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.
Institutional Funding – Brown School Scholarships
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.
Learn more about Brown School Scholarships
External Grants and Scholarships
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:
Student Employment Opportunities
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 many on-campus roles are Federal Work-Study eligible.
Paid Internships & Practica
A limited number of field education sites offer funding for students completing their required internships or practica. For more information about paid practica opportunities, please contact the Office of Field Education.
Federal Student Aid
Domestic students 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 Scholarships
Read more about federal student aid requirements and eligibility here.
Other Support
In addition to Brown School scholarships, student loans, and employment income, many students utilize additional forms of financial support. These may include:
- Personal Savings
- Family or Sponsor Support
- Employer Tuition Assistance
- Private Loans
- Veteran Education Benefits
- Service Corps Segal Education Award
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.
