 Graduate Study
Financial Information:
University Funding Resources
Financial Support from Syracuse University
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It is primarily up to individual academic departments to determine if and how a graduate student will receive merit-based support from the University. Departments select students for University Fellowships, appoint graduate assistants (teaching, research, and administrative), and grant scholarships. In some graduate programs, such as the physical sciences, nearly all students admitted are provided full funding by their departments and/or the University for the duration of their studies. In other programs, such as "professional" fields, very little institutional support is available and, consequently, most students use need-based financial assistance (e.g., loans) and their personal resources to finance themselves. It is appropriate, then, for students to consult their faculty advisor, graduate program director, or department chair for information about how their department goes about considering students for any of these types of support.
Syracuse University Graduate Fellowships
These awards consist of a stipend ($11,700 for master's students, $19,570
for doctoral students in 2007-08) and a full-tuition scholarship (up
to 30 credits for the academic year). Where appropriate, they are awarded
for more than one academic year. Multi-year awards typically include
a year of fellowship followed by a year of teaching or research assistantship,
followed by a third year of fellowship support. Fellows are appointed
annually, primarily from among incoming graduate students, although
some returning students entering the final year of a terminal degree
program at Syracuse (e.g. M.F.A. or Ph.D.) receive these awards. Currently
enrolled students wishing to be nominated for these fellowships should
consult their academic departments. Applicants to graduate programs
consult their application instructions in order to apply.
Syracuse
University African American Graduate Fellowships
These six fellowships are awarded annually to new and continuing African
American graduate students. They include a stipend ($11,700 for master's
students $19,570 for doctoral students in 2007-08) and a full-tuition
scholarship (up to 30 credits for the academic year). African American
fellows are required to enroll in at least one three-credit graduate
course each semester in the African American Studies Program for the
duration of their award. These fellowships are awarded for one academic
year and are usually not typically re-awarded for consecutive academic
years. Students interested in applying for these awards must send a
letter of intent to the African American Studies Program, whose main
office is in 200 Sims V. Current graduate students must be nominated
for these awards by their academic department. Applicants to the Graduate
School should indicate interest in this award on their applications,
which should be submitted no later than January 10.
GEM Fellowships
GEM is a program of the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for
Minorities in Engineering and Science, Inc. (The acronym GEM stands
for "Graduate Education for Minorities.") Through GEM, African
Americans, Latino Americans, and Native Americans compete for portable
fellowships to be used for graduate study in an engineering or science
discipline at a GEM member institution to which the fellow has been
admitted. Syracuse is a member and encourages GEM Fellows to apply.
These fellowships provide a stipend of $10,000 a year to master's students
and $14,000 a year to doctoral students. Corporations provide funds
for the fellowship stipends and some tuition; graduate schools provide
the remainder of the tuition and sometimes supplement the stipends with
their own funds. For more information about the program and how to apply,
students should contact: GEM Consortium, P.O. Box 537; Notre Dame, Indiana
46556, or the website
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Syracuse University Graduate Assistantships
Over 1,400 graduate assistantships are offered to full-time matriculated graduate students to serve as teaching, research or administrative assistants. Graduate students holding a full assistantship render a service to the University for an average of twenty hours a week during the academic year. The assistant receives a stipend (minimum salary for the 2007-2008 academic year is $10,270) to be determined by the department making the appointment. Many graduate assistants also receive tuition scholarships.
In searching for an assistantship, a general strategy to employ is to investigate opportunities in your academic department first. This way you have the best chance of finding an opportunity related to your program of study. If there are no opportunities there, your faculty advisor, graduate program director, or department chair may be able to advise you of other departments or administrative offices on campus where students in your department have been appointed as graduate assistants in the past.
If you are interested in administrative
assistantships, it is likely that you will need to conduct your own
search for offices on campus that have such vacancies. The Human Resources
website sometimes lists administrative graduate assistantships. These
can be found at http://humanresources.syr.edu/proemp/job_opps.html.
Click on Syracuse University Job Opportunities at the bottom of the
page, which will take you to current available positions. However, many
do not send notices, so it may be necessary to contact offices directly
to determine where opportunities exist. A good place to start is with
offices that you believe may be able to use an advanced student in your
discipline; for example, students in graduate programs emphasizing counseling
skills should consider contacting counseling offices on campus.
The application procedure for administrative assistantships typically
is very competitive. You are advised to conduct the search and application
process for these positions as if you were seeking a full-time professional
position. Interview protocol, including a well-written resume (that
delineates scholastic achievements and professional experiences), professional
attire and attitude should be observed in all communications with administrative
offices. Graduate students may also want to adapt cover letters and
resumes to the specific responsibilities of each position for which
they are applying. Submission of materials during the early part of
the spring semester for openings the following fall is recommended as
many administrative offices begin interviewing prospective graduate
assistants in March.
Graduate
School Scholarships
Syracuse University scholarships are awarded by the schools and colleges
upon the recommendation of their academic departments in recognition
of students' academic merit. Scholarships provide tuition, which is
credited directly to the student's bursar account. Scholarships do not
include a stipend. Scholarships may be awarded for some or all of a
student’s tuition in a given year. These awards carry with them
the expectation that students will maintain a minimum academic standard
(3.0 grade point average each term) and make satisfactory progress toward
their degrees. Students seeking more information about these awards
should contact their department chairperson or faculty advisor.
Other Sources
of Support from Syracuse University
Some academic departments and schools or colleges at Syracuse have endowed
resources of their own from which they may provide financial support
to graduate students. The nature of these opportunities requires that
students contact their department to determine whether such support
may be available to them.
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Syracuse University
Travel Grant Program
In many graduate programs, traveling to present original work at a conference
is considered an essential student experience. Many academic departments
use their own funds to help graduate students defray the costs of their
travel. Students should contact their departments to determine the availability
of funds for this purpose.
Syracuse
University Research and Creative Project Grant Competition
Grants for carrying out independent research or creative projects during
the summer are also available to Syracuse University graduate student
through a competition held each year, administered by the schools and
colleges of Syracuse University. Students interested in this competition
are encouraged to contact their respective school or college for complete
guidelines.
McNair Scholars
Program
Syracuse University annually funds up to six McNair Graduate Fellowships
as part of its federally funded, institution-wide Ronald E. McNair Post
Baccalaureate Achievement Program. The program's goal is to increase
the number of low-income, first-generation and underrepresented minority
college students who pursue and complete the doctoral degree . The Fellowships
consist of a stipend ($11,700 for master's students, $19,570 for doctoral
students, in 2007-08) and a full-tuition scholarship (up to 30 credits
for the academic year). To be eligible, applicants must have been McNair
Scholars at their undergraduate institutions. Applicants may indicate
interest in these fellowships by checking the appropriate box on the
application form. Information about the University's undergraduate McNair
Scholars Program may be found here.
Hursky Fellowship
Great professors have a profound impact on the lives of their students.
They not only elevate the classroom experience to its pinnacle, but
they shape their students' perception of the world forever. Jacob Hursky
was such a professor.
Syracuse University honors his legacy, and that of his wife Valentina,
by awarding annually the Jacob and Valentina Hursky Ukrainian Graduate
Fellowship. This award includes a stipend of at least $10,000 and a
tuition scholarship for 24 credits for the academic year and the following
summer. It is awarded to a full-time, matriculated/or admitted graduate
student of Ukrainian background enrolled in either the Maxwell School
of Citizenship and Public Affairs or the College of Arts and Sciences,
or to a Syracuse University graduate student whose area of study is
the Ukraine or includes Ukrainian topics. Preference is given to students
whose study includes Ukrainian language and literature, Ukrainian linguistics,
and or culture. Students receiving the award are known as Hursky Fellows.
Learn more about the biography of Professor Hursky, supporting the Hursky Fund, and applying for the Hursky Fellowship.
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