Education
How funding for graduate study differs
The sources are different from undergraduate study, and in several fields the expectation is different too.
Grant aid of the undergraduate kind is far less common at graduate level. The usual sources are assistantships, fellowships, employer support and loans, and the balance between them varies enormously by field.
In many research fields a funded place is the norm rather than an achievement: a teaching or research assistantship that covers tuition and provides a stipend in exchange for work. In professional fields the expectation is more often that the student pays.
Because of that, the question to ask a department directly is what proportion of its students are funded and in what form. That is a factual question departments can answer, and the answer should influence where you apply.
Assistantships carry a workload and a time commitment alongside study. Asking current students what the hours are in practice is more informative than the formal description.
What to do next. Ask each department what proportion of its students hold funded positions, and ask current students what the workload actually is.
studentaid.gov outranks this page. Rules, figures and dates change
between academic years. This is written to help you read the official sources, not to
stand in front of them. Start there.
Nothing here is a determination. We cannot tell you what you qualify
for, and no website can. The programme and the office that runs it decide that, after
you apply.
Still have a question?
Describe what you are trying to work out and a member of the team will answer, or direct you to the office that makes the decision.