Generally you are an eligible noncitizen if you are:
- A U.S. permanent resident with a Permanent Resident Card (I551)
- A conditional permanent resident (I-551C); or
- The holder of an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the Department of Homeland Security showing any of the following designations: "Refugee," "Asylum Granted," "Parolee" (I-94 confirms paroled for a minimum of one year and status has not expired), or "Cuban-Haitian Entrant."
Financial Aid for Graduate Students
U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens
There are many financial resources to assist with graduate study at Michigan State University. You should begin to explore these well before you arrive at MSU, especially using scholarship search services on the web.
File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) if you are eligible. This will give you access to federal loans and MSU need-based grant money. These awards are for U.S. citizens and eligible noncitizens only.
As a graduate student you are independent for financial aid purposes, even if you live with or are supported by your parent(s). When you file the FAFSA include only your income and assets (and your spouse's, if you are married).
The total amount of financial aid you can receive is limited by your financial aid budget, which for grad students includes 18 credits of tuition and fees for the academic year. However, students with graduate assistantships receive a tuition waiver so their budgets are much lower.
More about how graduate assistantships affect your aid package…
Note that doctoral students who have completed their comprehensive exams and have been coded by their department as being in the dissertation phase of their program (code DD in SIS) will have their financial aid budgets adjusted to ACTUAL tuition costs as opposed to AVERAGE tuition costs. This may result in reduced financial aid eligibilty.
Students who are provisionally admitted or dually enrolled may be ineligible or have their aid eligibility limited. View the links for more information.
Financial aid programs available to graduate students include
- MSU Student Aid Grant (FAFSA required): for Michigan residents with demonstrated need.
- Federal Work-Study and Michigan Work-Study (FAFSA required): on-campus or approved non-profit off-campus employment. Not offered to students with assistantships since both programs require work commitments.
- Federal Perkins Loans (FAFSA required): need-based loans. Loans do not go into repayment until you leave school.
- Federal Stafford Loans (FAFSA required): loans of up to $20,500/year or your total cost of attendance minus other resources, whichever is less. Limits for medical and law stuents are higher.
- Private alternative loans (FAFSA may be required): loans from banks and financial institutions that are often used to "fill-out" a higher cost program where Stafford eligibility does not meet all costs
If you apply for financial aid, the value of other resources such as fellowships and assistantships will be taken into consideration when making awards.
Fellowships
Fellowships are financial resources that do not have to be repaid. They are generally granted based on academic excellence, but some also have need components. Michigan State University supplies funding for several different types of fellowships including travel and emergencies.
Available fellowships include:
- Education Opportunity Fellowship for students with financial need and minimum undergraduate federal indebtedness of at least $25,000
- MSU University Distinguished Fellowship Program - for academic excellence and evidence of leadership potential.
- King-Chavez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowship Program - intended to increase underrepresented groups in pursuing careers in postsecondary education obtaining doctoral degrees. Applications may be obtained at the ALANA Student Affairs office in 116 Linton Hall.
- Graduate School Dissertation Completion Fellowships - single-semester stipends to allow the dissertation to be written within the tenure of the fellowship. Check with your college regarding application deadlines.
Fellowships are also available from private donors or foundations. Scholarship search services may help you find resources and learn about application information.
Assistantships
Assistantships are awarded through individual departments, although there are also some available through administrative offices such as Residence Life. The work can be either as a teaching assistant (TA) or a research assistant (RA). More than 3000 graduate students hold assistantships at MSU.
To qualify, you must be in a graduate degree program and make satisfactory academic progress. A 3.0 grade point average is the minimum requirement, though it is higher in some departments or colleges.
Benefits include a stipend (monthly paycheck), tuition waiver of 9 credits per semester (fall and spring), and health insurance. Matriculation and Infrastructure fees are also waived.
If you have a graduate assistantship some tuition and fees are waived. This affects the amount of financial aid you can receive. More about graduate assistantships…
Funding for International Students
The Office of Financial Aid does not offer aid to international students. See Financial Assistance for International Students for sources of aid.
Contact the Office for International Students and Scholars in 103 International Center, and the Institute of International Education in 109 International Center for information about fellowships and assistantships available to International students.
