Hello. Sorry this may be a dumb question…,Is there FA for grad school? I’ve applied for financial aid for my daughter for 4 years as UG but haven’t for grad school. I made an assumption FA was only for UG. Is this true? Thanks!
What kind of grad school? Ph.D. programs usually have tuition remission and a stipend in return for being a research and/or teaching assistant. Professional master’s programs may offer institutional grants or scholarships. There are always unsubsidized loans.
There are no Pell of state grants however.
It depends what grad school. If it is a Phd, there should be funding like stipends and fellowships I believe.
If it is professional school like dental, pharmacy, etc there might be limited scholarships available and there are some health profession loans, it depends what schools have available, and they are need based usually.
An employer might pay for an MBA.
But otherwise the grad student can take out federal graduate and graduate plus loans up to the COA (I think there is a credit check).
Financial aid for graduate schools is largely merit based and is based on the strength of the student application, and the school’s desire to have the student as a member of the cohort.
Grad school aid comes on the form of assistantships, grants, scholarships, fellowships, stipends, tuition remisssions, and sometimes work study.
Grad school students can also take out Direct Loans and Grad Plus Loans. Grad Plus Loans can be up to the cost of attendance. These loans require completion of the FAFSA.
Really…need based aid is not the same as it is in undergrad school. Your grad student will be applying as an independent student…with only her information. The exceptions being…some medical schools and law schools will require parent information as well.
Following this thread because I have many basic grad school questions. I can’t (yet) determine if its better to take out all the eligible loans in undergrad and hold on to some 529 money, or use up all the 529 money and minimize loans, looking for the smartest way to approach grad school.
Thank you. It looks like I don’t need to apply for financial aid.
Instead she will be offered merit scholarships or TA etc which does not require me to fill out the FA.
My D is applying to grad school for her masters in Architecture.
Very likely your daughter will need to file FAFSA…not you. Your info isn’t needed, just hers.
If she gets some merit, that’s great, but likely whatever she gets will not cover all costs.
@mom2collegekids - You have 10,000 more posts than the last time I saw one from you. You are wonderful!
Grad students are be default independent students for federal aid purposes, so at this point you won’t need to complete any more financial aid forms for your daughter. (The exception is that institutionally, some health professionals program - mostly medical school and dental school - consider students to be dependent students for the purpose of awarding institutional aid, and still consider family resources. These are primarily very expensive prestigious medical schools where it’s common for parents to pay the full cost of their children’s attendance.)