A certain amount of financial aid is allocated to the academic departments. This can include a set number of tuition waivers, teaching assistantships and so on. The departments determine how the financial aid is allocated among their students.

Sources of funds include universities, private foundations, U.S. government agencies and civic organizations.

NEED BASED AID -- Information about need based aid is usually available in catalogs and university publications. Eligibility criteria are standard.

Grants: Grants are outright money with few or no strings attached. There are usually no work or research obligations. Most grants and fellowships are merit based, but generally each university offers some grants on the basis of financial need. Grants may be awarded for a specific purpose (i.e., to cover the cost of typing a thesis or dissertation). Application for these funds usually requires a proposal one year in advance.

Normally grants are awarded for a 12 to 18 month period, although payment may be stopped if a student fails to maintain status for which the grant was awarded. Periodic progress reports are sometimes required. Grants do not have to be repaid.

Work Study: In work study programs, students work for non-profit organizations. This may include the university itself. Most work study programs are federally funded, although some are supported by state or institutional funds.

Students are required to work a specific number of hours; either half-time (20 hours per week) or quarter time (10 hours per week). Work study often consumes valuable hours for low wages.

Administrative Assistantships: These awards are generally based on need and academic qualifications, and require 10 to 20 hours per week of work in an administrative office of the university. Administrative assistantships may provide a salary or a tuition waiver.

Internships and Cooperative Education Programs: Internships and cooperative education programs integrate classroom studies with on-the-job professional experience. Internships can be arranged either through a university or by the individual directly. However, it is necessary to check course credit and visa requirements with the foreign student advisor. Although student earnings vary between fields and geographic location, co-op students earn $8,000 per year on the national average. Practical training after completion of the program for up to 12 months or during the program is also possible.

MERIT BASED AID -- This category makes up the largest amount of aid awards at the graduate level, and is largely controlled by academic departments.

Scholarships (also called fellowships, competitions, prizes, awards): These awards are offered on a competitive basis and are usually based on merit. The awards generally cover full or partial tuition costs. Fellowships may also include a living stipend. Awards are usually specific as to a fixed amount, the purpose (i.e., tuition and books) and the duration (i.e., 1 to 4 years). Teaching or research obligations are usually not included. Generally there is no repayment, although payment can be stopped if a student fails to maintain the status for which the aid was awarded.

Research Assistantships: Research assistantships (RA's) provide not only financial support but also the opportunity to receive special training. These awards are usually funded from grants received by a department's faculty. Each grant-funded project is controlled by the faculty member who obtained the grant. S/he is therefore free to hire whomever s/he requests to work on the project. Awards are based on academic qualifications and research interests. They are rarely offered to first year students. Students are paid a stipend, and many research assistantships include a tuition waiver. Securing a research assistantship is like looking for a job. Students must determine likely sponsors, types of skills and other attributes required by that sponsor, and pursue the position as any other job.

Teaching Assistantships: Teaching Assistants (TA's) often correct examinations and supervise laboratory or discussion classes. Sometimes TA's teach introductory or remedial courses (especially in biological and physical sciences and math departments) or may assist a professor in a large class by meeting weekly with a small group in a discussion section. Later, TA's may have the opportunity to teach more advanced classes during the summer session.

As with research assistantships, securing a TA position is essentially a job hunting exercise. These positions may be awarded by a departmental committee or by the professor supervising the teaching. Students find positions as teaching assistants in their home departments or in other fields in which they have strong academic preparation.

These positions are usually offered on a half-time (20 hours per week) basis or on a quarter-time (10 hours per week) basis. Generally the position provides a tuition waiver or reduction plus a stipend (i.e., $4,500 to $10,000 per academic year).

U.S. universities must ensure that graduate TA's have adequate communication skills. The universities are particularly interested in making sure that foreign TA's have attained sufficient English ability and knowledge of the American education system. Consequently many universities have adopted policies regarding foreign applicants for TA's. These may include requirement of the TSE-A (Test of Spoken English) or the SPEAK (the on-campus version of the TSE); giving a demonstration lecture to show an ability to organize, explain, give examples and to ask and answer questions; or may require a course in classroom communication. English proficiency testing is now required by state law in California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

The purpose of the Test of Spoken English (TSE) is to evaluate the spoken English proficiency of those whose native language is not English. It requires examinees to verbally answer a variety of questions presented in printed and recorded form. The spoken answers are recorded on tape. Some of the TSE exam sections include reading a printed passage aloud, completing partial sentences, giving a short presentation as if to a group of students, and answering questions about general topics.

Tuition and Fee Waivers: Departments usually have a certain number of these awards to offer to deserving students. Tuition and fee waivers generally pay required tuition and fees for one academic year. The tuition waiver may also be packaged with another form of aid. For example, a teaching assistantship and a tuition waiver is a common package. Some universities may offer to defer tuition until after the student graduates. This is essentially a low interest loan.

National Training and Research Grants: These are highly sought-after prestigious awards. National agencies such as the National Institute of Health or the National Science Foundation award a certain number of slots to well-known departments. The department's faculty decides which students receive the awards. These are generous fellowships which often cover tuition, fees, and a stipend. The awards may also be tied to a research or teaching assistantship.

Restricted Fellowships: Many institutions have a variety of funds designated for a specific purpose. These restricted fellowships depend on specific characteristics (i.e., women interested in the Renaissance). These may be difficult resources to locate. Some universities publish a list of all available restricted fellowships. In other cases, students must do research to locate sources of these funds, (i.e., students should ask about specific fellowships at the women's center, ethnic associations, or write to professional associations.)

Travel and Research Grants: Special funds are sometimes available to support doctoral students conducting original research. These funds may cover dissertation expenses such as fieldwork, typing, computer costs, and so on. Application for these grants requires a proposal, usually submitted one year in advance. These awards may be university sponsored or may be available through professional associations.

Students will have a greater chance of obtaining financial assistance if they:

Graduate students should apply for both need based and merit based aid, but the procedures may be different for each type of aid application. In the case of some merit based aid, such as research and teaching assistantships, the graduate students would have to explore these options after arriving on campus, when individual faculty members can evaluate the student's abilities. Other types of merit based aid, such as restricted fellowships, research and travel grants, tuition waivers, etc. require that applications be arranged with the department while on campus.

Since application requirements for financial aid for graduate and postgraduate studies are so varied, students should write directly to the funding source for details as early as possible.

In general, applicants should:

Many sources of campus-based and government-supported financial aid are reserved for citizens or legal permanent residents of the U.S. Foreign students should inquire about restrictions at the financial aid office or through the foreign student office when they apply for admission.

There are a variety of organizations outside the university which support foreign graduate students in the U.S. Each organization has its own procedures and restrictions. Students should contact these organizations directly regarding financial aid opportunities. IIE has a number of resources which give information about these kinds of organizations.

Source: Graduate Financial Aid, Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange.