Scholarships, Fellowships, and Assistantships
Scholarships
Penn GSE Scholarships
Penn GSE scholarships provide partial tuition support to full-time students in their first year of study at the master's level (doctoral level students should see the Fellowships section of this webpage). The School seeks to provide assistance to as many eligible candidates as possible, currently awarding scholarships to 75% of incoming master’s students. There is no application for Penn GSE scholarships. The awards are made at the time of application review by the academic divisions and are based on the academic merit of the application for admission. Awards are communicated at the time of admission in the acceptance letter. Scholarships are not taxable and require no service component.
Scholarships for Veterans
Penn GSE participates in the Yellow Ribbon program established by the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. GSE provides up to five $1,000 matching awards for eligible students. More information on the Yellow Ribbon program can be found at www.gbill.va.gov. Eligible students should contact Karima Williams at kwillia@gse.upenn.edu for more information.
Give a Year Scholarship
Penn GSE has established a Give a Year Partnership with City Year, a leading national youth service organization. This partnership highlights the visions and values of both organizations, integrating the power of knowledge and service in addressing social problems. In recognition of this partnership, Penn GSE will award annually its highest merit scholarship toward any full-time master’s degree program to one City Year corps member or alumna/nus who has completed at least one year of service or one City Year staff member employed by City Year for at least two years. Those eligible for the scholarship must identify their City Year affiliation in the designated space on the online application and request a verification letter from the City Year Alumni & Career Services Manager. In order to be considered for the scholarship, prior to March 1st, applicants must have a fully complete admissions application and submit the verification letter. The scholarship will be awarded on or around April 1st. For more information, please click here.
Fellowships
Dean's Fellowships
The Dean's Fellowship provides funding to doctoral level students and includes, but is not limited to, a tuition scholarship, a living stipend, and a research and teaching apprenticeship. Fellowships are taxable and include a service requirement in the form of the apprenticeship, which promotes the development of the student's research and teaching skills. There is no application for Dean’s Fellowships; award decisions are made by the academic division based on the application and communicated at the time of the admissions decision.
All incoming Ph.D. students receive a fellowship package, which includes tuition and fee support, health insurance, a living stipend, and a research and teaching apprenticeship. The fellowship covers four years of study and requires that students maintain full-time enrollment.
A limited number of Dean's Fellowships are awarded to incoming full-time, traditional Ed.D. students who show high academic potential. Packages may include partial tuition support, a living stipend, and a research and teaching apprenticeship.
Pre-Doctoral Training Program in Interdisciplinary Methods for Field-Based Research in Education
Penn GSE offers a Pre-Doctoral Training Program designed to support and enhance the Ph.D. training of students in different disciplines who are committed to careers in applied, field-based education research. The initiative involves six University of Pennsylvania schools and multiple school districts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and is supported by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in the U.S. Department of Education. Fellows receive financial support, access to specialized resources and experts in the field of study, and become part of an emerging national network of students, faculty and practitioners conducting interdisciplinary research in the education sciences. For more information, click here.
Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship
The Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship is a tuition scholarship and a living stipend awarded to meritorious undergraduate students and graduate students undergoing training in modern foreign languages and related area or international studies, or with the international aspects of professional or fields of study. FLAS fellowships are funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the University of Pennsylvania’s Title VI National Resource Centers. FLAS awards are available only for specific languages, and are contingent on federal funding. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Students receiving FLAS Fellowships must be enrolled in full-time study for the duration of the FLAS award and must take one language course and one related area or international studies course each semester. Awards are made for the Academic Year or Summer. Academic Year Fellows must be admitted to or enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, or professional programs at the University of Pennsylvania. FLAS awards may be used in some cases for students participating in official overseas language programs and in very limited cases for dissertators. Please see the FLAS website: www.sas.upenn.edu/flas for more information, and to apply online.
Assistantships
Graduate Assistantships
Graduate assistantships are available to full-time, first-year master's students. Assistantship awards are made by the academic divisions and are not available in all programs. There is no application for graduate assistantships; awards are made at the time the application for admission is reviewed and are communicated in the admission letter. Graduate assistants receive a partial tuition scholarship, which is taxable, in exchange for providing academically relevant service such as supervised participation in faculty research projects, teaching support, outreach activities, admissions recruiting, student affairs, and other activities at Penn GSE.*
*Please note that for students in the M.S.Ed. Higher Education program, the Graduate Assistantship process is conducted separately.
Research Assistantships
Research Assistantships provide a partial or full living stipend and/or tuition support for doctoral students in exchange for assisting faculty with eligible research projects. Research Assistantships provide valuable mentored research experiences for doctoral students and are often offered in conjunction with other forms of aid to create a financial assistance package (see Dean’s Fellowship).