Merit-Based Aid

Academic departments of Syracuse University and the Graduate School grant merit-based graduate awards to outstanding students. These awards, listed below, are highly competitive and should not be confused with financial aid awards made strictly in cases of demonstrated financial need.

You may apply for University graduate fellowships, University African American graduate fellowships, McNair graduate fellowships, graduate scholarships, and graduate assistantships by checking the appropriate boxes on the admission application form. Your complete application package is carefully evaluated during the award process.

If you are applying for a graduate award, we urge you to submit your complete admission application as early as possible. The deadline is February 1 for the Syracuse University graduate fellowship. For the University African American fellowship and McNair graduate fellowship competitions, the deadline is January 1. For further information about these deadlines and any of the merit-based awards listed below, contact Harriett Conti, Associate Director, Graduate Student Affairs, 204 Crouse College, Syracuse University, Syracuse NY 13244; 315-443-3089; admissg@syr.edu. Recipients of graduate awards will be notified as soon as possible.

  • Syracuse University Graduate Fellowships support graduate education for those with truly outstanding qualifications and the potential to make significant contributions in their future professional or scholarly endeavors.
  • Syracuse University African American Graduate Fellowships are awarded annually to new and continuing African American graduate students.
  • Syracuse University annually funds up to six McNair Graduate Fellowships as part of its federally funded, institution-wide Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. This program's goal is to increate the numbers with the Ph.D. degree who are first-generation college-going in their families or who are from groups that are underrepresented in graduate study. To be eligible, applicants must have been McNair Scholars at their undergraduate institutions.
  • Graduate Scholarships support graduate education for students with superior qualifications.
  • Graduate Assistants are instrumental in providing teaching, administrative, or research support. A form of graduate assistantship, teaching assistantships (TAs) are a commitment as well as an opportunity to teach and to work closely with individual members of the faculty. Teaching assistants must participate in the Graduate School TA Program, a nationally recognized program that helps teaching assistants prepare for their teaching assignments. Since 1992, the Graduate School has extended professional development opportunities for TAs through the Future Professoriate Project, which offers training to faculty teaching mentors and special seminars and workshops for graduate students who plan careers in college teaching.

Special Awards for College of Visual and Performing Arts Students

  • The Billy Joel Fellowships in Composition allow four students to study composition at the graduate level at the Setnor School of Music with full tuition and a stipend, allowing talented, emerging composers the ability to focus solely on writing music during their two-year residency at the Setnor School. Click here for more information.
  • The Jerome Solomon Memorial Scholarship is awarded to deserving graduate students in the College of Visual and Performing Arts who lack the financial ability to pursue advanced studies. The student must have exhibited original and meritorious work in art and design or music and have demonstrated the ability to contribute to one of these fields.
  • The Eloise K. Heaton Graduate Fellowship Award in Music Composition includes a full tuition scholarship and a substantial stipend for living expenses. The recipient of the Heaton Award is expected to complete at least one work of a sacred nature as part of the requirements for the degree.
  • Each year five String Assistantships are awarded: four to an already-established string quartet and one to a double-bassist. The graduate quartet works extensively with the Setnor School of Music's resident ensemble, the Cassatt Quartet, while the double-bassist serves as assistant to the Syracuse University Symphony Orchestra. In addition, the bassist may audition for an apprentice position with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. As part of their award, the quartet receives free publicity stills and a demo CD with which to launch their professional careers. All assistantships carry 24 credits of tuition per year and a first-year stipend of $9,000.

Special Awards for International Students

The following are some agencies to which international students may apply to receive money for graduate study.

  • Institute for International Education (Fulbright Fellowship recipients), Study Abroad Programs Division, Institute for International Education, 809 United National Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA; phone: 212-883-8200; cable: INTERED; telex: ITT-422207, RCA-223363.
  • Institute for International Education (Black South African students), South African Education Program, Institute for International Education, 809 United National Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA
  • African American Institute (African students), 833 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA; phone: 212-949-5666; cable: AFRAM; telex: 666-565
  • Latin American Scholarship Program of American Universities (Latin American students) 25 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; phone: 617-495-5255