Psychology: Graduate Program

Financial Aid for Graduate Students

University fellowship are available on a competitive basis, by Departmental nomination. Application is made to the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Stipends are as much as $12,000 per year, and several fellowships are renewable from year to year. All students accepted in the program are provided with a financial support package, with a minimum amount of $16,000 plus tuition (or tuition equivalent) for the 9-month academic year. Many students also receive financial support from grants and other sources during the summer months.

Graduate teaching and research assistantships are awarded directly by the Department of Psychology. Stipends from $2000 to $6000 per year, plus tuition reduction, or waiver are available for teaching. Students are assigned as instructors in laboratory sections, or as discussion leaders or graders in lecture courses. Research assistantships of $2000 to $10,000 are available to students who may have skills appropriate for a particular research project. The Department will try to provide a combination of fellowship and assistantship awards to successful applicants by recommending to the Graduate School that fellowship awards be made supplemental to assistantship awards. Therefore, students who wish to be considered for financial aid should indicate this on page 1 of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences admissions application form. In order for your application to be considered, the Dean of the Graduate School must receive your complete application packet by December 1. There is an April 15 deadline for acceptance of all offers of financial aid made before that date.

Fellowships for graduate study are also available from various government agencies, such as the National Institute of Mental Health and National Science Foundation, as well as from private foundations and associations. Several psychology graduate students have received these awards in recent years.

Loans and part-time jobs are available to graduate students based on need. The Office of Financial Aid processes applications for guaranteed student loans. The Guaranteed Student Loan deadline is March 31. Part-time jobs on research projects are available to students eligible for work-study. Applications for work-study eligibility are due March 31. Loan and work-study applications may be obtained by writing to the Office of Financial Aid, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903. Prospective students may apply for these awards before being accepted to the graduate program.

Several clinical and community graduate students are partially supported by field placements in community settings and internship training in the University of Virginia Hospital and other agencies which have an affiliation with the Department. These, however, are nearly always reserved for advanced graduate students.