How do I get financial aid for graduate school?
First, you need to fill out a FAFSA form. This is to apply for federal financial aid. This form is online, I think at fafsa.gov. This will provide you access to what is generally called "Title IV" or "government" loans. Everyone can get this. You also may need to fill out the financial aid forms associated with the prospective schools. However, graduate school is much different from undergraduate. Graduate students may receive fellowships, which are basically free tuition plus a stipend combination usually with NO work requirement, OR assistantships, which typically waive tuition or reduce it dramatically and provide a wage in exchange for research or teaching assistantship duties. Having one of these makes one a "funded" student. Choosing to attend a graduate program as an "unfunded" student may not be wise. Generally, most of the better schools fund the graduate students that they feel have "potential." The unfunded students are often not given comparable opportunities for professional development or networking. Basically, they pay the bills, but receive the shorter end of the stick. Now, if your goal of going to graduate school is basically to tack on an M.A. in a discipline related to your undergraduate degree in order to be more competitive for basic jobs, then you will probably be unfunded and only want the degree and not necessarily professional development in the particular subject area. As far as applying in advance goes, most schools have their own calendars. You should research institutions and choose wisely. From the sound of things, you could use a mentor or counselor. Perhaps your undergraduate school has such services for alumni. I would check into that first. If not, perhaps you should make an appointment with the graduate school admissions office of your state's flagship school (University of STATE/State U, etc.) at their main campus and discuss your future goals and plans. Also, please be advised that professional school (law, medicine, dentistry, etc.) is not handled the same way as graduate school in terms of financial aid. Again, I would first figure out where I wanted to go, fill out the FAFSA form, fill out the schools' forms, and then go from there. Should you be planning professional school, the schools will steer you toward LawLoans, MedLoans. etc. as applicable. Good Luck.
Do I get any financial aid for graduate school? What type of financial aid, Grants or scholarships?
It depends on what area you are going to graduate school in. In STEM areas, the standard is for a graduate student to have a support package either from the department or their faculty adviser or a combination. The support package should include full tuition and a stipend in return for research or teaching assistance. $20 K a year is about the average stipend. You can also apply for fellowships such as the NSF graduate fellowship. This usually does not increase your total compensation, but is prestigious and helps the department budget.
Graduate School, FAFSA EFC 0 and Financial Aid?
It all depends on the school that you go to. FAFSA just processes your application and tells you what your EFC is. Technically they give all this money to your school, sends them your Student Aid Report and tells them go for it. Your school will have a set amount of how much they give each student for the amount of their EFC. Since yours is 0, you'll get the full amount of financial aid that you can get from that school. You also qualify for the Pell Grant. And, Sub Stafford loans as well. I would get in contact with your school's Financial aid office and talk to them about how much you'll recieve. Your school (if you applyed at that school and they have recieved your Student Aid Report) they should be sending you an Award Letter in the mail stating the amounts of financial aid and grants you'll be recieving. Hope this helps, and good luck!
Is financial aid available for graduate school?
Yes.
How does financial aid for graduate school (masters) work?
In terms of federal financial aid, graduate students are not eligible for need based aid, such as grants or subsidized loans, but they can borrow an unsubsidized loan up to $20,500 per year, or up to the Cost of Attendance for your program, whichever is less. ( There is an aggregate limit of $138,500, which includes any undergraduate loans you may have). If that is not enough, you can apply for a Grad PLUS loan, which is still a federal student loan, but unlike the regular Stafford loan, the PLUS is credit based so there' s no guarantee that you would be approved. If approved, you can borrow up to the entire Cost of Attendance. In addition to federal aid, you may also qualify for grants, scholarships or assistantships offered by the school itself, but these tend to be less available on the grad level than they were on the undergrad level, so most grad students either pay out of pocket or take loans.
Can you receive financial aid (Tap, Pell, etc.) for Graduate School?
Congratulations on your decision to enter a graduate program, it is a great investment for your future. Unfortunately, after you finish your undergraduate education the government will not award grants for higher level programs. The government does offer the Graduate PLUS loan, which carries a 8.50% fixed rate. This is a credit based loan and they will conduct a credit check to make you qualify for this loan. In order to make graduate school as affordable as possible, I would suggest consolidating your loans though the Federal Family Education Loan Program, or FFELP. This federal program will provide you with great benefits like deferment while you're in graduate school. It will also increase your credit score, which is important when applying for graduate school loans. For more information on graduate loans, visit the source below. Good luck, I hope this helps!
Do students get financial aid/ grants in graduate school?
Well it all depends on what you consider "aid." Free money, like the Pell Grant, which you may have recieved as an undergrad, is no longer available when you go to grad school. However, you can still get subsidized and unsubsidized federal loans to cover tuition and other expenses. Also, if you get an assitantship from your school, like a graduate teaching assistantship or graduate research assistantship, it is possible to get your entire (in-state) tuition covered, plus you get a stipend. This is really the best way to go, talk to faculty in the department you are applying to and see what they have to offer in the way of assistantships.
How does Stanford work financial aid for international graduate students who wants to study an LLM?
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Stanford law school provides NO financial aid for LLM students.Advanced Degree Financial Support | Stanford Law School“At this time, Stanford Law School is unable to provide scholarships or stipends to support graduate students except to an extremely limited degree and only for SPILS applicants. We are unable to provide any kind of funding for any of our LLM programs. All applicants are encouraged to seek scholarships, grants and fellowships from their home countries, law firms or international programs.”