Penn GSE Funding Opportunities

Penn GSE offers all master’s applicants the opportunity to apply for a need-based scholarship by completing a survey in the application for admission. To be considered for this scholarship, students must be applying for full-time study to an eligible master’s program*. Need-based scholarships are assessed independently from merit-based scholarships and can be combined with other awards up to the cost of tuition.

Applicants will be reviewed for need-based scholarships at the time of application and will be notified of their eligibility at the time of admission in their decision letter. Need-based scholarships will provide partial tuition support.

*Executive programs are not eligible for need-based aid except for the School and Mental Health Counseling program. 

Penn GSE has a deep commitment to fostering a diverse community of scholars and expanding educational access to all students. Towards this end, Penn GSE offers the Dean’s Fellowship: Power of Possibility to a number of our incoming master’s students, with special consideration given to students from disadvantaged or under-resourced backgrounds, or to students who have worked with and will continue to serve communities in need. Students will be automatically considered for these prestigious half-tuition awards at the time of application review; there is no additional application process. Both domestic and international full-time master’s applicants to our traditional (i.e., non-executive) programs will be considered for this fellowship. Applicants must apply by a program's priority deadline to be considered for this award. Fellowship recipients will be notified of their award at the time of admission notification. 

Graduate Assistants (GAs) are student workers providing academically relevant services such as supervised participation in faculty research projects, teaching support, outreach activities, admissions recruiting, student affairs, and other activities at Penn GSE. GAs are offered a position with a fixed number of hours and hourly wage. These positions are available to both domestic and international students. Students admitted to a program that offers GAs will receive an invitation to apply in their admission letter. Participating programs conduct the GA hiring process independently of admission and scholarship decisions, and students hired as GAs will be notified by their program. 

*Please note that for students in the Higher Education M.S.Ed. program, the Graduate Assistantship process is conducted separately.

International Educational Development Program (IEDP) Applicants:

• Penn-UNESCO Fellowships for Developing Country Scholars

When completing the GSE Application, students applying to the International Educational Development Program (IEDP) will be asked if they would like to be considered for the Penn GSE–UNESCO Chair, founded in 2012. This fellowship is the first of its kind in the U.S. and is designed to support promising professionals devoted to international education in the developing world. In order to be considered for this scholarship you must submit your application to the International Educational Development, M.S.Ed. program and complete the section for the Penn GSE-UNESCO Fellowship by the priority deadline, February 1st 11:59 P.M. ET.

All applicants selected for the Fellowship program will be notified in their acceptance letter.

• Coverdell Fellowship

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) are encouraged to apply for the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program, offered by Penn GSE’s International Educational Development Program. This graduate fellowship program recognizes RPCVs and is a way to extend one’s relationship with the Peace Corps while a student at Penn. In order to be considered for this scholarship, you must submit your application to the International Educational Development, M.S.Ed. program by the priority deadline, February 1. Be sure to complete the question “Have you served in Peace Corps” in your application.

Literacy Studies M.S.Ed. Applicants:

• Philadelphia Writing Project Fellows Program

All full-time Literacy Studies, M.S.Ed. applicants are encouraged to apply for the Philadelphia Writing Project (PhilWP) Fellows Program.  Each PhilWP Fellow will work as a graduate assistant for the Philadelphia Writing Project, gaining research experience while assisting in nationally-recognized studies and professional development experience activities.  Additionally, fellows will receive: 

• A half-tuition scholarship to be applied toward their graduate coursework
• Enrollment in PhilWP’s exclusive Summer Invitational Institute.  This 2- week professional development experience will yield students a certificate and status as a Teacher Consultant, making them eligible to facilitate paid professional development activities across the district and region.
• Opportunities to participate in professional learning experiences and community partnership work across Philadelphia and the U.S.

Students can apply for this fellowship opportunity when completing the GSE Application.  In addition to the general application requirements, students applying for this fellowship will be asked to write a 250-word statement on their interest in becoming a PhilWP Fellow.  There will be two fellowships awarded annually.

Urban Teaching Apprenticeship Program (UTAP) Applicants:

• Penn GSE Empowerment Through Education Scholarship Program

This scholarship supports Penn GSE’s commitment to expanding access and ensuring that the Penn GSE community is inclusive in serving all people. UTAP applicants will be automatically considered for these awards at the time of application review and will be notified of award receipt at the time of admission notification. Note that consideration for this scholarship is independent of other merit-based and need-based awards and can be combined with other awards up to the cost of tuition.

 See External Funding Opportunities for additional scholarships available to students interested in the UTAP program.

Urban Teaching Residency (UTR) Applicants:

• Franklin Fellowship

The Franklin Fellowship is an exclusive opportunity for undergraduate students from Franklin and Marshall College (F&M) who express an interest in long-term teaching in the Philadelphia area.  The Franklin Fellowship guarantees eligible students a minimum $15,000 scholarship that can be combined with other Penn GSE merit and/or need-based scholarships.

All master’s students admitted to Penn GSE for full-time, traditional programs who have been offered a Fulbright Fellowship for their graduate degree at GSE will be awarded a $25,000 scholarship. This scholarship can be combined with funding awarded from Fulbright-affiliated organizations. Fulbright awardees should be sure to identify themselves in the graduate application.

• Applicants from Malawi

Through the generosity of the JBJ Foundation, Penn GSE is able to offer a full scholarship each year to one incoming master's student from Malawi. This award will cover all tuition and fees, and provide a living stipend, roundtrip airfare to and from Philadelphia, and supplemental internship funding. All Malawian master's applications will be automatically considered for this scholarship when reviewed for admission consideration.

• Applicants from the United Kingdom

The Thouron Award is a graduate exchange program between the United Kingdom and the University of Pennsylvania that awards scholarships for postgraduate study abroad.  Applicants must be British citizens who normally reside in the U.K., have attended U.K. secondary schools, and be graduates (by the summer following their applications) of a U.K. university.   Students granted a Thouran Award can use it towards any GSE program, except for the executive-format programs.