APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID

University Graduate Merit-Based Awards: all University Scholarships, Fellowships, and Assistantships are awarded by their respective Academic Departments. These awards are not administered by the Financial Aid Office but must be coordinated with any federal financial aid awarded. Interested students for the university-wide scholarships must submit a Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score. For information about merit-based awards, the student should contact his/her department. For information about your department, click here.


Graduate Assistantships (Federal Work Study): Stipends of $4,000 for 9 1/2 hours of work per week to $8,000 for 19 hours of work per week are available to a limited number of admitted graduate students. Students must have filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and meet the federal need requirements for the award. In addition students must be accepted to the university, interview and be selected by the hiring department with an approved work-study position on file with Career Services to be eligible to receive a stipend.


Federal Loans: Graduate students may be eligible to participate in the following federal programs: the Federal Stafford Loan Program and Federal Perkins Loan Program. Students interested in these loan programs should file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Catholic University's preferred lender for the Federal Stafford Loan Program is Nellie Mae. Since the terms of the Stafford Loan Program are mandated by Congress, Catholic recommends Nellie Mae unless you have an existing relationship with another lender/servicer.




External Aid Sources: There are many private institutions, non-profit organizations, associations, and foundations that provide funds for graduate studies. This aid can be in several forms, including fellowships, grants, internships/traineeships, and loans. More information about such organizations may be obtained from special directories found in libraries and CUA's Career Services Office.