Undergraduate Financial Aid

The most complete source for financial aid advice for undergraduates is http://financialaid.gmu.edu/ .  We recommend that all undergraduates consult the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Graduate Funding and Support

Graduate students can obtain financial support from a variety of sources:

• Departmental Sources
• COS Dean's Office
• Provost's Office
• Employment Opportunities
• Funding for Conference Travel
• Funding for Graduate Student Organizations
• Other Sources of Funding

Departmental Sources

Each department has a certain amount of financial support used to recruit outstanding applicants. Awards are available for students entering in both the fall and spring terms, but distribution varies by department. For more information, contact your Graduate Program Coordinator. Most opportunities are for students enrolled on a full-time basis, but rules governing the awards vary.

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs)

Students with GRA appointments are expected to support faculty research. Full-time GRAs are expected to work 20 hours per week and can receive up to 12 credits of tuition waiver; half-time GRAs, working 10 hours a week, receive up to 6 credits.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs)

GTAs support the department by engaging in activities related to teaching. These can include: teaching sections of courses/labs, supporting instructors teaching large sections, tutoring, advising, and curriculum development. GTA awards may or may not come with a tuition waiver.

Tuition Waivers

Students with tuition waivers must be appointed to either a GRA or GTA position. Each student is awarded a certain dollar amount to be applied to their tuition costs.

Fellowship Awards

These are monetary awards made to the highest qualified students. No service to the department or university is required for these awards.

COS Dean's Office

Periodically the COS Dean's Office will create an assistantship position to meet a specific need within the College. These can include offering technical or curricular support to a program (e.g., Technology Across the Curriculum) or a GRA position to assist with a college or university project. When such opportunities arise, academic departments are notified and asked to inform students.

Provost's Office

Each academic year the Provost’s Office accepts nominations from departments for High Potential GRA positions. These opportunities are for applicants intending to pursue a doctoral degree, and can be renewed up to three years. For more information, contact your Graduate Coordinator.

Employment

Full-time and part-time employees at George Mason are eligible for partial tuition waivers as a benefit of employment. For more information, see the Benefits section of Human Resources. Students are also eligible to apply for wage positions at the university. These positions offer the benefit of allowing the student to work and pursue study at the same location, but do not carry tuition benefits. For more information, refer to the Student Wage section of the Human Resources Employment web site.

Other Sources of Funding

There are a large number of organizations and foundations that offer scholarships and fellowships to students pursuing graduate degrees. A partial list of awards COS graduate students are eligible to apply for, along with application information, can be found at the link below. Additionally, students can use any number of search engines to find scholarships and fellowships based on their discipline of study, background, or other factors. Some of these tools can also be accessed through the link below. Scholarship/Fellowship Scholarship/Fellowship Search Engines

Funding for Conference Travel

The Office of Student Activities manages the Graduate Student Travel Fund, which helps graduate students attend and participate in professional conferences pertaining to their field of study. Guidelines and application materials can be found on the Graduate Student Travel Fund web site.

Funding for Graduate Student Organizations

The Office of Student Activities also manages the Social Programming Fund, which provides money to support the activities of recognized graduate student organizations. More information can be found on the Social Programming Fund web site.