Financial Aid
FINANCIAL AID
Beginning in Fall 2013, all entering doctoral students in Music will be considered for one of the following 5-year awards.
Five-year Graduate Center Fellowship
The Graduate Center Fellowship provides full tuition and $25,000 each year for the first five years of study. The fellowship consists of a stipend in the Fall and Spring semesters, a summer research stipend, a graduate assistantship, a tuition award, and eligibility for low-cost individual or family NYSHIP health insurance. Support for the Fall and Spring semesters is $23,000 and the summer research stipend is $2,000.
The service assignments associated with the Graduate Center Fellowship are intended to develop scholarly and professional skills. In the first year, Graduate Center Fellows serve as research assistants or in another assignment determined by their doctoral program. In the second, third and fourth years, a Fellow teaches one course each semester at a CUNY undergraduate college. In the fifth year, a Fellow serves as a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Fellow, or in a similar assignment, at a CUNY college. Twelve Graduate Center Fellowships will be awarded.
All Graduate Center Fellows receive full tuition up to 16 credits per semester in their first year of study. All Graduate Center Fellows who are international students receive full tuition up to 16 credits per semester for the four remaining years of this fellowship. If U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents who are Graduate Center Fellows choose not to establish New York State residency following their first year, they must pay the difference between the full in-state tuition which they will receive and the out-of-state tuition rate they will be charged.
Five-year Presidential MAGNET Fellowship
For Students Entering 2013-2014
The Presidential MAGNET Fellowship is a five-year fellowship for incoming students from underrepresented groups who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Please note that students must be nominated by their programs for this fellowship.
The fellowship covers full tuition and student fees andprovides an annual stipend of $27,000 for the first five years of study. The award consists of a stipend, a graduate assistantship, a tuition award (including student fees) and eligibility for low-cost individual or family NYSHIP health insurance (NYSHIP). Fellows will receive a further $1,000 startup stipend in the first year to help with the costs of beginning doctoral studies. Additionally, during the third year the fellow receives a $1,500 research/travel stipend to help lay the ground work for a dissertation project.
Presidential Magnet Fellows are appointed as Graduate Assistants for five years. In years 1, 2, and 3 the Fellow serves as a graduate assistant assigned to mentoring undergraduates in the CUNY Pipeline Program. In the 4th and 5th year the Fellow has the option of either teaching one course each semester at a CUNY undergraduate college or of serving as a research assistant in the Office of Educational Opportunity and Diversity Programs.
Students who accept the Presidential MAGNET Fellowship are required to attend monthly colloquia at the Graduate Center, mentor undergraduate student who are pursuing a career in college teaching and participate in the administration of the CUNY Pipeline Program.
Tuition is covered for both in-state and out-of-state students (including international students) at all doctoral levels.
Five-year Tuition Fellowships
Students who are not awarded one of the Fellowships described above will be considered for a Five-year Tuition Fellowship. These fellowships cover full tuition (up to 16 credits per semester) and are awarded in recognition of academic achievement and in expectation of scholarly success.
All Tuition Fellows receive full tuition up to 16 credits per semester in their first year of study. All Tuition Fellows who are international students receive full tuition up to 16 credits per semester for the four remaining years of this fellowship. If U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents who are Tuition Fellows choose not to establish New York State residency following their first year, they must pay the difference between the full in-state tuition which they will receive and the out-of-state tuition rate they will be charged.
OTHER FINANCIAL SUPPORT
FEDERAL AND STATE AID
In all cases, federal and state aid is based solely on financial need. Federal aid for graduate students includes Federal Work Study, Federal Direct Loans, and Federal Perkins Loans. New York State provides the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) for eligible graduate students who are New York State residents.
Federal aid is awarded directly through the Office of Financial Aid in accordance with requirements established by federal law. Federal aid requires a separate application, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students who apply by the deadline for federal aid established each spring (usually in April) are considered for Federal Work Study Positions and/or Federal Perkins Loans for the upcoming academic year. Students interested in Federal Direct Loans may apply by submitting a loan application in addition to filing an FAFSA. First-time borrowers must attend a personal pre-loan interview before the loan is disbursed. The New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) is awarded directly by New York State. Students apply for TAP by first filing the FAFSA and then completing the follow-up application for the New York State program.