Gift Aid

Scholarships, fellowships, and other sources of aid are awarded primarily by individual academic departments. Check with your department for more information.

 

Scholarships, Fellowships and Assistantships

Grants, scholarships and fellowships are types of financial aid that do not have to be repaid. Below are some common sources.

Your academic department or professional school
Some departments provide their scholarships in the form of a monthly stipend paid directly to the scholarship recipient. Stipend payments are made monthly according to the stipend schedule.

The Graduate School
Administers fellowship programs and provides information about non-university funding sources.

Federal agencies and private foundations
Provide support for students engaged in specific fields of study.

Corporations
Offer fellowships or tuition reimbursement for employees.

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistantships are awarded by academic departments on the basis of scholastic accomplishment, academic promise and competence. Appointments last for a maximum of one year at a time, and confer both tuition credit and a stipend.

To receive tuition credit, you must be registered for at least six (6) graduate units of credit in a full-time course of study. Assistantships usually require 20 hours of work per week under the supervision of USC faculty. There are three types of positions:

Teaching/laboratory assistants
Students are assigned specific duties that assist the university’s teaching staff but do not serve as instructors of record. These positions help develop research and teaching skills.

Assistant lecturers
Students teach in the Freshman Writing Program; language programs in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; the American Language Institute (ALI); and other programs approved by the Director of Graduate and Professional Programs. Assistant lecturers may serve as instructors of record.

Research assistants
Students assist the faculty in research-related tasks that can further the students’ own research interests.
Contact your academic department to apply for these assistantships.

Fellowships

Fellowships and scholarships are awarded to graduate students on a competitive basis by USC schools and departments, as well as by outside agencies. Awards consist of tuition credit and/or stipends. Most PhD students at USC are fully supported by fellowships, teaching assistantships, research assistantships or a combination of these funding sources.

Endowed USC Fellowships
Several endowed fellowships are administered by The Graduate School. Some require candidates to be nominated by their department. Others are awarded to students who apply. For more information, visit the Graduate Admission website.

External Fellowships
Graduate fellowships are awarded by entities outside USC, for study and research in the United States and abroad, and for underrepresented students. For complete lists and more information, please visit the Awards and Fellowships Database.