Financing your graduate education

These articles will help you get to grips with the financial aspects of graduate school. Topics covered include overall financial concerns, working with financial aid staff, building good credit for grad school, employment options during school, and searching for scholarships.

Know before you go

• "Are you financially ready for grad school?"
  Gives a big picture view of the financial considerations facing potential grad students
• "Building good credit for grad school"
  Discusses the basics of improving your credit and the effect on your grad school plans
• "Don't let application fees stop you from applying to grad school"
  Presents several options to overcome the obstacle of application fees

Financial aid 101

• "Understanding financial aid and advice on how to work with the financial aid office"
  Offers tips on financial aid for before, during, and after the application process
• "Graduate school loan strategy"
  Explains how to handle your educational loans—before, during, and after school
• "Navigating student loan options"
  Introduces you to the variety of loans that can help you afford grad school

Student loan debt relief

• "Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Income-Based Repayment"
  Explains the nuts and bolts of the legislation that offers income-based repayment options and public service loan forgiveness.

Other ways to finance your education

• "Campus jobs that help fund your education"
  Details several forms of on-campus work that can offset some of grad school's costs
• "The scholarship search"
  Offers an overview of scholarships, how to find them, and tips on applying
• "Leveraging state residency for tuition breaks in your state and others"
  Examines in-state tuition as well as other fees reductions based on state residency

Multimedia

• Podcast: "Financial Aid Myths, Ins and Outs"
  Idealist speaks with Regina Garner of the Monterey Institute of International Studies
• "Video: The admissions and financial aid process for graduate school (Parts 1 and 2)"
  Watch admissions professionals tackle issues of concern to every applicant

Related content elsewhere in this resource center

• "Admissions and the application"
  Gives important tips on the entire application process and dealing with admissions staff
• Preparing for graduate school
  Our series of articles on the process of preparing for grad school

• BACK to the Grad School Resource Center landing page