How to Get Money for
Graduate School
Funding Workshop
Summer Research Institute (SRI)
CMU McNair Scholars Program
5 Easy Steps
1. Look general funding sources
(i.e. national fellowships)
2. Locate demographic based and area
specific funding
3. Locate McNair-specific funding sources
4. Look for school-specific funding
opportunities at the institution level
5. Look for school-specific funding
opportunities at the department level
Warning about Online
Resources
Like many websites that offer cool services for free, there are
some sneaky ways that websites use advertising to make
money.
Some websites will request that you create a “free profile” or
register with your email address. Some of these, particularly
those based at legitimate Universities, you shouldn’t worry
about registering with.
However there are certain websites that may sell your email
address to companies that will send you “spam”.
YOU SHOULD NOT ENTER ANY CREDIT CARD
OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION
TO COMPLETE AN OFFER.
Proceed carefully, and if you
have any questions,
ask your trusty G.A.
Step #1: Locate General
Funding Sources
There are all sorts of organizations, non-profits,
trusts, endowments, and foundations that offer
funding for graduate school on a national level,
usually based on academic achievement or
credentials.
Many of the resources we have in the Scholar
Resource Room also can provide you with a variety
of information about these funding opportunities.
This is your opportunity to explore some of those
materials!
Directions
Look through some of the
books (brought over from the
Scholar Resource Room) and
locate some other possibilities
for funding.
Some of the books are all
about scholarship
opportunities; others only have
a section about scholarships.
Some are organized by the
area you are studying, others
are organized alphabetically.
Check out included indexes to
help you zero in on
scholarships that might be right
for you.
McNair Website at CMU
Also, check out the McNair website for
additional information.
Go to www.mcnair.cmich.edu.
Click on:
1. “current scholars” menu bar, and then after the
menu drops down, click on
2. “resources / links.”
3. Fellowships and scholarships are listed on the site,
along with brief descriptions of what each is for and
links to their homepages.
Reflections on General
Funding
The application process for scholarships is extremely
competitive. To maximize your chances of winning a
scholarship, Finaid.org offers the following hints and
tips:
Start searching for scholarships ASAP. It pays to start your
search for scholarships as soon as possible. Many
scholarships have early deadlines, even as early as August or
September.
Apply to as many awards as possible. Apply to every
award for which you are qualified, no matter how small the
award amount.
Seek out less competitive scholarships. Seek out small
local awards that are not listed in most of the national
databases and scholarship books. These awards are less
competitive, and so your chances of winning them are greater.
Reflections continued…
Use up-to-date award information. When looking for information about
scholarships in books, check the copyright date of the book. A book that is more
than one year old is too old to be useful.
Beware of scholarship scams. If a scholarship has an application fee or other
required fees, it isn't worth your time and money to apply. At best such
"scholarships" are recirculating the fees to the students, and at worst no money
is ever awarded.
Ask the school about academic scholarships. Many colleges offer
presidential or academic scholarships to attract talented students. This is
especially true at second and third tier institutions.
Ask to be nominated. If a scholarship requires that you be nominated by your
school or the local chapter of the organization, find out who is responsible for
nominating applicants, and ask them to nominate you. Often the nominator will
not have a formal process for selecting a nominee.
Don't forget to renew your scholarship. If you won a renewable award last
year, make sure you satisfy any requirements for retaining it in subsequent
years.
Step #2: Demographic and
Discipline-specific funding
If you’re a McNair
Scholar that means you
are considered
underrepresented, a
low income first
generation college
student, or both. Not
only that, but there are
funding sources
allocated to students
based on gender and
specific field of study.
Directions
Again, you can look through some of the books available in the
resource room, or go to the CMU McNair website
Go to www.mcnair.cmich.edu and click:
“current scholars”
“specific demographic fellowships” or “specific discipline
fellowships”
Search engines with a specific demographic option:
Cornell University at http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/?p=132
Finaid (www.finaid.org) offers lists of current databases on:
Major http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/majors.phtml
Race http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/minority.phtml
The UNCF searchable database for African American students
http://www.uncf.org/scholarships/scholarshipsearch.asp
If you have to register, remember to jot down your user name and
password in case you want to return.
Assignment Part One
Based on the first two
steps of this activity,
generate a list 5
national fellowships
and/or scholarships
that you are eligible for
and might wish to apply
to.
Include this information
in the Excel document
provided.
Step #3: Locate McNair-
specific Funding Sources
As a McNair scholar, you have many advantages
over other graduate school applicants. Not only
does your McNair research project make you more
attractive academically, but the prestige of the
program will help you as well. Many schools offer
graduate scholarships and fellowships that go
specifically to McNair scholars.
This section of the exercise addresses how to locate
funding opportunities available specifically to McNair
scholars.
Directions
From the “resources” link on the McNair
website, click on the link under the “McNair
Fellowships” heading. This will take you to a
site managed by the University of Rochester
(NY) that lists schools that offer fellowships
specifically for McNair Scholars.
Determine whether there are McNair-specific
scholarships for any of your top six graduate
schools. If so, print the applications.
The List of McNair Fellowships
Step #4: Locate School-
specific Funding Sources
Many scholarships and fellowships are school
specific; that is, they are only available to individuals
that go to graduate school at a specific university
“Centralis Scholarship” at CMU is one example.
Often, a benefactor of a school will provide some
amount of money earmarked for the creation of a
scholarship in their name that is awarded annually to
a student that is studying some specific area. The
procedure for each school will vary, but this
information is usually offered on the schools
website.
Directions
1. Go to the website for each of your top six graduate schools.
Make sure you are at the University Home Page, and NOT a
department or program home page.
2. Locate information about university scholarships you might be
eligible for.
3. Print applications to scholarships you might wish to apply for.
4. Click around to locate different scholarship opportunities.
Remember, these sites are not always the most intuitively
designed sites in existence, so be persistent.
Be sure to look in both “Prospective Students” AND “Current
Students” areas of the site.
Navigation and Calling
On the CMU site, for example, you need to click on the following
links (from the university homepage) to get to funding
information:
Home > Admissions > Graduate > Applications and Forms
And then you still have to “sift” through in order to find any!
Feel free to call the office of scholarships and financial aid or the
graduate college at the schools you are looking at. A way to
inquire about funding at an institution you are interested in over
the phone might be:
“Hi, my name is __________________ , I am planning to attend
a Ph.D. program in ________________ at your university in the
Fall of 200__ . I was curious as to whether there were any
publicly or privately endowed scholarships, fellowships, or grants
available to graduate students studying ______________ at your
university that I might be eligible to apply for?”
Reflections on Interacting with
Administrative Staff
Always, always remember
the rule of the Three P’s: Help me
now!!!
The PEOPLE that do the
PAPERWORK have the
POWER.
Even if exhausted from
navigating bureaucratic
rigmarole, be polite. Say
“please,” and say, “thank
you.” A little courtesy will
take you far in this world.
Step #5: Locate Department /
Program-specific Funding
Sometimes, scholarships and fellowships are only publicized or
known about within the department you are applying to.
Department websites often have information about these sorts of
funding sources.
These funding sources might not exist at all in many programs at
many schools, but they are out there, so part of your funding
search must include determining whether these opportunities are
available to you.
ALSO: A big part of the funding information at this level of
specificity will be whether or not the department/ program offers
fellowships, research, or teaching assistantships, and the like.
This information is also key, since you will likely need to fill out
separate applications for these funding opportunities as well.
Directions
1. Go to the department and/or program website for each of your
schools. Make sure you are NOT at the general university home
page.
2. Locate any assistantships, scholarships or fellowships available
to graduate students in the department or program you are
looking at.
3. Print off applications (if applicable). Sometimes all it takes is
“checking a box” on your application indicating that you would
like to be considered for any opportunities.
Caution
Remember, every school, every website is different!
If you don’t find this information on the website
anywhere, it might be worth a call to the department
secretary. You may wish to inquire about: publicly or
privately endowed scholarships available to students
studying in the department, and whether the
department offers fellowships or assistantships.
BEFORE CALLING, MAKE SURE THE
INFORMATION YOU SEEK IS NOT ON THE
WEBSITE!
Reflections on Interacting with
Department Secretaries
Department secretaries are
probably the most
underappreciated and
overlooked player in the
academic game. They are of
utmost importance to the
smooth running of most
academic departments. They
are extremely knowledgeable
and helpful to both current and
prospective students.
Get to know these individuals,
and above all, show your
appreciation for their
assistance.
Assignment Part Two
Based on steps 3, 4, and 5, do the following for
EACH of your top-six grad schools:
1. Indicate whether McNair funding is available.
2. Indicate whether any school-specific
fellowships/scholarships are available, and what
they are.
3. Indicate whether department / program specific
scholarships, fellowships and assistantships are
available, and what they are.
4. Print any available applications for your reference
and be sure to note all deadlines.
SUMMARY
For Assignment #4 you will turn in:
1. List of five national fellowships
2. Per each of your top-six graduate programs
Institution-level funding opportunities
McNair funding opportunities
Department/program-level funding opportunities
Due: June 15
(insert findings into matrix and additional excel document)