding have particularly early deadlines, students should also investigate as many funding options as possible to avoid missing valuable opportunities.

At Penn State, sources of graduate student funding include:

Department/College Funding

Many programs and colleges offer assistantships, scholarships, and fellowships. For information on available departmental funding, contact the academic program directly.

Office of Student Aid

The Office of Student Aid administers the Stafford Loan program and the Federal Work-Study program. Penn State uses the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.