Graduate School Departmental Funding

The graduate departments of Columbia Engineering offer an extensive array of funding. Funding decisions, based solely on merit, and contingent upon making satisfactory academic progress, are made by the departments. All applicants for admission and continuing students maintaining satisfactory academic standing will be considered for departmental funds. Applicants should contact their department directly for information. Columbia Engineering prospective and continuing graduate students must complete their FAFSA in order to be considered for all forms of graduate financing (both departmentally-administered and financial aid–administered funds). The application for admission to Columbia Engineering graduate programs is also used to apply for departmental funding. Outside scholarships for which you qualify must be reported to your department and the Office of Student Financial Planning. The School reserves the right to adjust your institutional award if you hold an outside scholarship, fellowship, or other outside funding.

Institutional Grants

Institutional grants are awarded to graduate students on the basis of academic merit. Recipients must maintain satisfactory academic standing.

Fellowships

Fellowships are financial and intellectual awards for academic merit that provide stipends to be used by fellows to further their research. If you are awarded a fellowship, you are expected to devote time to your own work, and you are not required to render any service to the University or donor. You may publish research produced by your fellowship work. As a fellow, you may not engage in remunerative employment without consent of the Dean. Applicants should contact the department directly for information.

Assistantships

Teaching and research assistantships, available to doctoral students in all departments, provide tuition exemption and a living stipend. Duties may include teaching, laboratory supervision, participation in faculty research, and other related activities. Teaching and research assistantships require up to twenty hours of work per week. If you are participating in faculty research that fulfills degree requirements, you may apply for a research assistantship. Assistantships are awarded on the basis of academic merit.