GSE Scholarships

The Graduate School of Education provides merit and need-based (scholarships and assistantships) aid awards to students. The GSE Office of Financial Aid implements school policies relating to school-based financial aid. Unless otherwise noted, awards are made for the full academic year (summer, fall, spring). Students not continuously enrolled each semester of the academic year may lose their award for subsequent semesters and are not guaranteed reinstatement.

Eligibility

To be eligible for GSE school-based scholarships, students must:

  • Maintain enrollment in two courses (six credits) for summer, fall, and spring semesters;
  • Demonstrate financial need by completing a FAFSA; and
  • Meet minimum GPA requirements: a 3.5 undergraduate GPA and a 3.75 graduate GPA.
  • Only U.S. citizens and Eligible Non-Citizens (as determined by FAFSA) are eligible to apply for and receive GSE scholarships. 

Note: Fordham University’s Federal School Code is #002722.

GSE School-Based Aid Scholarships

Listed below are all the scholarship opportunities available through Fordham GSE for incoming students and continuing students, for both campus-based and online degree programs.*

Incoming students may apply to more than one scholarship program during the admissions process.

Continuing students may re-apply for a graduate assistantship and/or the Opportunity and Excellence scholarship for each new academic year. Students may be considered for both aid programs. However, awards are issued based on the availability of funding.

Incoming students and continuing students who wish to be considered for the Catholic School Scholarship must complete a separate application that may be obtained via the Center for Catholic School Leadership and Faith-Based Education webpage. Read more and apply.

*Bear in mind that not all GSE school-based aid scholarships are renewable. Please browse each section below for more information on the specific criteria for each.

  • Opportunity and Excellence Scholarships

    A limited number of need-based competitive scholarships are awarded to qualified persons with financial need and academic merit who are admitted to a degree program to prepare for careers in schools or professional practice. Students must be enrolled for at least 6 credits per semester to qualify for this award.

    Scholarships for Partners in Innovation and Excellence

    Scholarships are awarded to selected teams and cohorts from schools or school districts with which Fordham Graduate School of Education has a formal partnership agreement for educational renewal, curriculum improvement, restructuring, or other school innovation or excellence objectives. Application procedures and deadlines, as well as the amount or percentage of the scholarship, vary in each partnership. Contact your school principal or the dean’s office to find out whether your school has a partnership with the Graduate School of Education and whether you may participate in partnership-related courses with scholarship support.

  • Assistantship awards are work-study funding that provide tuition remission for one course per semester. Graduate Assistantships are made in recognition of academic achievement, special competencies, and/or academic potential. They provide opportunities for academic and professional development. There are two types of assistantships: Research and Administrative.

    Read more about Graduate Assistantships.

  • Incoming students who are AmeriCorps alumni enrolling in a master’s degree or advanced certificate program  are eligible for a 25% tuition scholarship.

    Read more about this scholarship. The scholarship is good for the first year of a student’s program and is not renewable.

  • A limited amount of aid is available for persons employed as full-time professionals in Catholic or other religiously affiliated nonpublic schools.. The scholarship covers 40-50% of tuition charges up to six credits per semester.

    Students are responsible for meeting all eligibility criteria and reviewing scholarship details. Read more and apply.

  • Only incoming students may apply for this scholarship. This is a dean’s scholarship which is good for one year and is not renewable.

    A limited number of need and merit-based scholarships are available to financially disadvantaged GSE students who are committed to pursuing careers focusing on socio-economically underrepresented or disadvantaged populations. The award is tuition-specific and students must take at least six credits to qualify. Recipients will receive $3,000 per semester for their first academic year. For students starting at GSE in the summer semester, the full year includes the summer, fall, and spring semesters, and for those starting in the fall semester, the full year includes the fall and spring semesters.

    Learn more about the Public Interest Scholarship.

How to Apply

New Students

New students must apply for GSE school-based aid (graduate assistantships/scholarships) during the admissions application process.* There is no financial aid application deadline for new students; however, awards are issued based on the availability of funds.

  • When completing the online admissions application, check "yes" to receiving GSE school-based aid on the financial aid supplemental form.
  • GSE school-based aid applications will be reviewed once a student has officially been notified by the Admissions Office of their acceptance into a degree program.
  • New students should file the FAFSA upon submitting their application for admission to ensure a student's GSE school-based aid application is reviewed promptly.
  • Award eligibility is based on a student's final cumulative degree program GPA and demonstration of financial need as evidenced via the FAFSA.
  • Award decisions will be made once a student's FAFSA has been verified to determine eligibility.

*If you have already submitted your online admissions application, please get in touch with the GSE Financial Aid Office at [email protected] or Anisa Torres-Sanchez, Director of GSE School-Based Aid, at [email protected].

Continuing Students

  • Continuing students must apply by the February 1 deadline (for the next academic year) for GSE school-based aid (graduate assistantships/scholarships).
  • Submit an application via the www.fordham.edu portal through the “Student Tab”; choose the GSE Financial Aid link under "My Accounts".  Late applications will not be accepted.
  • Each new academic year, all continuing students may reapply for GSE school-based aid (assistantships/scholarships) when a student is enrolling in coursework to complete a degree program.
  • The GSE Financial Aid Office will notify continuing students by the end of the fall semester regarding when applications will be available for each new academic year; the applications will include consideration for summer, fall, and spring semester awards.
  • Continuing students may be considered for both a graduate assistantship and a scholarship. However, because graduate assistantships are based upon availability of funding and the administrative needs of GSE, they are not guaranteed to any student. 
  • GSE scholarship decisions will be made by mid-March (if a student’s FAFSA is on file); graduate assistantship decisions will be made by mid-April for summer awards and by mid-June for fall/spring awards.

Additional Scholarship and Grant Programs

  • For new teachers and clinicians, this scholarship program provides selected individuals with an opportunity to pursue a Master's Degree in specified bilingual and monolingual areas of education and pupil personnel services. A full scholarship is offered in exchange for a service commitment to work in a high-need New York City public school.

    Read more about the Bilingual Counseling and Education NYCDOE Scholarship.

  • The Intensive Teacher Institute in Bilingual Special Education (ITI-BSE) was created to address the shortage of certified bilingual and English as a second language (ESL) special educators in New York State. The ITI-BSE collaborates with school districts, preschools, and institutions of higher education (IHEs) approved by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to assist participants in meeting the requirements for a bilingual education extension and ESOL certification requirements in special education.

    Fifteen credits are provided for bilingual education and ESL coursework for special education teachers, for teachers of students with speech and language disabilities (TSSLDs), and for pupil personnel service professionals (i.e. school guidance counselors, school social workers, or school psychologists). Tuition assistance is provided for up to $310 per credit.

    Read more about eligibility and requirements.

  • Learn more about the ECO scholarship here.