Financial Aid Resources for Graduate Students

Graduate Equity Fellowship Program:  This program is designed to increase the number of master’s degrees awarded to economically disadvantaged CSU students , especially those students from groups that are underrepresented among graduate degree recipients in their area and those who are disabled. Grant stipends may be up to $1500 per quarter.  Students must be eligible for Financial Aid and be enrolled full-time.  The academic portion of the application is available from the Graduate Studies and Research Office, Administration 710.  The financial portion of the application is the FAFSA, available in the Center for Student Financial Aid, Student Affairs 124.

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The California Pre-Doctoral Program:  The California Pre-Doctoral Program is a CSU systemwide program designed to increase the diversity of the pool of potential faculty by supporting the doctoral aspirations of diverse CSU students. Applications are accepted from all students.  Selected Scholars, who must have faculty sponsors, receive $3,000 during the academic year for travel to doctoral institutions and to professional meetings.  Scholarships are also available for summer research awards which provide stipends and other support for research at a CSU campus or at a doctoral institution.

Visit http://www.calstate.edu/PreDoc/application.shtml for the current application.

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The California Forgivable Loan/Doctoral Incentive Program:  Similar to the California Predoctoral Program, the Forgivable Loan Program is a CSU-wide program designed to increase faculty diversity on CSU campuses. Applications are accepted from all students. The Forgivable Loan Program offers financial support and faculty assistance to students pursuing doctoral degrees and who are interested in a CSU faculty position if available.  As a graduate student, you may apply while still in a Master's Degree program, however you must be accepted into a doctoral program prior to receiving any support from the program.  Loans are available for up to $10,000 per year for a total of three years and 20% of the loan is forgiven for each year of full-time postdoctoral teaching in the CSU. (Yearly application usually available in January and due in February).

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International Graduate Student Tuition Waiver Program:
The International Graduate Student Tuition Waiver provides tuition waivers for selected international graduate students, for up to 24 units per academic year. The actual support enables an international student to waive the nonresident portion of their fees for a maximum of 12 units for the Fall, Winter and/or Spring Quarters.

Students applications are reviewed by a committee and are selected on the basis of their academic record, letters of recommendation and an essay which outlines their goals and objectives and the need for financial assistance. Applications for the program are available during the Winter Quarter from the Associate Dean’s Office of the College in which the student is enrolled.

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The Center for Student Financial Aid (CSFA) and the Office of Graduate Studies and Research is providing the following information to assist graduate students who may need financial assistance to attend California State University, Los Angeles.

Graduate Assistantships

Inquire in your department about the availability of graduate assistantships. 
In general, graduate assistants work from five to twenty hours a week, assisting professors in laboratory classes or as graders in large classes.  Graduate Assistantships are not available in all departments and are most often available to advanced graduate students.  In some instances, advanced graduate students are hired as a "Teaching Associate" and may actually serve as instructors in some lower division lecture or laboratory classes.  Approximate pay for a Graduate Assistant is $650.00 per quarter for each five-hours of work per week up to a maximum total of 20 hours per week.  Teaching Associates earn approximately $550.00 per unit of instruction per quarter.  In some departments research assistantships, as well as graduate traineeships may also be available to graduate students and information of their availability can be obtained by consulting the specific department.

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Federal/State Financial Aid Programs

Graduate students may apply for federal and state financial aid programs but you must realize that most of the grant programs (Pell Grant, Cal Grant, etc.) that might have been available to you as an undergraduate are no longer available to graduate students.

The financial aid application, called the FAFSA, becomes available every January 1 for aid in the subsequent Summer Quarter or beyond.  The earlier you apply, the better.  Approximately four to six weeks after your financial aid file is complete you will receive a letter from the Center for Student Financial Aid indicating your eligibility or ineligibility.  In addition to being financially eligible, you must be making "satisfactory academic progress" in your graduate program in order to continue to receive assistance.  Graduate students who are funded as full-time students must complete a minimum of 36 units per academic year.  Graduate level courses, numbered 500 and above, have a weighted unit factor of 1.5.  Completed grades are considered to be A, B, C, D, CR, RD, and SP.  Unacceptable grades that do not count toward courses completed are: F, I, NC, U, and W.  No further financial aid is available to students who have attempted 75 or more graduate units.  If you are eligible for financial aid you may be offered assistance from one or more of the following programs:

1. State University Grant
   This is "gift" money:  funds that you do not have to repay.

2. Perkins Loan 
   If you accept this loan, you must understand the terms of the loan: that you will begin repaying it, with interest (5%), six months after you graduate, leave school, or drop below half-time enrollment.

3. Federal Work-Study (FWS)
   The FWS Program enables you to become employed in an on or off-campus FWS-designated job.  Student wages range from $5.70 to $12.00 an hour: eligible students may work a maximum of 20 hours per week.

4. Subsidized Federal Direct Loan
   The Federal Direct Loan, formerly called a Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) or a Stafford Loan, is an educational loan made by the University and is subsidized by the federal government.  Qualifications for a Federal Direct Loan are based on financial need and federal eligibility requirements.  Eligible graduate students may borrow up to $8,500 per year, for a cumulative total of $65,500 in GSL/Stafford/Federal Direct Loan funds.  This total includes loan money borrowed as an undergraduate.  The interest rate is variable.  Repayment begins six months after graduation or six months after dropping to less than half-time status.  You may have up to 10 years to repay the loan, with a minimum annual payment of $600.  The federal government applies an origination fee of 5% which is deducted from the loan disbursement, as is a guarantee fee, not to exceed 3% of the total loan.

5. Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loans.
    Differs in two ways from the above Subsidized Federal Direct Loan:  (1) you do not have to demonstrate financial need, and (2) unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan interest begins to accrue immediately after the loan is disbursed, although the repayment schedule is the same as for the Federal Direct Loan discussed above.

You may qualify for a portion of both Subsidized/Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans; however, you may not exceed the total annual loan limits between the two programs (example, $4,000 Subsidized Direct Loan + $4,500 Unsubsidized Direct Loans = $8,500 annual loan limit maximum).

 Financial aid questions can be answered at the Center for Student Financial Aid, Student Affairs 124.

The phone number is (323) 343-1784.

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Fellowships and Scholarships

1. Off-Campus Scholarships and Fellowships.
   The Scholarship Office maintains listings of scholarships and fellowships sponsored by off-campus agencies, organizations, and associations.  Go to Student Affairs 118 for further information.

2. Campus Scholarships.  Cal State L.A. has over 250 different scholarships that are awarded to more than 650 students per year. 
   A small number of these scholarships are open to graduate students. The average scholarship award is $600.

In order to be considered for on-campus scholarships, you must establish a complete file, which is comprised of a current application and one letter of recommendation.  The office will then ensure that you are considered for all institutional scholarships for which you qualify. 

The deadline is the fourth Friday of April.  The Scholarship Office is located in Student Affairs 118 and is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. The phone number is (323) 343-3266, and the web site : www.calstatela.edu/univ/finaid/scholar.htm.

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Employment

There are two student employment programs at Cal State L.A. Both the Federal Work-Study Program previously mentioned and the Student Assistant Program are available to enrolled students who are interested in working.

If you are interested in Federal Work-Study (FWS) employment, you must apply for financial aid and receive an award letter on which FWS is offered.  You may check out FWS job openings posted in the Center for Career Planning and Placement.

The Student Assistant Program does not require that you show financial need.  If you are interested in Student Assistant job openings, contact the Center for Career Planning and Placement.  Some positions may involve work in your academic department.                           

For information regarding the programs listed below please contact the Office of Graduate Studies and Research Office located  Administration 710 or call (323) 343-3820.

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Financial Aid On-line Links and Resources

Information on fellowships is most often found in the university’s Application for Admissions, academic department publications and on the web. National fellowships which are often called “portable” fellowships can be located using various sources. Many of which are listed below. It is strongly recommended that students pursue these awards even if they are planning to pursue graduate degrees in fields that normally provide full funding such as the biological sciences. These awards are prestigious and can provide the fellow with some additional flexibility in selecting research projects to pursue in graduate school.

Deadlines for awards may vary greatly. University sponsored support deadlines can be found in the application for admissions. Generally speaking, the earlier you submit a completed application, the better your chances of receiving an award. Extramural award deadlines are often one year before the start of the academic year.

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Printed Material:

• Annual Register of Grant Support: A Directory of Funding Sources. 25th ed. Wilmette, Il.  National Register Publishing, 1992

• The Graduate Scholarship Book: The Complete Guide to Scholarships, Fellowships, Grants and Loans for Graduate and Professional Study. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1990

• Grants for Graduate Study, 1992. 3rd ed. Princeton NJ; Peterson’s Guides

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On-line Sources:

California Student Aid Commission
http://www.csac.ca.go

College Board On-Line
http://www.collegeboard.org

Financial Aid for Students Guide
http://www.finaid.org

Graduate & Post-Doctoral Extramural Support
http://gdnet.ucla.edu/grpinst.htm

Graduate School Guide to Doctoral, Masters and Professional Degree Programs
http://www.schoolguides.com/

National Academies Fellowship Programs http://www.nationalacademies.org/osep/fo.nsf

Scholarship Resource Network
http://www.srnexpress.com/index.cfm

Scholarship Programs
http://www.fastweb.com/

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Cal State L.A. Sources
Office of Graduate Studies & Research

Graduate Equity Fellowship; California Pre-Doctoral; International Grad. Student Tuition Waiver; Forgivable Loan/Doctoral Incentive Programs   (323) 343-3820, Adm. 710

Cal State L.A. Scholarships                www.calstatela.edu/univ/finaid/scholar.htm

Center for Environmental Analysis (Environmental)
http://cea-crest.calstatela.edu

Chemistry & Biochemistry                                 www.calstatala.edu/moreprograms

Engineering & Technology Scholarships        http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/engr/tmp/et/et_schol.htm

For additional resource information, contact (323) 343-3817       

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