Shedding light on scholarship awards
Now that you’re all up to speed on admissions decision options, it’s time to turn to the other piece of information many applicants will receive when decisions go out — scholarship awards.
As you may have read or heard us say, Fletcher awards scholarships on the basis of merit and need to both U.S. and international students. For a given level of merit (as determined in the admissions review process), the largest awards go to students with the greatest need. There are no need-only scholarships, in that everyone who is admitted has merit. But there are also no merit-only scholarships, except for commitments we have made to match grants from other organizations.
The award that an incoming student receives is renewable for the second year of Fletcher study. There’s a renewal process, through which we double-check that students will be on campus taking the expected number of classes in each semester. But students who remain in good academic standing can plan their second-year finances based on the knowledge their scholarship will be renewed.
Fletcher has always believed that it’s in the interest of admitted students to have upfront information on their scholarship awards for both years. It’s important for incoming students to have a complete financial plan (which, it should be clear, doesn’t mean waiting until year two to see what happens).
Separate from the scholarship award are student loans. For U.S. students and permanent residents who have completed the FAFSA, the University’s Student Financial Services office will, in early April, email details of the complete financial aid package, including loan availability and work study funds.
One last note — many Fletcher students work as research or teaching assistants, but the Admissions Committee doesn’t make those arrangements, and scholarship awards carry no RA or TA obligations. (We don’t presume to know how you’ll want to spend your out-of-class time.) Once students arrive in the fall, there are opportunities to find campus work, whether you want to share your expertise in political science or sociology, or hand out reserve reading materials in the library.
Thanks, Jessica.
Hi Anthony,
Obviously, step one is to officially enroll. Once that’s taken care of, you would be welcome to contact professors who teach courses where you have expertise. I’ll be honest in saying that relatively few first-year students work as TAs in their first semester — the professors prefer a chance to get to know the students first. But relatively few is not the same as zero, and you may have some special knowledge that a professor is looking for.
Good luck!
Jessica
Glad it’s helpful, Srikar. The new application should be up in August. It’s best not to start on the old application, but you can certainly consider your responses to the essay questions. They’re not likely to change much.
Jessica
Dear Jessica,
Very informative stuff on this blog! Very few Law Schools have this kind of interactive blogs.
I was exploring the option of a Master of Laws in International Law for the academic year 2013-14. When would the online applications be open for this?
Thanks
Hey Jessica – How can Fletcher students get in touch with specific faculty/departments to apply for TA positions? And, how soon should this process start in order to plan ahead for the upcoming semester (specifically in the case of EN applicants).
Thanks for keeping the blog so informative.
Hi — Fletcher doesn’t provide living stipends for master’s-level students, and scholarships are limited to the level of tuition. How many students receive full tuition each year? That’s a good question, and I”m afraid I don’t know the precise number. Relatively few students receive full tuition, but there are additional large awards that are somewhat less than the cost of tuition. Sorry to be vague! Most students pay for their education with other resources in addition to scholarships.
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
Thanks for the post. Does Fletcher provide living stipends as well or is the maximum scholarship available just full tuition. Also, how may students are awarded full tuition scholarship per year? Thanks
Hi Danielle,
It is absolutely not too late to complete the FAFSA. But if you’re interested in having loans or work study incorporated in your overall financial aid “package,” you need to complete the form and submit it right away. Loan funds will still be available later in the year, but work study funds probably won’t be.
Hope this helps!
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
Great read, as always. I, like many others, have been following closely these past few weeks (and, let’s be honest, even way back in the summer!).
One question – I was planning on filling out the FAFSA this weekend. Busy days at work meant that it got kicked to the bottom of the priority list. Is it too late to do so with regards to student loan and work study options?
Many thanks.