Funding Opportunities for Graduate Students

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College-wide Funding Opportunities

Cornell Fellowships and Funding

Cornell funding is decided during the application process, but some outside fellowships have different application processes and deadlines. The following financial sources are some of the numerous opportunities available that offer additional support from Cornell.

American Association of University Women (AAUW)

The AAUW is the world's largest funding source for women's graduate fellowships.

Clarence S. Stein Awards for Research, Teaching, and Community Service

Each year, the Clarence S. Stein Institute gives monetary awards in each of three categories: research, teaching, and community service. Proposals should be related to the ideas and works of Clarence S. Stein as outlined in his book Toward New Towns in America. Awards encompass the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, planning, and suburban and urban development. Applications are due in the spring; learn more about the fellowship award opportunities.

Conference Grants (Graduate School)

Full-time, registered students in a graduate research degree program (M.A./M.S., Ph.D.) who are invited to present papers or posters at professional conferences may apply for grants to help cover expenses related to conference participation, including travel, lodging, and conference fees. The application deadline is the first day of the month preceding the month during which the conference is scheduled. For example, a conference that starts in April would have a deadline of March 1. Awards are announced two weeks after the deadline. Students who have not received confirmation that their paper has been accepted by the application deadline may apply and provide the appropriate documentation once it becomes available. Applications are available in the Funding and Financial Aid section of the Forms page on the Graduate School website.

Cornell Online Fellowship Notebook

The Cornell Online Fellowship Notebook website contains all the information the Graduate Fellowship office has accumulated about outside fellowships.

Fastweb

Fastweb is a free scholarship-searching service that offers both domestic and international fellowships.

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships

FLAS fellowships support advanced training in foreign languages (excluding certain Western European languages and areas). Applicants do not need to be proficient in the language to apply. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible. Awards provide a nine-month stipend and tuition fees. All FLAS fellows receive the balance of tuition from the Graduate School. Ph.D. students who receive FLAS awards also receive a stipend supplement to bring the award to the nine-month assistantship minimum, and individual Cornell Student Health Insurance (SHIP). Applications, usually due in late January, are available from the individual graduate field offices, and fellowships are decided during the spring.

Graduate School Fellowships in Support of Diversity

These fellowships are designed to increase the diversity of Cornell's graduate student population and are available to entering students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. To be considered for these competitive awards, students must submit a supplemental essay with their application that addresses how the following criteria apply: 1) a history of overcoming disadvantage; 2) first-generation college student; 3) raised in a single-parent household; 4) member of an underrepresented minority group (American Indian or Alaskan Native, Black/African American, Mexican American, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, Puerto Rican, other Hispanic). The fellowships pay full tuition and fees each year, and certain departments offer a partial graduate assistantship stipend. Fellowships are decided in the spring prior to first entering year. Visit the Graduate School website for more information.

Institute of International Education (IIE)

The IIE offers scholarships, training, exchange, and leadership programs for international students.

International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX)

IREX administers Muskie graduate fellowships for international students from several Eurasian countries.

International Research Travel Grant

The Mario Einaudi Center and its associated programs sponsor international research travel grants. These grants provide travel support for Cornell University graduate students conducting short-term research and/or fieldwork in countries outside the U.S. Applicants must be enrolled in an approved Ph.D. or Master's degree program at Cornell University. They must also show proof that they have applied for funding from the director of graduate studies in their own fields of study. The application deadline is early February.

NAFSA: Association of International Educators

Visit the NAFSA website or call NAFSA at (202) 462-4811 to hear a phone recording about financial aid (ask for the recording on financial aid). NAFSA can be reached by mail at 1307 New York Avenue NW, Eighth Floor, Washington, DC 20005, or by phone at (202) 737-3699.

National Science Foundation (NSF)

The NSF offers graduate research fellowships, including Women in Engineering and Computer and Information Science awards. Applications for NSF graduate fellowships can also be submitted electronically from their website. Fellowships are for U.S. citizens only.

Research Grants

Full-time registered students in the Graduate School can apply for awards for research-related travel in the U.S. and abroad. These grants are intended for travel during the academic year that is directly related to dissertation research. Priority is given to Ph.D. students who have or will have passed the "A" Exam prior to initiating their travel and to those conducting predissertation research. Travel may be between several weeks to months in duration. Applications are available in the Funding and Financial Aid section of the Forms page on the Graduate School website and are due in early November.

Student Employment Opportunities

The Rand Hall Fabrication Shop and AAP IT Solutions often have employment opportunities for students ranging in pay from $15.50 to $20 per hour; a graduate student may work up to 20 hours per week. Graduate students holding full teaching assistantships may accept a combined total of up to five hours per week of additional assistantship, hourly student appointment, or outside employment if the combination of outside work and assistantships does not exceed 20 hours per week. For students holding one-half (partial) assistantships, the allowance for additional outside employment is increased to 12 hours per week.

Additionally, there are many student employment opportunities at Cornell, as well as options specifically for F-1 students.

Architecture Funding Opportunities

Professional Master of Architecture Program

Scholarships, Teaching Assistantships, Graduate Teaching Research Specialists, Thesis Research/Travel Funds, and Awards

Outstanding applicants to the professional Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) program will be considered during the admissions process for merit-based scholarships. These scholarships are renewable each year, based on academic performance.

Funding is also available through named awards for first-year and second-year students. These merit-based awards are given on an annual basis and are determined by academic performance.

For the second-to-last and final semester, students are invited to apply for a number of graduate teaching research specialist (GTRS) assignments within the department; these positions are awarded based on academic performance and the department's needs. GTRS assignments offer both a stipend and partial tuition remission.

M.Arch. students may also apply for summer thesis research/travel funding offered through the department. These awards are used to support thesis research and travel during the summer immediately before the final thesis semester.

For more information on M.Arch. funding opportunities, contact the architecture department.

Post-Professional Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design Program

Scholarships, Awards, and Teaching Assistantships

Outstanding applicants to the post-professional Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design (M.S. AAD) program will be considered during the admissions process for scholarships that offer partial tuition, named awards that provide additional support, and a limited number of graduate teaching research specialist (GTRS) assignments within the department. These assignments offer both a stipend and partial tuition remission.

For more information on M.S. AAD funding opportunities, contact the architecture department.

History of Architecture and Urban Development Ph.D. Program

Sage Fellowships, Teaching Assistantships, Outside Fellowships, and Travel Grants for Research and Conferences

History of Architecture and Urban Development (HAUD) Ph.D. students are offered a package that includes both fellowship and teaching assistantship (TA) support with tuition, stipend, health insurance, and summer stipends. Most students receive fellowship support for their first and fourth years and TAs for their second and third years.

In addition, students have received TAs outside the department in organizations, including the Program in American Studies, the John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines, the Judith Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, and the Department of Science and Technology Studies.

Students are encouraged to apply for outside fellowships for work on their dissertations. In recent years, HAUD students have received support from the Graham Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education's Foreign Language and Area Studies, the Social Science Research Council, the Kress Foundation, and the Society for the Humanities at Cornell.

Other funding opportunities include residence hall assistantships that typically cover room and board. Limited funds are also available from the Graduate School, various programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, and the architecture department to support travel to conferences for students delivering a paper and help defray research travel expenses.

For more information on HAUD funding opportunities, contact the architecture department.

Art Funding Opportunities

Tuition Remission, Scholarships, and Graduate Assistantships

Tuition remission is determined during the admission process for the M.F.A. in Creative Visual Arts. Graduate assistantship stipends are provided in the M.F.A. in Creative Visual Arts program and include a maximum of six hours in the classroom. Both tuition remission and graduate assistantships can vary from year to year, depending on the exact amount of yearly academic support available.

Outstanding applicants to the M.F.A. in Image Text program will be considered during the admissions process for scholarships that offer partial tuition assistance.

City and Regional Planning Funding Opportunities

Hourly Work

Many professors and some administrators may have hourly work available. M.A. and M.R.P. students can work up to 20 hours per week and are paid hourly. During semesters when a student receives a GTRS/GA stipend, they may only work a maximum of 14 hours (M.A./HPP) or 15 hours (M.R.P.) in addition to their GTRS/GA assignment. Ph.D. students may accept up to five hours of hourly work.

Fellowships and Scholarships

Atkinson-Tetreault Fellowship

This fellowship is awarded jointly by the department and the Telluride Association, a campus and national organization. The award includes room and board at Telluride House, plus a stipend of $7,500 with a partial tuition award (from CRP) for two years of residency in the M.R.P. program. The fellowship is offered in alternate years and is available for 2021-22. Students who are accepted into the M.R.P. program receive an application in February, which is due in March. The fellowship is awarded in April.

National Society of Women Descendants of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company

Scholarships for women enrolled in a graduate program in Historic Preservation are available. Applicants must be U.S. citizens. Scholarships of $300 to $500 are awarded; the application deadline is in August. For information, contact the National Society of Women Descendants of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, Scholarship Committee, Nancy B. Cobos, President, 1475 Freetown Drive, Reston, VA 20191-2527.

Paul D. Coverdell Fellows/USA Program: Peace Corps Partnership

Paul D. Coverdell Fellows/USA offers all returning Peace Corps Coverdell Fellows a minimum award of 33% of the total value of tuition and fees. The awarded amount will be divided between a tuition reduction grant and a work stipend to help cover living expenses. Amounts vary by year. 

Over the summer, participants will receive staff support in identifying and generating diverse summer internships in fields and locations of their choice. These internships typically provide stipends of $3,750 to be awarded on a 50-50 basis, combining Cornell and employer matching funds.

For more information on Paul D. Coverdell Fellows/USA, contact the CRP academic programs coordinator or visit the Peace Corps website.

Summer Funding

All students who receive financial support (assistantship, fellowship, travel awards, etc.) must register for the summer at no charge. This includes participants in the cooperative internship and Urban Scholars programs. Summer registration usually starts during the last week of the spring semester, and students may register online.

Departmental Travel and Research Grants

Graduate students who wish to attend a conference (i.e., ACSP, APA, PN, etc.) or receive research travel funding can apply for conference travel funding from the department. Prior to attending, the student must complete a Student Financial Commitment form indicating the conference and the estimated budget for expenses. If approved for funding, upon return to campus, the student can then complete a Payment/Reimbursement Form with receipts for reimbursement of a portion of the total expenses to the City and Regional Planning Office, 106 West Sibley Hall. Limited funds for research travel may also be available.

CRP Professional Opportunity Program

All first-year Master's of Regional Planning and Master's of Historic Preservation Planning students are eligible to receive a stipend for securing a summer internship, project, or opportunity related to their career goals. AAP Career Development works with the cohort throughout the academic year to set goals and activate networking and search strategies, and in the summer of 2024, over 50 students took advantage of the program and stipend.

AAP Career Development shares opportunities from a variety of industries and employers, and students participate in a wide spectrum of public, private, local, state, federal, and international internships and opportunities. Students have access to and work with AAP Career Development on their search, application materials, and interview prep and to support any questions they might have through the process. Students who confirm a professional opportunity or internship with the AAP Career Development team receive a stipend from CRP the first week of June to support their summer. If you have any questions about the CRP Professional Opportunity Program, please reach out to AAP Director of Career Development Sam Carney at sac387@cornell.edu.

AAP Career Development partners with various organizations to remove barriers and provide assistance related to summer internships. Learn more about the CRP Professional Opportunity Program and other offerings here.

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