Financial Resources
The Graduate Center is here to support you — and help you make smart financial decisions.
Student Emergency Grants
The Graduate Center has established a set of quick-response funds (in amounts of up to $2,000) to support students who are facing short-term financial emergencies. We aim to help students complete their degrees rather than take a leave of absence or withdraw from school.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, we understand that students are facing new, unexpected expenses and financial needs.
We invite you to apply for grants to meet such emergencies as:
- Unexpected COVID-19-related expenses
- Medical and dental bills for uninsured non-elective procedures
- Assistance in paying for food, transportation, and basic necessities due to recent financial difficulty
- Emergency child care for legal dependents
- Travel home for illness or death in the immediate family
- Overdue utilities bills and shut-off notices
- Rent in arrears, at risk for eviction
- Housing assistance for homelessness
- Destruction of living quarters due to fire or other natural disaster
- Theft of computer, books, clothing, or other essential belongings
- Current or past Graduate Center tuition charges
- Legal representation (landlord disputes)
- Personal debts
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The Graduate Center's student emergency grant funds consist of:
- The Carroll and Milton Petrie Student Emergency Grant Fund, made possible by generous support from The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation
- The Doctoral Students Association Medical Emergency Fund
- The Graduate Center Student Emergency Fund, which is supported through the generosity of our alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends
Financial Literacy
Financial Literacy Workshops
The Office of Fellowships and Financial Aid offers a number of financial literacy sessions via Zoom. All sessions will take place at 1:30 pm. We expect each session to last about 45 minutes. Registration is required. Sessions are open to the GC, SOJ, and SLU communities.
Check back soon for spring semester dates.
Loan repayment basics Learn about your federal student loans, including terms and an overview of how repayment works. We'll discuss interest rates and fees, loan repayment options, and what to expect after you graduate. This session is intended for all students who have borrowed federal student loans.
Income-Driven Repayment Learn about how the government allows students to make payments based on their income. We'll discuss the numerous different plans, the eligibility for each, and the application process. This session is intended for students who are familiar with loan basics and want to understand in more detail how these payments are calculated and why borrowers may choose them.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Interested in working in a non-profit or government entity? If so, learn about how to take advantage of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. We'll discuss the qualifications and how to make sure your loans fit the criteria. This session is intended for students planning to work in the public or non-profit sector.
You can also contact the Office of Fellowships and Financial aid at financialaid@gc.cuny.edu to set up an individual counseling appointment.
In addition to presentations and individual counseling, here are some helpful resources you can review on your own time.
Budgeting Tips
Getting a sense of where your money is going will help you figure out how best to live within the student budget.
Here are some apps you can use to budget:
- Mint: Tracks all of your spending by different categories and keeps track of how much money you have across all accounts (free)
- You Need a Budget: Designed to help you live within the money you have and not go into debt (not free long-term, but offers a yearlong free student membership)
- Wally: Tracks spending via smartphone (free)
- Acorns: Rounds up purchases with linked accounts and invests the difference for automatic savings ($1 per month)
Entertainment:
Food and Drink:
- The Doctoral Student Council in room 5495 provides free coffee, tea, and snacks to all students whenever it’s open
- Regular Starbucks drinkers can save money with these five tips
Meet with our office to go over your cost of attendance. In some cases, students with educational expenses that exceed our standard cost — such as child care, rent, and unreimbursed medical expenses — may be eligible for additional federal aid.
You can also apply for a student emergency grant for true “one-time” emergencies.