Financial assistance
Graduate assistantships
The University offers graduate assistantships for teaching, research, and administrative support on a competitive basis for students working toward graduate degrees at PSU. To qualify and to remain eligible for an appointment, a student must be admitted with Regular or Department Conditional status and be in good academic standing in a graduate degree program at PSU. (Students admitted only to a graduate certificate program are not eligible for a graduate assistantship.) Graduate assistants must be registered for and satisfactorily complete a minimum of 9 graduate academic credits applicable to the degree each term the assistantship is in effect, except Summer Session, with term and cumulative GPAs of 3.00 or higher, and must show satisfactory academic progress in fulfilling the requirements of the degree program. The student’s department chair or graduate coordinator may allow up to 4 undergraduate credits within the 9 credits if the undergraduate credits are needed as prerequisites for graduate courses or are important to the student’s plan of study. Any request for a student to take more than 4 undergraduate credits per term must be approved by the Office of Graduate Studies.
Graduate assistants are provided a salary on a regular periodic basis as compensation for the service provided and receive a partial remission of the instructional fee portion of tuition each term of appointment. Students wishing to apply for graduate assistantships must correspond directly with the appropriate department offering the assistantship.
Scholarships
The Office of Graduate Studies administers several scholarships and awards through our office, and also provides links to many external funding source.
WICHE
Under the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) Regional Graduate Program agreement, residents of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming admitted to the following programs pay resident fees: the master’s and doctoral programs in environmental sciences and resources; the master’s program in education: special education with a focus in visually impaired learners; master’s and doctoral programs in urban studies; or the doctoral program in public affairs and policy. Applications for the WICHE program are submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies.