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Program Overview Research and Centers, Financial Assistance
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Office: Adm 710 | Phone: 323/343-3820 | FAX: 323/343-6424 FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS AT CSULA The Center for Student Financial Services (CSFS) 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. 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 Fall Quarter or beyond. The earlier you apply, the better. Approximately six to eight weeks after your financial aid file is complete you will receive a letter from the Center for Student Financial Services 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:
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 Services, Student Affairs 124. Fellowships and Scholarships
In order to be considered for on-campus scholarships, you must establish a complete file, which is comprised of a current application and essay and one letter of recommendation. If you are a new CSLA student you must also submit a copy of a grade transcript from the university most recently attended. Deadline dates are in late April of each year with selectees receiving funds for the following Fall Quarter. The Scholarship Office, located in Student Affairs 118, is open from 9:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The phone number is (323) 343-3266, and the web site : www.calstatela.edu/univ/finaid/scholar.htm.
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. Grants stipends may be up to $1500 per quarter. Students must be eligible for Financial Aid. International Graduate Student Tuition Waiver Program: The International Graduate Student Tuition Waiver provides tuition waivers for 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 Spring Quarter from the Associate Deans Office of the school in which the student is enrolled. 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. Please contact the Graduate Studies and Research Office in Administration 710 for further information or call (323) 343-3820. (Yearly application usually available in March and due in April). 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. Please contact the Graduate Studies and Research Office in Administration 710 for further information or call (323) 343-3820. (Yearly application usually available in January and due in February). 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.
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