Clemson Center for Career and Professional Development

Career Development & Recruiting

Graduate School Financial Aid

For graduate school, there are numerous financial aid opportunities:  scholarships, fellowships, grants, and assistantships.

Scholarships:

  • Given to undergraduate and/or graduate students
  • Awarded by federal and local governments, private organizations, and higher education institutions
  • May pay for all or part of tuition. Also, some scholarships may pay for student's room and board
  • Given to students mostly with academic, athletic, or artistic ability and talent
  • Do not need to be repaid

Fellowships:

  • Prestigious and competitive awards
  • Given to graduate students
  • May provide a tuition waiver or payment to university for tuition
  • Many provide a stipend to cover minimal living expenses
  • Do not need to be repaid

Grants:

  • Given to undergraduate and/or graduate students
  • Usually based on financial need
  • May come from state, federal, or school funds
  • Do not need to be repaid

Assistantships:

  • Given to graduate students
  • Work approximately twenty hours per week at the University
  • Typically include a tuition waiver and stipend
  • Assistantships may include: Teaching Assistantships (working with a faculty member, supervising a lab, grading papers, etc), Research Assistantships, and Employee work

Appling for Financial Aid:

  • Start applying as early as possible.
  • Every award has a set deadline each year, so make sure you are aware of each scholarship's application deadline.
  • Applying for small awards early will help you out financially, and also give you great experience for participating in larger, more demanding application processes in the future.
  • There is no limit to the amount of scholarships or fellowships you apply to, however take into consideration the amount of time each application takes to complete, how much work you want to put into the application, and whether or not you are a competitive candidate.