Financial Assistance and Funding

Assistantships and Fellowships

• Departmental Assistantships
  Graduate assistantships are awarded to students with excellent academic records and scholarly promise. The awards ordinarily include a stipend, tuition scholarship, and health insurance coverage and are renewable. Stipend amounts for Ph.D. students ranged from $14,000 to a maximum of 25,000.

  Departmental Assistantships are divided into teaching assistantships, research assistantships and program assistantships.  Accordingly, a student who accepts an assistantship is required to provide teaching or research assistance, or to engage in other duties relevant to the discipline and program. Assistantship duties should provide students with educational and professional benefits while enhancing their pedagogical, research, and/or administrative skills.  Assistantship duties cannot exceed 20 hours per week and students are not allowed to hold additional employment while holding an assistantship. Students should contact their graduate program director for details regarding eligibility, application procedures and deadlines, stipend levels, and specific expectations required of recipients.

  Applying for Departmental Assistantships
  Awardees are chosen from among applicants for admission and no additional application material is required.  Indicate your desire to be considered for a merit award by marking the appropriate box on the application for admission. Admission does not guarantee funding.

  Unless otherwise noted, the deadline for consideration for merit awards is February 1 or earlier if the department requires. The application for admission as well as all supporting documents (e.g., transcripts and letters of recommendation) must be on file by the award deadline.

• Fellowships
  Fellowships are similar to assistantships in that they provide stipends, tuition scholarships, and health insurance however most fellowships do not require service on the part of the student. Recipients of fellowships administered through university must adhere to the merit award policies in addition to the requirements of the fellowship.

  Applying for Fellowships

  Each fellowship has unique application requirements so it is important to carefully read the guidelines and deadlines for each award. Fellowships are open only to current students. Below is a comprehensive list of Loyola University fellowships. 

  • Advanced Doctoral Fellowship: Lakeside Campus PhD students
  • Arthur J. Schmitt Dissertation Fellowship Announcement:  LUHS and Lakeside PhD Students
  • Arthur J. Schmitt Dissertation Fellowship Application‌
  • Crown Fellowship in the Humanities: PhD students in the humanities
  • Child & Family Research Assistantships: Lakeside Campus PhD students
  • Community and Global Stewards Fellowship: Students enrolled in a program housed in the Graduate School
  • Pre-Doctoral Teaching Scholars Announcement:  PhD students in the College of Arts and Sciences
  • Pre-Doctoral Teaching Scholars Application
  • Research Experience for Master's Programs Announcement
  • Research Experience for Master's Programs Application
• Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois/McNair Scholars

  Loyola currently has several DFI recipients enrolled in graduate programs.  Below is a brief explanation of the DFI award from the website, http://www.ibhe.state.il.us/DFI/default.htm.

  The purpose of DFI is to increase the number of underrepresented faculty and staff in Illinois institutions of higher education and higher education governing boards. DFI is a statutorily authorized program that directly addresses educational disparities. A DFI Fellow must be an Illinois resident and U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident alien who is a member of an Underrepresented Group.  Black/African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, American Indian or Alaskan Native. "Traditionally underrepresented minority group" means any of the minority groups designated in the Public Act which are represented in Illinois post-baccalaureate enrollment at a percentage rate less than the minority group's representation in the total Illinois population. The Public Act further specifies that to be classified as an Illinois resident, an applicant must possess a high school diploma or postsecondary degree from an accredited Illinois educational institution or have lived in Illinois for at least three years.

  2013-2014 academic year applications for the DFI Fellowship Program are now being accepted. You may find more information here.

• Merit Award Policies
  Merit awards (i.e., assistantships [internal as well as funded by grants or outside agencies], fellowships, and tuition scholarships) are guided by policies set forth by each specific award, general merit award rules and regulations, and the academic policies found on the Graduate School website here.

  • Deadline for Acceptance of an Award: Each merit award letter includes a deadline by which the student is to formally notify the Graduate School of his/her decision regarding the acceptance of the award.  The award acceptance deadline for incoming students admitted for fall is April 15, which conforms to the notification deadline set forth in the''Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees, and Assistants'' published by the Council of Graduate Schools.
  • Formal Notification of Acceptance: In order to notify the Graduate School formally regarding acceptance of the award, the student must complete and return the notification form to the Graduate School by the appropriate deadline.
  • Eligibility to Hold a Merit Award: To be eligible to receive and continue to hold a merit award, the student must: (a) be in good academic standing and maintain a cummulatieve GPA of 3.0 (b) comply with the Graduate School’s standards of academic honesty and the university code of conduct, and (c) perform satisfactorily assigned assistantship duties. Additionally, assistantships, Advanced Doctoral Fellowships, Crown Fellowships, Dean’s Fellowships, Pre-Doctoral Scholars Award, and the Schmitt Fellowships are all considered full-time.  Accordingly, recipients cannot hold outside employment during the academic year or, in the case of students holding a 12-month appointment, during the calendar year.  Students holding an academic year appointment are free to pursue employment opportunities during the summer months.  Failure to fulfill these requirements may result in the immediate termination of the merit award.
  • Assistantship Responsibilities: Assistantship duties are assigned by departmental, college, or school administrators.  Assistantships are to provide students with educational and professional benefits, enhancing their pedagogical, research, and/or administrative skills.  All assistantship activities must be supervised by appropriate faculty or staff. Assistantship duties cannot exceed 20 hours per week.
  • 12-Month Appointments: Students on 12-month assistantship appointments must register for an appropriate course during the first summer session.  Without summer enrollment, the stipends become pay and are no longer protected from FICA deductions.  See http://www.irs.gov/individuals/students/topic/index.html. 
  • Restriction on Multiple Awards: The Graduate School does not permit students to hold simultaneously more than one full assistantship or fellowship.  
  • Renewal of Merit Awards:  Merit awards are for one academic year only.  Contact your graduate program director for detail information regarding renewal of awards.

Current Awardees

• What can I Expect If I Receive an Assistantship or Fellowship?
  If you are chosen to receive an assistantship or fellowship, you will be e-mailed a letter stating the terms of your award such as the length of the award period and the amount of stipend and tuition scholarship you should expect to receive. Awards do not cover University student fees (e.g., the University Services and Programs, CTU-Pass, Late Registration, and Late Payment fees).

  A “notice of acceptance” form will be attached to your award letter along with a copy of The Graduate School merit award policies. Once you have read and agreed to the terms of your award and policies, you must sign and date the acceptance form and return it to The Graduate School. Award letters are sent in June for the following academic year.

• Stipend Payments
  If you are receiving a stipend payment for the first time, you will need to fill out new hire paperwork. The new hire packet must be brought to The Graduate School along with the appropriate ID for the I-9. You will not receive payment until all of the paperwork is sufficiently filled out and submitted.

  Stipend payments are made once a month on or around the 15^th of each month. If you do not receive your stipend payment on this date, please notify The Graduate School immediately. Merit awards and fellowships are taxable, even if no services are required. The Graduate School advises students to review tax publications and forms of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (www.irs.gov) and to consult the IRS or a tax specialist if one has questions regarding one’s potential tax liability.  For additional information see IRS Publication 970, IRS Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education (www.irs.gov/publications/p270). Tuition scholarships associated with merit awards are not taxable and do not have to be reported.

• Tuition Scholarships
  Along with stipend payments, some assistantships come with tuition scholarships. Tuition scholarships pay the tuition for only those courses that count toward the fulfillment of degree requirements and are limited by the number of credit hours required for the student to complete the program's degree requirements (e.g., if a student is in a program that requires 60 credit hours of graduate coursework, once the student has completed the 60-credit-hour degree requirement, the tuition scholarship normally will not pay tuition for additional credit hours).

  Students are responsible for paying tuition for any courses not eligible for payment by tuition scholarships.  Recipients of tuition scholarships must register for classes no later than July 1 for the fall semester and January 1 for the spring semester.

• Health Insurance Coverage
  Full-time merit awards come with health insurance coverage for the student. Students may purchase supplemental insurance for a spouse/significant other or family, rates and additional information can be found on Bursar’s Office webpage.
  To receive student health insurance benefits, students must be registered for classes no later than July 1 for the Fall semester of the upcoming academic year. To accept the award and coverage, students must "Fast-Track" into the plan by logging into LOCUS and clicking on the "Student Health Insurance" link in the "Campus Finances" section. Fast-tracking into the insurance confirms accepted coverage, activates enrollment into the plan, and generates an insurance ID card.
  If a student has insurance coverage, he or she must waive out of student health insurance coverage. To waive out, students must log on to LOCUS and click on "Student Health Insurance" in the "Campus Finances" section by October 1 of the academic school year.
  For the most up-to-date information regarding insurance information and requirements, please see the Bursar's web page at http://www.luc.edu/bursar/insurance.shtml.
• Tax Information
  Scholarships and stipends have different tax requirements. Please read the following document, Merit Award Tax Information, for further explanations on how merit awards are taxed.

  Additionatlly, stipend payments may be subject to Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax. There are, however, a number of exceptions to the FICA tax; for example, student employees who are enrolled and attending classes on at a least half time basis may be exempt. For more information about this, please read Loyola's Student Employment FICA Exemption Policy.

  Information can also be found at www.irs.gov – Internal Revenue Service Website
  IRS Pub 970: Tax Benefits for Education
  IRS Pub 501: Exemptions, Standard Deduction and Filing Information 

Research Funding & Grant Funding Resources

• Research Incentive Awards for Graduate Students (RIAGS)
  The Research Incentive Award for Graduate Students (RIAGS) program, administered by the Office of Research Services and the Graduate School, provides a monetary award to any Loyola graduate student submitting a proposal for external funding to a Federal or private agency, as well as a bonus award for any approved proposal. Please click on the RIAGS link above for exact dollar amounts of awards.

  This initiative is meant to create an incentive for Graduate School students to apply for substantial external funding to support their scholarly and research activities.  Such external funding benefits the student both by directly supporting the student's research, and by providing experience in the crucial skills of grant-writing.  

  External funding also contributes to Loyola's research profile and productivity. The Graduate School and the Office of Research Services provides assistance and guidance to students preparing grant applications.  The main objective of this help is to provide students with the skills and experience that they will need to submit grant proposals independently throughout their scholarly and research careers. 

  For complete information about the RIAGS program, please visit the website, http://www.luc.edu/gradschool/RIAGS.shtml

• External Funding Sources
  Students may obtain support from faculty members who receive funding from sources outside the university (e.g., research grants).  The Graduate School normally matches funding from external sources with tuition scholarships. 

  The Graduate School also encourages students to apply for funding from sources outside the university. A list of external monies available to graduate students is available through our page of External Funding Sources.

  The Office of Research Services also provides an extensive lists of searchable databases that contain funding opportunities, http://www.luc.edu/ors/externalfunding.shtml.

• Conference Presentation Funding
  The Graduate School encourages students to present their work at conferences throughout the United States and abroad. The Graduate School provides up to $400 for conference travel related expenses. To be considered for funding, you must apply online at least two weeks BEFORE you travel at https://gsps.luc.edu. You will receive an email to your luc.edu email account when your application has been approved. Funds are limited and only one travel request per student can be granted per academic year.

  Presenting at conferences outside the United States

  Students traveling abroad must abide by the International Travel Policy of Loyola University Chicago.

  Along with the , students requesting funding for travel outside the United States must also submit the following forms to The Graduate School and enroll in CISI Health Insurance

  • Original Illegal Drug Affidavit Form
  • Original Risk and Release Form
  • Loyola Study Abroad Medical Form
• Research Funding Request
  The Graduate School will reimburse graduate students for up to $400 per academic year for up to 2 years for expenses related to the research and preparation of a dissertation, thesis, or major research paper if applicable. To apply, please submit a Research Funding Request.

  Note: Research Funding is only available to students whose programs are housed on the lakeside campuses.

Other Funding Sources

• Graduate Financial Assistance - Applying for Loans
  The Office of Student Financial Assistance (osfa)is committed to helping students finance graduate education. Our financial assistance professionals will work with you to create a package that makes the most of the available financial resources. As partners, we’ll work together to reach toward a common goal: making your Loyola education achievable and affordable.

  For more information about financial assistance, check out these publications:

  • Your Guide to Financing a Loyola Graduate Education
  • Information Sheet (PDF) 

  All students receiving any type of merit award (assistantship, fellowship, or tuition) are encouraged to also file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Loyola’s federal school code is 001710. Students without funding as well as students anticipating supplementing their assistantship or fellowship support with loans must file a FAFSA.  There are no priority filing deadlines for graduate students, but students should submit the FAFSA as early as possible. 

• Experiential Learning-Internships, Federal Work Study
  The Center for Experiential Learning seeks to serve students, faculty, staff and community partners of Loyola University Chicago as a resource for experiential learning opportunities and partnerships. The Center can assist graduate students with finding internships and community based federal work study.

  Internships

  Internships offer students an opportunity to put their knowledge to work in an applied setting while learning the dynamics of particular workplace settings.  Many programs require or encourage internships as part of the degree process.  While many of these experiences offer course credit rather than more direct financial remuneration, others offer students stipends to cover their time in the field. Students interested in internships should work with their programs as well as utilize the resources available in the Center for Experiential Learning (http://www.luc.edu/experiential/internships.shtml).

  Community-Based Federal Work-Study

  Graduate students eligible for work-study as part of their financial aid packaged can work on campus or at a community-based service organization.  Loyola generally expects that FWS Community Service positions will pay between $8-$10/hour; students' total hours per week will vary depending on agency need and student award amounts.  Per Federal regulations, FWS monies fund 75% of student workers' salaries at community-based service sites; the agency must fund the other 25% of student workers' salaries. For further information visit the Center for Experiential Learning’s website (http://www.luc.edu/experiential/federal.shtml).

• RamblerLink-Job and Assistantship Postings
  Many departments in the University hire graduate students on a part-time basis.  Listings for these opportunities can be found on RamblerLink. Please visit the Career Development Center website for more information about RamblerLink in addition to other job search services the Center offers. The mission of the Career Development Center (CDC) at Loyola University Chicago is to counsel, educate and empower the Loyola student and alumni community.
• Payment Plans-Office of the Bursar
  The Installment Plan (iPlan) is an optional arrangement to make educational payments more affordable by spreading payments over a selected number of monthly installments instead of making one payment each semester. Loyola's new, in-house iPlan is available through LOCUS (Loyola's Online Connection to University Services), to help you and your family customize your budget for the upcoming academic year.

  • Loyola Installment Plan benefits include:
  • Additional monthly installment options
  • Clear, step-by-step budgeting process
  • Streamlined account information

  Loyola's iPlan is available in a variety of monthly options. For more information on The Installment Plan (iPlan), please visit http://www.luc.edu/bursar/iPlan.shtml#enrollment.

• Using Ramblerbucks for Textbooks
  Students can use the charge authorization formto add Rambler Bucks to your Campus Card for buying textbooks at the Follett Campus Bookstore. You may add funds to your card in increments of $100 to $800 without pre-paying. The charge will be added to your student account and must be paid in full along with all other tuition and fees.

  Students can only submit one form per term, and must comply with the assigned deadline for each term. If a student is unsure of the total cost of books, supplies and other expected purchases, the Card Office suggests requesting a greater amount on the Charge Authorization Form. Any funds not used in the purchase of books, supplies, etc. at the bookstore are non-refundable, but can be used at any location Rambler Bucks are accepted, as listed. Graduate Students: If you are a quarter semester student, please contact the Card Office for more information.

  If you have questions, please contact the Campus Card Office at campuscard@luc.edu.  

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