My son has applied to several masters programs and been accepted to USC, U of IL Champagne-Urbana, U of Maryland, and U of Colorado at Boulder for Aerospace Engineering. He filled out the FAFSA already. How does it work with grad schools and FAFSA-is it at all similar to undergrad where you get accepted first then wait for a financial aid package? There are no assistantship opportunities for him, are grants sometimes given out for grad school? What’s the process here that we can expect?
Most of this is in the FAQ at the top of the forum.
Short version:
For grad school, financial assistance generally comes at the same time as the formal admission offer, although supplemental funding may be delayed for months.
Grants and scholarships are relatively rare for new grad students, although some may be offered down the line based on performance. Assistantships and fellowships represent the vast majority of grad financial aid.
You can email the department and ask for their process and what you can expect.
I actually just added an expanded discussion of financial aid because of this post to the FAQ.
In short, it’s not really similar to undergrad at all. There’s rarely any need-based financial support or grants, so no real “package”. If there is any funding at all, it’s merit-based and usually awarded at the same time as the admissions offer. When I was applying I got scholarship offers in the same letter as my admission offer.
Generally speaking, professional master’s students finance their programs largely on their own - mostly through loans and personal funding, sometimes through employee tuition assistance programs if they’re working.
I feel kinda silly, but I am looking for the faq you mention above and cannot find it. Can you help?
Thanks so much!!