<p>I know I shouldn't be worrying about this now since I'm just entering undergrad school, but I was just curious.
I just received my financial aid packet for UNC and I received a full ride thanks to grants and work study. (My family's low income pretty much guaranteed that I wouldn't have to pay much)... I was just wondering how graduate school FA compares... I know there are TA, GA, fellowships, etc to consider, but how likely would it be for someone like me to get the majority of their graduate school paid for by financial aid?</p>
<p>Depends on the field. In the biomedical sciences, UNC currently pays 26K per year and all biomedical graduate programs pay your tuition, fees and health insurance on top of the salary. TAing is something you do willingly or if your program requires it, begrudgingly. In the social sciences and humanities, TA, RA, PA positions are how people are supported, but I don’t know much beyond that. Engineering is pretty akin to the sciences in salary/benefits/tuition remission policies.</p>
<p>Your question of how likely it would be for you to get grad school paid for depends completely on the field you are in.</p>
<p>how about physics or mathematics?</p>
<p>Your family income does not affect finaid except with professional schools (MD/JD/MBA)</p>
<p>For a masters it is tougher to get funding, it happens, but may be partial, may be some terms and not others, etc.</p>
<p>Most people will tell you that PhDs should be funded fully- tuition remission and RA/TA stipends</p>
<p>You’ll be considered independent by then and your FA will depend on your own income, not your parents’.</p>
<p>“Most people will tell you that PhDs should be funded fully- tuition remission and RA/TA stipends”
does that mean that if your going for a PhD then it is usually fully funded or that u shouldn’t go for a PhD unless it is fully funded?</p>
<p>Research-based graduate degrees offer Fellowships as well as RA, TA, and occasional GA positions in just about all fields. The better funding the field has, the more and better funded their positions will be. This is why engineering is so easy for grad school - plenty of funding means lots of well-funded positions. Conversely, for a lot of the humanities support is harder to get, and less lucrative when you get it. These positions generally include full tuition, fees, and sometimes health insurance, but some departments at public schools will only cover in-state tuition - so be careful.</p>
<p>If do not get one of these positions, you are pretty much on your own. Grants and scholarships like you see in undergrad are pretty sparse, but you can find some if you chase them. After that, it is loans and your own bank account.</p>