Financial Information

Financial aid for graduate and professional students may be awarded by your individual academic program, the Graduate School, or the Student Financial Aid Office.

The following programs are available through your individual academic program or the Graduate School.

Graduate Research Assistantships

The Counseling Program typically offers two entering doctoral students graduate research assistantships (GRAs). These assistantships provide tuition remission and a stipend. Doctoral students who are awarded a GRA will receive funding for the first two years of their program. In the third year, students are considered for scholarships. These assistantships are highly competitive. Hence applicants are to indicate interest in these assistantships early in the application process. GRAs work closely with their research supervisor, one of the Counseling Program faculty. Activities usually involve engagement in research, teaching, coordinating program endeavors, as well as other counselor education mentoring activities. Students are expected to spend approximately 20 hours per week in their assistantship role.

Graduate Incentive Awards (GIA)

Graduate counseling students who demonstrate exceptional academic abilities are considered for GIAs. Hence, only a small portion of the entering or continuing students will be awarded these scholarships. Students interested in being considered for a GIA should contact the Counseling Program faculty early in the application process. The amount of the GIAs vary. Receipt of a GIA in one year does not guarantee an award in a subsequent year. There are no service requirements associated with GIAs.

The Gabbard Award was established by Hazel F. Gabbard and provides support for graduate students interested in human and international relations, as it relates to education. The award is for one academic year for masters or doctoral students in CECH, which covers the tuition, general fees and also provides a stipend for the student. Students are nominated for this award by the department faculty, and selected by the Dean of CECH.

Federal assistance is also available and awarded by the Student Financial Aid Office. To apply, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Because graduate students are beyond the bachelors degree, they are ineligible to receive most grants. However, they can be awarded work-study and loans based on eligibility.

NOTE: As of the 2012-13 academic year, graduate students are no longer eligible for the Federal Direct Subsidized Loan.

PharmD students, because they can be admitted prior to receiving a bachelor's degree, must have completed (and transferred into the PharmD program) 72 semester hours prior to being classified as graduate students for aid purposes. Until they have the required number of hours, these students will be undergraduate when they apply for aid and in their aid eligibility.

While grants are not usually available to graduate students, students in specific teaching programs may be eligible for the TEACH Grant.

There are limits to the amount of financial assistance a student can receive. Any student (graduate or undergraduate) who applies for federal aid assistance or non-federal educational loans is held to the Student Financial Aid Office-determined cost of attendance budget.

This budget is the tuition amount and an average allowance for housing, food, books and supplies, and other non-tuition, educational expenses. The total financial aid package -- to include all types of aid noted above except payroll earnings -- must remain within the cost budget.

The cost of attendance is set by the Student Financial Aid Office for the 9-month academic year. An additional 3 months can be added in the spring for those students attending summer school. It is an amount based on average costs for a student. Note that the budget would not (and cannot) include most family expenses.

Aid received from other UC offices and coming from an outside source may reduced or replace work-study or loan portions of a student's aid package. It is therefore important that you notify the Student Financial Aid Office of any scholarship or fellowship that does not appear as part of an aid package. By doing so early, a student reduces the risk of having aid adjusted mid-year or after funds have been received.

Graduate students receiving federal aid are required to meet the university's Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. Please note the special alert regarding IP grades.