Just wanted to make sure that FAFSA does not provide any free money for graduate students like they do for undergrad students, and everybody who needs money from the government will have to take loans.
No free money from FAFSA for Master's programs, right?
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Would you please be more specific? What does it mean "financial need"? Is it people who have income that cannot cover the entire tuition+living expenses?
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FAFSA in it of itself is not sufficient to get these grants. FAFSA is simply one part of the financial aid application.
Generally, federal grants for graduate school is only for people who meet certain, very specific requirements. There are a variety out there for things like ethnicity, area of residence, etc. More commonly, federal grants are given directly to schools to disperse as they choose (merit-based grants or scholarships as you might know them).
For graduate school, generally all you're eligible for are Stafford loans (a combination of subsidized and unsubsidized). They should be sufficient to cover your whole education.
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For example - my FAFSA award this year is 37k and my tuition + fees + health insurance totals about 26k. These leaves me 11k of loan expenses to pay living costs which includes my work-study award.
Really? Then why does my school say that the max that FAFSA gives in loans is 20k (not including Grad PLUS)? I am getting more confused.
And I am talking about money related to FAFSA. Not school or private or department grants of any sort.
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BU gives Direct Stafford around 20k if you're a part-time student...
i think you are need-based, what did you get from your FAFSA award letter?
I had a very low EFC (and received tons of grants in undergrad) and did not receive grant money from any of my schools - loans (Sub. and Unsub. Stafford, tiny amount of Perkins) and work-study. No grants. None. This included private schools, out-of-state publics, and in-state public. I get the impression they're pretty tight with their dough...
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When I was at BU 3 years ago, they gave me a $1000 "academic merit scholarship"
I was completely independent at that point with less than <$20k annual income.
"Free" money for a professional degree (like a MPH) isn't common. Very few of my friends at BU had any significant scholarship dollars. All had loans of a significant nature. The other option is, get a job as a RA: that pays for a significant portion of tuition.
A pointer to folks who haven't enrolled in school yet, if money is VERY huge issue and you know exactly what field you want to enter and research is appealing, try applying to MS rather than MPH programs. Academic-based degrees (like the MA, MS, PhD) are far more generously funded than professional-based terminal degrees (like the MPH) because of the prospect of publishable research. Do keep in mind, though, that MS applications are far more competitive than MPH applications. If I were a guessing man, I'd predict that <1% of MPHs are completely covered, whereas MS and PhD students very often are (particularly PhDs). However, if research isn't an appealing option for career path, the MS or PhD isn't going to do you much good as the MPH would be a far better degree for that purpose.
When I was at BU 3 years ago, they gave me a $1000 "academic merit scholarship"
I was completely independent at that point with less than <$20k annual income.
"Free" money for a professional degree (like a MPH) isn't common. Very few of my friends at BU had any significant scholarship dollars. All had loans of a significant nature. The other option is, get a job as a RA: that pays for a significant portion of tuition.
A pointer to folks who haven't enrolled in school yet, if money is VERY huge issue and you know exactly what field you want to enter and research is appealing, try applying to MS rather than MPH programs. Academic-based degrees (like the MA, MS, PhD) are far more generously funded than professional-based terminal degrees (like the MPH) because of the prospect of publishable research. Do keep in mind, though, that MS applications are far more competitive than MPH applications. If I were a guessing man, I'd predict that <1% of MPHs are completely covered, whereas MS and PhD students very often are (particularly PhDs). However, if research isn't an appealing option for career path, the MS or PhD isn't going to do you much good as the MPH would be a far better degree for that purpose.
Thanks for the info! I had always thought that an MS in public health is a lot easier to get in, so i applied and got in. It is indeed very cheap, but the I realized that academic research is not what I wanna do as a career. (and that's why I was ask in the forum earlier whether MS's can find MPH jobs) I hope I'm making the right decision spending soo much money on another non-research degree.
If you are in a CEPH-accredited public health program, you are eligible for additional unsubsidized Stafford Loan funds - $12,500 per 9-month academic period, for a total of $32,500 in subsidized and unsubsidized loans. See more about it in the "Where's the Money?" post. Some financial aid departments aren't aware of this, so you may have to bring it to their attention. You'll see in the post that I was venting about my ordeal, but the outcome is my matter was forwarded to the FA director and finally approved. As a result, they are going to review the FA offers of other public health students and adjust their packages as well. Don't accept Grad PLUS loans until you've maxed out your Staffords.
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Can you apply to MS and MPH programs in epi at the same time? I'm fairly certain I want to do research, but I'm still not 100% sure.When I was at BU 3 years ago, they gave me a $1000 "academic merit scholarship"
I was completely independent at that point with less than <$20k annual income.
"Free" money for a professional degree (like a MPH) isn't common. Very few of my friends at BU had any significant scholarship dollars. All had loans of a significant nature. The other option is, get a job as a RA: that pays for a significant portion of tuition.
A pointer to folks who haven't enrolled in school yet, if money is VERY huge issue and you know exactly what field you want to enter and research is appealing, try applying to MS rather than MPH programs. Academic-based degrees (like the MA, MS, PhD) are far more generously funded than professional-based terminal degrees (like the MPH) because of the prospect of publishable research. Do keep in mind, though, that MS applications are far more competitive than MPH applications. If I were a guessing man, I'd predict that <1% of MPHs are completely covered, whereas MS and PhD students very often are (particularly PhDs). However, if research isn't an appealing option for career path, the MS or PhD isn't going to do you much good as the MPH would be a far better degree for that purpose.
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You'd have to submit two different applications (one through SOPHAS the other through the Graduate school), but I don't see why not.
I saw your post and searched all over internet, but couldnt find any official site that says this. Where did you originally hear it?
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/sfahandbooks/attachments/0809FSAHbkVol3Ch5Oct14.pdf
Go to page 112 of this PDF and that's what the previous poster was referring to.
Yep, that's the one. And if your school tells you they can't do it because they weren't eligible for the HEAL program (see page 3-110), tell them that rule has been changed and they can verify that with the US Department of Ed.
It is true. Public health graduate students in a CEPH accredited program qualify for additional unsubsidized loans up to their need but not more than 32,000. Write a letter to your financial aid department that includes your name, student ID number, college, and that the financial student aid handbook makes this possible section 3-112.
