Financial Support

Graduate programs in Arts, Sciences & Engineering (AS&E) offer many types of financial support. Each academic department reviews applications for grant, scholarship, and fellowship assistance. Amounts are awarded by the specific department and are incorporated into your offer of admission.

PhD applicants offered admission to the University of Rochester are eligible for a full tuition scholarship and annual stipend. Stipend amounts vary based on academic program.

Master’s applicants offered admission to the University are eligible for tuition scholarships based on academic merit. Many of our master’s programs may be completed in one year, or can be extended to two years with the addition of internship, co-op, or research experiences.

Merit-based awards are provided by the academic department during the admission process, while federal and private loan funding can be obtained through the Financial Aid Office.

For more information, see the Financial Aid and Scholarships website.

Federal Assistance

Eligible students are encouraged to submit a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to be considered for federal assistance. The application required for federal student loans is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Students who have completed their application materials will be reviewed for aid eligibility. Eligibility is determined based upon planned enrollment.

To be eligible for federal student loans you must be:

  • US citizen or permanent resident
  • Matriculated student
  • Enrolled at least half time (six credit hours per term) in a degree-granting program; audited courses do not count in determining enrollment status 

Further details regarding federal loans can be found on our loans page.

Fellowships

Internal Fellowships

In addition to traditional financial aid, tuition scholarships, and stipends, the University has many fellowships that are available to students in AS&E programs.

Some of these fellowships are distributed by individual departments and others are distributed by AS&E. To learn more about departmental fellowships that are available you can contact the program coordinator or visit the program page. Many program fellowships are listed on the department pages.

For information on AS&E fellowships see our fellowships page.

External Fellowships

The University of Rochester has an extensive fellowship/awards database that we encourage all our students to take advantage of. If you are looking for additional funding, you can use the database filters to see which fellowships you are eligible for. You can also check out the external fellowship section on our fellowship page.

Academic Requirements for Financial Support

Please review the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy for graduate students.

Your credit hours for the academic year are estimated based on your program of study in order to determine your cost of attendance and eligibility for financial support. If your registration varies from this estimate, please email your department coordinator directly with your correct registration status.

At the beginning of each term, our office reviews each student’s account to confirm that their actual credit hours match these estimates. If there are any discrepancies in credit hours, you'll receive an email asking you to confirm your registration for the term.