Graduate School Fellowships and Assistantships

Image: Founder of GSAS, Henry Mitchell MacCracken
Founder of GSAS, Henry Mitchell MacCracken

The Graduate School of Arts and Science offers an extensive program of funding support. Funding decisions, based solely on merit, are made by the departments with deaconal review.

Some of the sources of funding available through the University and the Graduate School are listed below.

 

DOCTORAL STUDENTS

THE HENRY M. MACCRACKEN PROGRAM

Henry Mitchell MacCracken, a professor of philosophy, served as the sixth chancellor of NYU. As chancellor, he established one of the first graduate schools of arts and science in the United States. He was committed to expanding the university’s schools and departments, improving academic standards and increasing enrollment. The GSAS doctoral fellowship program is named in honor of him and his visionary leadership.

The MacCracken Program provides multi-year full funding support to most new GSAS doctoral students [1]. The minimum MacCracken doctoral support package includes:

  1. A four- or five-year award term.
  2. A scholarship for full tuition and registration and services fees for courses required for the degree.
  3. Full coverage of the premiums for mandatory NYU student health insurance for an individual under the NYU comprehensive plan.
  4. A nine-month academic-year stipend for living expenses. Some departments offer either a stipend or research assistantship.
  5. A one-time Dean’s Supplementary Fellowship Grant of $1,000 that may be used at the student’s discretion.

A number of these awards are enhanced by the department with other features; please review your department’s web page for more information about their MacCracken package. Students who receive funding from an external agency also are awarded the MacCracken award, if necessary, to insure they receive an award package with full funding.

Many departments offer their students the opportunity to teach as an adjunct instructor during the course of their studies. If students teach, the compensation is in addition to the MacCracken fellowship package, and not a part of it.

New and continuing students may find the following materials useful:

[1]
The following GSAS affiliate doctoral programs do not fund students through MacCracken awards. Applicants should consult with the program directly to learn about their funding opportunities: Basic Medical Sciences and Environmental Health Sciences, housed in the School of Medicine; Cinema Studies and Performance Studies, housed in the Tisch School of the Arts; Data Science; Institute of Fine Arts; and Institute for the Study of the Ancient World.

 

MASTER’S STUDENTS

Funding for Master's Programs

Financial aid is available in certain master's departments and programs. Please refer to the web page of your department or program of interest. Applicants should submit the admissions application by the program’s specified deadline date. No additional application forms are required for consideration for scholarships or fellowships in GSAS.

In addition, master’s students are eligible for awards through the Graduate School's Tuition Incentive Program. For more specific information regarding eligibility and the availability of fellowships, applicants should contact the director of graduate studies in the department or program, or contact Graduate Enrollment Services.

Other GSAS programs of interest to master’s students are:

Funding for International Students

To secure a visa, international students must demonstrate that they have sufficient funding to complete the degree. International students who apply by the specified deadline and are admitted to the Graduate School are automatically considered for Graduate School fellowships and scholarships.

Most loan programs are restricted to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. International students may apply for these domestic loan programs, however, with a cosigner who is a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident of the United States. In addition, New York University works with a variety of lenders to provide loan programs specifically tailored to the needs of international students. Visit our website frequently for the latest news on international student financing opportunities.

Many international students obtain support for their educational expenses from their governments, foundations, or private agencies. In many cases, these students are eligible to receive matching tuition funds through the Graduate School’s Tuition Incentive Program.
 

FEDERAL, STATE, AND PRIVATE PROGRAMS

For a description of all federal, state, and private loan and grant programs, as well as employment, veteran's benefits and NYU payment policies, refer to Financing Graduate Education.
 

THE GRADUATE SCHOOL'S TUITION INCENTIVE PROGRAM (TIP)

GSAS encourages students to apply for external assistance and provides tuition support to recipients of external awards. Students receiving external awards of $13,000 or more from recognized, academic sources of funding outside of the University can apply for matching tuition points up to the amount of their outside award. Students receiving external awards of less than $13,000 may apply for matching tuition points up to 50 percent of the amount of the external award. 

Requirements and Important Information

Students must be enrolled in a Ph.D. or master's program in an eligible program in GSAS. A list of participating programs is shown on the next page. (Please note: students funded through the MacCracken program are not eligible for TIP.)  Students must be registered for at least six points per semester.  Students are only eligible for tuition points that meet (and do not exceed) the requirements of their degree program as published in the GSAS Bulletin. Students are only eligible to receive funds during the time stated on their award letter from the granting program.

Requests must be received in Graduate Enrollment Services by August 31 of the award year. Late requests will be considered if funds are available.  If there is a remaining amount of funds available after your tuition has been covered for the time frame stated on your award letter, students are not eligible to roll over that amount to an additional year. Please review this documents to find additional information about TIP eligibility and terms of the award (Adobe Acrobat Reader required). Visit the TIP application and instructions for 2023-24.

Most external fellowship application deadlines are due in the fall, and funding begins the following fall. If you are interested in securing an external scholarship or fellowship for tuition funding be sure to apply at the same time you are applying for your graduate program. A database with tuition-based scholarships and fellowships for graduate students can be found here: https://apps.grad.illinois.edu/fellowship-finder/. Please note that GSAS is unable to assist you with external fellowship applications.

The alphabetical list below is a representative survey of free scholarship search services and related information. New York University is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, any of the organizations included in this sample.

 

DIVERSITY AND ACCESS PROGRAMS

The Graduate School encourages applications from individuals who come from diverse backgrounds and whose academic and research experience and plans will contribute significantly to diversity and academic excellence at the Graduate School. Our Diversity and Access Programs provide a limited number of awards to U.S. citizens and permanent residents who apply for fall admission to many of our master’s and doctoral programs.