Funding a Graduate Degree

Graduate study costs money, and the word "funding" is used loosely. It can mean a paid position that waives tuition, a one-time discount, an employer benefit or a loan. Those differ in who pays, what you owe in work and what you may owe back. This guide separates the types, shows how criminal justice and forensic science programs describe them, and lists what to ask before you rely on any of them.

The main types

• Assistantship. A part-time job with the university, often teaching or research, usually with a stipend and sometimes a tuition waiver. It carries duties and hours.
• Fellowship. Support awarded on merit, often with fewer or different duties. Terms vary widely.
• Scholarship or tuition award. A reduction in what you are billed. It may be automatic or competitive.
• Employer assistance or waiver. A benefit tied to where you work, such as a tuition waiver for public employees.
• Loans. Borrowed money you repay with interest. A loan is not a scholarship, however it is packaged in a financial aid offer.

What programs actually publish

Published terms differ in how specific they are:

• A documented, multi-year package. The CUNY Graduate Center's criminal justice PhD says its fully funded fellowship includes tuition, an estimated $30,634 stipend and health insurance for 5 years, with a research assistant role in year 1, teaching assistant or instructor roles in years 2 to 4 and an undergraduate research mentor role in year 5. It also notes a master's is not required for that track and describes a separate in-state tuition-only fellowship for up to 5 admitted students who hold an advanced degree, intended for working professionals.
• A stated stipend and workload. The University of South Florida's criminology PhD page says a graduate assistantship provides a $27,000 annual stipend, tuition waiver and health insurance for 20 hours of work per week, awarded competitively with all applicants considered.
• A stated stipend with limits. The University of North Texas page lists a department teaching assistantship with a $16,746 annual stipend for its justice policy and administration master's, and calls it competitive with a limited number of positions.
• A range, with eligibility. Arcadia University's forensic science master's page says scholarship awards run between $6,000 and $15,000, that every accepted student is considered, and that graduate assistantships may be available to students who qualify.
• A benefit with duties. Buffalo State's forensic science master's describes an assistantship of about 20 hours per week, including teaching laboratory classes, with tuition and some fees waived, basic health insurance and a monthly stipend, for selected admitted students.
• Language that is not a promise. USF's criminology MA page says funding is provided when monies are available. The University of New Haven's criminal justice PhD page says assistantships and teaching fellowships are available for qualified students, with no guarantee stated, and that applications by January 15 are considered for funding. Bowling Green's criminal justice master's offers a limited number of stipends and tuition scholarships for qualifying on-campus students with a minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA.
• A lighter commitment. UCF's criminal justice PhD page says most doctoral students are assigned as graduate teaching assistants, and that on average they serve as instructor of record for two courses by graduation. VCU's forensic science department says all applicants are automatically considered for teaching assistantships.

Employer and discount benefits

USF's criminal justice MA page describes a State of Florida employee tuition waiver covering up to six credit hours per semester on a space-available basis for eligible full-time state employees. Capella University's forensic psychology master's page lists a $2,500 "Progress Reward" scholarship, with eligibility rules and exclusions, and a 10% military discount for service members, veterans and their spouses. Such benefits are real but narrow: they depend on your employer, your status or the school's own rules.

Federal aid

The U.S. Department of Education's Federal Student Aid site describes the federal options for graduate students:

• Direct Unsubsidized Loans are available to eligible graduate students, up to $20,500 per year, and to eligible professional students, up to $50,000.
• Direct PLUS Loans for graduate students come with a footnote: graduate and professional students who do not qualify, or no longer qualify, for a limited exception on or after July 1, 2026, are not eligible to borrow them.
• Federal Work-Study provides part-time jobs for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, administered through participating schools, and funds are limited.

The site stresses that a loan is money you borrow and must pay back with interest, and that signing a promissory note means agreeing to repay even if you do not finish or cannot find a job. To apply, complete the FAFSA. Your school then sends a financial aid offer. Rules and limits change, so read the current page rather than relying on this summary.

How to read a funding claim

1. Who is eligible? "Available to qualified students" is not the same as "all admitted students."
2. Is it guaranteed, and for how long? Look for years, renewal conditions and a satisfactory-progress requirement.
3. What are the duties? Twenty hours a week of teaching is a job. Ask how it fits with courses.
4. What does it cover? Tuition, fees, health insurance and a stipend are separate items.
5. Does it apply to your format? Some funding is for on-campus students only (Bowling Green's page says so), so an online student should ask whether any funding applies to them.
6. Is "fully funded" documented? If the page does not state amounts, years and duties, ask for the terms in writing.
7. Do not mistake loans or cost estimates for support. Per-credit tuition is not total cost; add fees, books and living expenses.

Where to go next

Doctoral funding is closely tied to admission, so read applying to criminal justice PhD programs alongside this guide. Browse master's degrees, PhD programs and online master's programs in criminal justice to see the funding recorded for each.