Funding Your Education
We know how important funding and financial decisions can be in making graduate school a possibility. Most Brown School students combine multiple sources to finance their educational and living expenses while attending their graduate program. We encourage students to develop a funding strategy early in their graduate school search. These additional resources may be helpful as you create your financial plan.
Beginning in Fall 2026 the Brown School is proud to be the first social work school in the country to offer full funding for practicum internship experiences and provide a monthly living stipend to all students in the Master of Social Work program.
The Practicum Support Award aims to reduce financial barriers to social work education and allow MSW students to focus on pursuing excellence in their education and practice without missing out on income or accruing added debt.
Practicum Support Award details are made available to admitted students as part of their decision letter. The award fully covers tuition cost for all required practicum credits and provides a living stipend evenly dispersed throughout each month of the academic years of the MSW program.
The Brown School offers a range of partial-tuition scholarships to support students in funding their graduate education. These awards recognize the unique strengths, perspectives, and lived experiences each student brings to our community.
Scholarship decisions are made through a holistic review that considers a variety of factors, including academic achievement, leadership and service, professional accomplishments, financial circumstances, socioeconomic background, contributions to family and community, and a demonstrated commitment to the mission and values of the Brown School.
The WashU Graduate Center offers a searchable funding database to help students identify external scholarships, stipends, research grants, and other awards. This is a valuable resource for those looking to supplement their graduate education funding through outside sources.
Additional external scholarship resources:
- Dreamers Roadmap App
- Education USA
- EduPass
- Immigrants Rising
- Institute of International Education
- International Scholarship Search
- My Scholarship Central
- Scholly
Students who receive external funding towards the cost of their degree are required to notify the Brown School Office of Student Financial Services. Watch our video online to understand how to report your external funding sources.
The majority of Brown School students work part-time while completing their graduate studies. Brown School students have access to a variety of campus-based employment opportunities, fellowships, and research assistantships. While domestic students may also pursue off-campus employment, international students are limited to working on campus for no more than 20 hours per week in accordance with visa requirements.
Part-Time Employment
The Brown School offers many on-campus opportunities for part-time student employment, including positions in communications, information technology, business services, administrative support, facilities, and library services, among others.
Many Brown School faculty and research centers also hire students to work as research assistants, offering valuable opportunities to engage in groundbreaking research alongside faculty mentors.
Beyond the Brown School, several university-wide departments at WashU also actively recruit graduate students for part-time roles. Brown School students have held positions with departments such as:
- Student Involvement and Leadership
- Residential Life
- Center for Diversity and Inclusion
- Institute for Public Health
- Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement
Once their WashU email is established, incoming students can begin searching for part-time employment opportunities through Handshake, the Center for Career Engagement’s career management platform. Handshake includes listings for on-campus positions as well as part-time roles at local human service organizations. Most job postings begin appearing in late spring, and some on-campus roles may qualify for Federal-Work study, but those opportunities can be limited.
U.S. citizens and eligible noncitizens wishing to be considered for Federal Financial Aid (federal student loans and Federal Work-Study) must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the appropriate academic year. To complete the FAFSA, students will need their most recent tax return, their Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID, and Washington University’s school code: 002520.
Graduate students file as independents, so no parent information is required. Please note that FAFSA results do not affect previously awarded Brown School funding.
Read more about federal student aid requirements and eligibility here.
In addition to Brown School funding, external grants or scholarships, employment income, and federal student aid many students utilize additional forms of financial support. These may include:
- Personal Savings
- Family or Sponsor Support
- Employer Tuition Assistance
- Veteran Education Benefits
- Service Corps Segal Education Award
- Private Loans
Students are encouraged to explore all available resources to help fund their graduate education.
International students have separate requirements for providing proof of financial support related to visa processing. Doctoral students are fully-funded with an annual stipend and can apply for additional fellowships to help cover their program costs, if admitted. Follow the links below to learn more.
