Securing Funding Before Tuition is Due

Graduate School
1

<p>I graduated in 2010 intending to apply/enroll in the best graduate program that I could afford. And since then, I've have gotten nowhere. I'm frequently told that in order to compete for TA/RA funding, one must already be an enrolled student. Paying full tuition is something I just can't afford would not like to loan out.</p>

<p>I'm hoping I can get some general advice on ways to get around this problem. To date, most of my inquiries have been with state institutions. Would I have better luck elsewhere?</p>

<p>Some contextual details that may help:
I'm primarily interested in an anthropology MA/PhD program, but I'm also considering other liberal arts disciplines.
GPA was 3.4 from UW-Madison. BA in journalism and anthro. I have not yet taken my GRE.
I have not had any significant research experience.
I am a native Spanish speaker and am hoping that this might be a ticket to TA funding.</p>

<p>Thanks for any help or general pointers!</p>

2

<p>You should not have to pay tuition for a PhD. The first two anthro PhD programs I checked (Penn and NYU) both said that they fund all of their admitted students. There are also external fellowships that would cover your tuition and give you a stipend for a number of years.</p>

<p>Personally, I would be very wary of enrolling in a program without guaranteed funding, but I might be spoiled because I am in a field where most graduate students are guaranteed TA positions at the time of admission.</p>