Appealing Grad School FA Awards

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I have a few questions about asking for more scholarship from graduate programs (especially public policy master's). I was accepted by several schools, but most of the merit-based scholarships/fellowships that were awarded to me so far are insufficient (around 3-10k, when I would unfortunately need at least 30k). Because of my international status, I cannot receive need-based aid at all. I have contacted the schools about the possibility of increasing this initial FA offer, and I was wondering what is the best way to phrase/write a scholarship appeal letter, and what exactly should I mention for my letter to be effective. I have heard that schools sometimes try to match other school's FA award. How would one go about asking for that? How often do grad schools increase FA offers? Would updating schools about new grades, awards, or maybe submitting additional recommendation letters, or potentially a GRE retake be of any help?</p>

<p>The schools I applied to were mostly match schools, given my stats and my work experience (+internships and lots of volunteering), and among these, I think that I like the programs at Carnegie Mellon and UPitt best.</p>

<p>Thank you very much for your help!</p>

2

<p>Just be honest about your financial limitations and ask if there’s anything they could do for you?</p>

<p>Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that you will get significant funding for a Master’s degree. Many Master’s programs are run for the sole purpose of generating tuition revenue, and the department doesn’t have much stake in having you in the program. Most international students at my undergraduate college preferred to apply to PhD programs, which are usually fully funded.</p>

3

<p>Thanks a lot for your answer! I’m PM’ing you with more questions if it’s OK.</p>