Need-Based Aid

Need-based aid at Syracuse includes loans and work-study assignments. They are administered through the University's Office of Financial Aid.

Government and Other Loan Programs

Many graduate students who are U.S. citizens rely on one or more forms of need-based financial aid from the U.S. government to help meet the cost of their studies. Syracuse University encourages all graduate students who are U.S. citizens to apply for any kinds of aid for which they may be eligible. As a graduate student, you may find that you qualify for need-based aid for which you have not previously been eligible.

Click here for more information on loans.

Employment

Some students find paid positions on campus to help cover the cost of their studies. These positions usually offer a stipend or salary and may offer some form of tuition benefit or tuition scholarship. The Office of Residence Life, for example, currently employs a number of graduate students in various positions. The Office of Human Resources publishes a weekly listing of positions available at all levels on campus; spouses of prospective graduate students may wish to visit this site if they plan to seek employment in the area.

Immigration regulations limit part-time employment opportunities for international students. Students with an F-1 visa may work on campus without permission from U.S. immigration. They must get a statement from the Slutzker Center for International Services indicating they are able to work part time on campus during the academic year and full time during holidays and summers. This statement is used by the University's payroll department.

Normally, international students with the F-1 visas may not be employed off campus during the first calendar year in the United States. After the first 12 months, they may apply to U.S. immigration for permission to work off campus if they can prove an unexpected political or monetary crisis has caused changes in their financial circumstances. If approved, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service issues an Employment Authorization Document as proof of employment eligibility.

Students on an exchange-visitor (J-1) visa may be given permission to work on or off campus by their sponsor. Such students must request a letter of permission from their sponsors to be used by employers to authorize employment. Summer job opportunities are very few, and it is unusual for U.S. immigration to give permission for summer employment. International students should arrange for summer financial support before coming to the United States.

To ask about permission for employment, either on or off campus, and to find out current regulations about proof of employability, international students should contact the Slutzker Center for International Services, 310 Walnut Place, Syracuse, NY 13244-2380, USA; 315-443-2457; fax 315-443-3091; lescis@syr.edu.