AID ELIGIBILITY
The academic departments and programs rank order for new GSAS applicants in accordance with the applicants' potential for outstanding graduate work. At a minimum, applicants are to have had B+ grades or higher in previous coursework and to have achieved the 75th percentile in all sections of the GRE. Students receiving Financial Aid packages may expect to receive one year of such aid at the Master's level and three years at the doctoral level: generally no more than four years for those applying without the Master's degree. Continuing students may expect to continue their Financial Aid packages provided that they have applied each spring semester and that they have maintained the stipulated GPA for Financial Aid (3.5) and are making satisfactory progress towards their degree. All recipients of Financial Aid must be certified by GSAS as full time students. All applicants for Financial Aid are to complete a FAFSA application yearly. All New York State resident applicants for Financial Aid must apply for TAP. No recipient of Financial Aid is to hold outside employment without the permission of the Graduate Dean.

FINANCIAL AID AWARDS
The financial aid administered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is merit-based and includes one or more of the following:

STIPENDS
Distinguished Fellowships provide a stipend for living expenses and allow students to devote greater time to their studies during their first year in the program. The department chair or graduate director works with fellowship recipients to design a program of study, research, and professional socialization activities, such as teaching or editing experience, that meets their needs and is consistent with the goals of the particular fellowship.

Graduate Assistantships also provide a stipend for living expenses. The duties of the graduate assistant are assigned by the department chairperson in consultation with the Associate Dean of the GSAS. Typical duties for first year students include assistance to a program director or faculty member, providing undergraduate tutoring or assistance in an office outside the department, such as the undergraduate or graduate Dean’s office, computer laboratories, or the library. After the first year or two, doctoral students usually participate in teacher training programs, which may include service as a teaching assistant or laboratory instructor, and then eventually serve as Teaching Fellows, instructors of their own course sections. The duties of most graduate assistantships requirement a commitment of approximately two days (15 to 18 hours) per week, from the start of classes through commencement. These are not “hourly” positions, but involve duties consistent with the professional goals of most graduate students. Thus, some weeks student may devote more than 18 hours to assistantship duties, but there will be other weeks when the responsibilities are lighter.

SUPPLEMENTS are an addition to the stipend for a specific purpose.

Health Insurance: A supplement toward the cost of health insurance is offered to all recipients of assistantships. To receive this supplement, students must present evidence of enrollment in a health insurance program to the Associate Dean of the GSAS. Information about the student health insurance program offered by Fordham is included here; students may enroll and receive the supplement for a different plan if it is licensed in New York State.

Assistantship Supplements: A select group of students are also offered supplements to the standard assistantship stipends in recognition of theiroutstanding entry qualifications. Advanced students are sometimes offered the opportunity to take on extra duties (such as teaching an extra section beyond the normal load for a Teaching Fellow); if the offer is accepted, they receive a supplement to the normal stipend for a Teaching Fellows.

TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS

Tuition Scholarships cover all or partof the cost of the tuition for a student’s program, but only those amount not covered by other. A full tuition scholarship covers up to 24 credits during the academic year and up to 6 credits during one summer (either before or after the academic year of the award). Partial tuition scholarships either cover a portion of the cost of tuition (often 50%) or fewer credits. Students receiving tuition scholarships remain liable for the payment of student fees.

Requirements:
• Recipients of merit-based financial aid must be registered as full-time students and may not have outside employment without the written permission of the Associate Dean; the only exceptions to these requirements are the recipients of the partial tuition scholarships awarded through the New York City Mayor’s Scholarship Program and the Ricci awards.

• Before receiving any financial aid, all applicants must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If not already completed, the FAFSA may be filled out on the web at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. Students who are not US citizens or permanent residents do not file the form with the federal government, but must submit a hard copy to the Associate Dean of the Graduate School. In addition, residents of New York State must file a Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) application.

Continuation of merit-based funding: Renewal for subsequent years is dependent upon continued outstanding academic performance, satisfactory performance of assistantship duties, availability of funds, and the number of years of eligibility for your academic program. For most doctoral programs, the renewal rate is close to 100% until the end of the eligibility period. For additional information about the eligibility period, contact the program.

Need-based financial aid: Filing of the FAFSA form (and the TAP application for New York State residents) is the first step in applying for need-based financial aid, which usually takes the form of student loans and grants. After filing the FAFSA, students may contact the Financial Aid office at www.fordham.edu/finaid to learn more about the types of need-based aid available to graduate students.

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web liaison at gsasweb@fordham.edu