How do I pay for Graduate School?

The vast majority of graduate students finance their education w graduate assistantships as you already know. For an average student, the only other option are loans. As a graduate student you are eligible for up to $20,500 in federal stafford loans and any additional fees up to the cost of attendance can be covered with federal graduate PLUS loans. There should be no reason for a graduate student to take out a private educational loan for grad school.

Very few students are able to get scholarships that cover 100% of their graduate education. Those that do get these scholarships (such as the Rhodes Scholars Program) are exceptional students who are the best of the best in their subject of specialization. Some students may also get funding bc they are studying a high need field that will be financed by the state/national government, or the military.

Other graduate students get small scholarships either from the school, local organizations, or national scholarship programs. These are usually smaller scholarships amounting to around $2000. They aren't going to pay for your entire education but any little bit counts.

Apply for all the grants/scholarships you even have a remote shot of getting. If you need to, get a part-time job in the evenings or on weekends.

If all else fails, get student loans, but do so very wisely and spend it only for the absolute necessities.

If you weren't enrolling so soon, there are also lots of corporations that will help pay for tuition if you work for them. You would probably have to do school part-time, though. You might also have a commitment to work for them for a few years after you graduate.

Also, check out the military - air force, army, or navy. They will often pay full-tuition + a cost of living stipend, but you'll have to either pay them back or be an active duty officer for a few years after you are done with school. But the military offers really great lifelong benefits, even if you retire after just a few years.

There are lots of options... figure out which one works best for you.

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RE :How do I pay for Graduate School?

I am going off to Grad School this fall and I was wondering what my options are for paying my way through this experience?

I am aware of Graduate Assistantships but what else is there?

Follow 6 answers

Be careful of private loans, I've seen so many students take far more than they need.

Tons and tons of scholarships are available, you just have to work for them. You CAN get these in advance, so you can start now.

get online and search grants in google in your state. there should be someway they will help. the plus side to this is you don't have to pay it back. grant decision boards love people in the medical field. goodluck : )