Funding and Financing

PhD Student Fellowships

All PhD students enrolled in the Division of the Social Sciences will be funded for the duration of their program with funding support from the University of Chicago, external sources, or a combination of the two, regardless of citizenship or other factors. While enrolled, funding includes tuition, individual U-SHIP health insurance premium, the Graduate Student Services Fee and Divisional fellowship or assistantship. For 2024-25 the Division’s annualized minimum Divisional fellowship/assistantship is $45,000, disbursed as $3,750 (prior to any applicable tax withholding) per month of enrollment.

Students must be legally authorized to work in the United States for the University of Chicago in order to meet the degree requirements to earn a PhD in most of the University’s PhD programs. (Note, the F-1/J-1 student visa permits on-campus employment when a student is active in their program; for more information, please visit the Office of International Affairs webpage related to on-campus employment.)

Every year, there is intense competition for admission to our doctoral programs. Since there is a limit to the number of students we can fund, every year we must turn away many stellar applicants because of limited resources.

Students with external funding may have their University funding adjusted according to the External Funding Policy, depending on the amount of the external funding. The University is committed to ensuring guaranteed funding levels, and students whose external funding is less than combined dollar amount of the guaranteed stipend and health insurance will receive an appropriate supplement to their external awards. Questions from prospective or incoming students should be directed to Associate Dean of Students Lindsey Weglarz (lweglarz@uchicago.edu) or to ssd-admissions@uchicago.edu.

MA Student Scholarships

At the University of Chicago, we recognize that a master’s degree is a significant investment. We are committed to helping you identify financial resources to assist with managing the cost. More than 90% of all master’s applicants receive partial tuition scholarship aid from the Division of the Social Sciences. All MA applicants who indicate on the graduate application that they would like to be considered for financial support will be reviewed for scholarships; there are no separate forms to complete. Applicants who do not answer “yes” to the scholarship question are not considered for tuition scholarships. Whether an applicant indicates they wish to be considered for scholarships has no bearing upon consideration of their application.

All master’s students pay the remainder of tuition, fees, and their living expenses from their own resources and/or educational loans.

All master’s applicants are encouraged to identify external scholarships and funding sources to support their education, such as external organizations and government agencies. UChicagoGRAD maintains a Fellowships Database that prospective, admitted, and enrolled students can search for available funding. Securing such funding typically requires candidates to begin the application process well before they enroll at the University. International applicants should also consider that in order to be approved for a student visa, they will need to demonstrate availability of funds. Therefore, it is important to research and apply to these resources early.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is not required to qualify for University scholarships because these scholarships are merit based, not need based. Please note, however, that the FAFSA is required for federal student loans, the Federal Work-Study program, and for many outside scholarships and grants.

Student Loans for Domestic Master’s Students

Students may choose to apply for private or Federal educational loans and/or the Federal Work-Study program to cover any tuition and living expenses not covered by a University award. Information on required documents for these loans and aid can be found on the Graduate Financial Aid website. Interested, eligible students are encouraged to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Please note that international students are not typically eligible for FAFSA-based loans or Federal Work-Study; specific eligibility information may be found at studentaid.gov and on the Graduate Financial Aid eligibility page.

Visit the Office of Graduate Financial Aid website to download the Graduate Financial Aid Handbook and alternative loan forms if needed, and to search the frequently asked questions. Graduate Financial Aid also determines eligibility for the Federal Work-Study program based on the FAFSA, though students with Work-Study awards must seek employment themselves.

External Fellowships

We encourage applicants to our graduate programs to apply for external fellowships. The UChicagoGRAD office provides robust Fellowship Advising and Writing Support services for our graduate students. They also maintain a Fellowships Database that students can search for available funding.