Funding and Financing

Two rows of students in class smiling

PhD Student Funding

Minimum Funding

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
  • Graduate Student Services Fee
  • Divisional fellowship or assistantship 

For 2026-27 the Division’s annualized minimum Divisional fellowship/assistantship is $47,741, disbursed as $3,978.41 (prior to any applicable tax withholding) per month of enrollment.

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.

Work Authorization

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.

External Funding

Students with external funding may have their UChicago funding adjusted according to the External Funding Policy, depending on the amount of the external funding. UChicago 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. Questions from enrolled students are best directed to ssd-dos@uchicago.edu. 

MA Student Funding

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 of our admitted master’s students receive partial tuition scholarship aid from the Division of the Social Sciences. 

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

Available Scholarships

The below information regarding available scholarships applies only to International Relations, Computational Social Science, and Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences applications. Questions regarding funding for the Master of Arts in Economics (MAE) Program should be directed to Emma Rubenstein, Student Affairs Administrator at ma-econ@uchicago.edu

Merit Scholarships at Admission

All MA applicants who indicate on the graduate application that they would like to be considered for financial support will be reviewed for available merit 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.

Supplemental Scholarships After Admission

Students admitted to the Master of Arts in Computational Social Science (MACSS), International Relations (CIR), and the Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) can apply for additional scholarship assistance after receiving their offer. These opportunities include:

  • The Dean’s Opportunity Scholarship: The Dean’s Opportunity is a full-tuition scholarship program for individuals with exceptional financial need. Each year more than 700 admitted students apply for approximately 20 available scholarships.
  • Need-Based Scholarships: The Division reserves a substantial portion of scholarship assistance for individuals with demonstrable financial need. However, it is worth noting that we limited funds available and cannot meet established need. 
  • Merit-Based Increases: We reserve a limited amount of scholarship funds for students who present competing offers or who have received further academic recognition after submitting their application.

Information about applying for these supplemental scholarships is sent to admitted students only once they have received their offer of admission.

Note: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is not required to qualify for UChicago scholarships. However, the FAFSA is required for federal student loans, the Federal Work-Study program, and for many outside scholarships and grants (see below).

Additional Resources

All master’s applicants are encouraged to identify external scholarships and funding sources to support their education, such as external organizations and government agencies. Securing such funding typically requires candidates to begin the funding application process well before they enroll at UChicago, and prospective students are strongly encouraged to research and apply to external scholarships early.

UChicagoGRAD maintains a Fellowships Database that prospective, admitted, and enrolled students can search for available funding. They also provide robust Fellowship Advising and Writing Support services for our enrolled graduate students applying to fellowships.

Student Loans

Federal Loans

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 UChicago award. Interested eligible students are encouraged to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to access these federal programs. Information on required documents for these loans and aid can be found on the Graduate Financial Aid website. We also encourage you to review their page regarding recent changes to federal student loan programs.

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.

Private Student Loans

Some students may be unable to access federal loan programs, or may find that the federal loan programs do not provide enough funding to cover tuition and living expenses. Private student loans may be an option for students in these cases. The University provides a list of preferred lenders who have been vetted by the University, though students are not limited to these private lenders.

Student Employment

It is common for graduate students to work on campus. Many students work as Research Assistants (RA) for individual faculty members, but positions are not typically arranged until (at the earliest) shortly before the start of Autumn Quarter. 

Outside of RA work, incoming students can search for part-time jobs through GRAD Gargoyle once they have a CNET ID and password. Part-time jobs may be available also at a variety of offices and entities on campus, including the University Library, the 120 Centers and Institutes on campus, or NORC (the National Opinion Research Center).

Per University policy, UChicago will not employ graduate students for more than 20 hours per week without the express permission of an area Dean of Students. Additionally, we recommend students work 10 or fewer hours per week given the demands of graduate study. Incoming students may be able to begin a student employment position prior to the start of Autumn Quarter with the permission of the Dean of Students Office.

When planning to hold employment during the program, please note that graduate courses at UChicago are primarily during weekday daytime hours (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.) and nearly always in-person; there are very few evening or weekend course options. All master’s students must enroll in three courses* per quarter which each meet in-person for at least 3 hours per week.

Federal Work-Study

The Federal Work-Study program provides an opportunity for eligible students to earn money through part-time employment. Federal Work-Study is similar to any other job, with the major difference being that the federal government pays a portion of the earned wages and the campus employer contributes the remainder. Like any other job, students must seek out and apply to opportunities themselves, which may include either on-campus or local off-campus employers. 

Federal Work-Study eligibility is based on financial need and requires a student to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for consideration.

International Students

Because individuals applying for student visas are required to demonstrate the availability of funds to support their tuition and living expenses, international students should begin planning to finance their graduate education early. As part of that planning, we encourage you to review our Office of International Affairs page on “International Student Funding Options”.

*Students may enroll in fewer courses per quarter in certain rare situations with the express written permission of the Dean of Students. Questions about part-time enrollment are best directed to ssd-admissions@uchicago.edu.