Financing Graduate School

There are basically three ways to receive financial assistance for graduate school: (a) university/college fellowships and scholarships, (b) college, department or program assistantships, and (c) external funding agencies. The duration and degree of funding (including the availability of tuition waivers) differ by award, so please be sure to check with each primary source to verify.

University/College Fellowships and Scholarships:

All applicants who checked the need for/interest in financial aid on their graduate application are automatically being considered for university/college fellowships and scholarships. To be competitive, applicants typically have to have a combined score of 1200 or better on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as well as a strong application (e.g., letter of intent, letters of recommendation). Applicants are typically informed of fellowship/scholarship awards within one to two months after receiving notice of admissions. Additional details on University/College Fellowships and Scholarships are available at off the UCF Graduate Studies web site, under Future Students / Financing Grad School.

College, Department or Program Assistantships:

College, department and program assistantships depend on grant/project funding. Some assistantships come with tuition waivers, others do not. The best way to earn such a graduate assistant position is to meet with faculty across the college in person. Typically, faculty like to get to know students (e.g., in class) before hiring them for such positions. However, you may complete the Graduate Assistantship Application Form and submit it to Erica Mendoza (emendoza@mail.ucf.edu) who will keep you application and resume on file for consideration as Assistantships become available.

External Funding Agencies

To finance graduate school, candidates may also seek financial assistance, in the form of student loans, grants and scholarships from external funding agencies, such as, but not limited to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Information about external funding agencies may be accessed at http://finaid.ucf.edu/.

International students may also receive financial aid through Florida Linkage Institutes. The State of Florida has also established various linkage agreements to assist in the development of stronger economic and social ties between Florida and strategic foreign countries. Linkage Institutes are set up throughout the state, and provide out-of-state tuition exemption to scholars from the foreign countries represented by the institutes. Additional information about Florida Linkage Institutes, including a list of contacts, are available off UCF’s International Service Center website under Immigrations / Florida Linkage Institutes.