How to Fully Fund Your PhD

Watch "The Foolproof Way to Fully Fund Graduate School"

University campus picture showing a group of male and female students walking through a treed courtyard on their way to class. — Many universities “fully fund” their doctoral students. “Full funding” is a funding package from the university, usually offered at acceptance, that includes full tuition remission and an annual stipend.

Last updated March 27, 2024

By ProFellow Founder, Dr. Vicki Johnson

When I first began looking into master’s and PhD programs early in my career, I wasn’t aware that many universities “fully fund” their doctoral students. “Full funding” is a funding package from the university, usually offered at acceptance, that includes full tuition remission and an annual stipend for living expenses for the four to six years a student is in the doctoral program. In most cases, doctoral students are expected to serve in a Graduate Teaching or Research Assistantship. This part-time position with the university includes work that is typically complementary to your PhD research and provides students with valuable teaching experience.

Because I wasn’t aware of full funding opportunities, I considered a PhD impossible and pursued a master’s degree instead, taking out both a federal and private loan to fund my studies. I learned of fully funded PhD programs while looking for fellowships for others, and I was very fortunate to enter a PhD program at Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand that fully funded my studies. I wouldn’t have considered pursuing a PhD if I had to pay for my doctoral studies.

In most cases, finding and entering a doctoral program with full funding is easier than winning a competitive external fellowship or scholarship, like the Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship. Not only are these external fellowships more competitive, but often they only fund the 3rd, 4th and 5th year of your PhD studies, when you are completing your dissertation research. Therefore, when considering a doctorate, research all the potential PhD programs in your academic field, including small and lesser-known schools both in the U.S. and abroad, and ask the admissions office if they fully fund every admitted student. This may have a major impact on the schools you consider applying to.

Just a small sample of PhD programs that are fully funded:

All PhD students at Columbia University get full funding. Columbia has particularly strong programs in medicine and sciences, as well as public administration and policy.

Boston College’s Department of Psychology offers a four- to five-year, full-time, fully-funded, research-oriented doctoral program.

Students admitted Duke University’s PhD program in Military History receive multi-year funding packages from the graduate school, including tuition waivers, a stipend, and a teaching assistantship or gradership.

The Joint Program in Social Work and Social Science at the University of Michigan gives all incoming doctoral students a multi-year funding package. This is a package of fellowship awards, graduate student research assistant positions, and graduate student instructorships that covers tuition, stipends, and health care.

One thing to keep in mind is that a PhD stipend may be substantially less than what you are earning in the private sector. Yearly stipends normally range from $18,000 – $30,000. Small cities and towns have lower costs of living, so another major factor in your consideration should be location.

Below are links to my ongoing series of articles on fully funded PhD programs (these articles are regularly updated).

Would you like to receive the full list of more than 1,000+ fully funded PhD and master’s programs? Get your copy of ProFellow’s FREE Directory of Fully Funded Graduate Programs and Full Funding Awards!

Here’s our complete list of fully funded PhD programs by discipline:

Other lists:

Fully Funded PhD Positions in Germany
Fully Funded PhD Programs in the United Kingdom

Fully funded master’s degrees and full funding awards:

For application tips and more information, see:

How to Find Fully Funded Graduate Programs in Any Discipline
What You Need to Know About Graduate School Fellowships and Scholarships
How to Get Into a Fully Funded PhD Program: Contacting Potential PhD Advisors
3 Tips for Applying to Fully Funded PhD Programs
Master’s or PhD? My Advice – Follow the Funding
5 Reasons Why You Should Not Pay for Graduate School Out of Pocket

With or without full funding, doctoral students are encouraged to apply for fellowships to fund their dissertation research. Sign up to check out our fellowships database to learn about other opportunities to fund graduate and doctoral study.

Dr. Vicki Johnson is Founder and CEO of ProFellow, the world’s leading online resource for professional and academic fellowships. She is a four-time fellow, top Ph.D. scholar, Fulbright recipient and an award-winning social entrepreneur. She is the Creator and Director of Fully Funded, an award-winning online course and mentorship program for graduate school applicants seeking to find and win full funding.

How to Fully Fund Your PhD

Here’s our complete list of fully funded PhD programs by discipline:

Other lists:

Fully funded master’s degrees and full funding awards:

For application tips and more information, see:

Career Paths

Articles

Resources

About

How to Fully Fund Your PhD

Here’s our complete list of fully funded PhD programs by discipline:

Other lists:

Fully funded master’s degrees and full funding awards:

For application tips and more information, see:

Related Articles

Questions to Ask a Potential PhD Advisor: Step 1 in Applying to Fully Funded PhD Programs

The Directory of Fully Funded Ph.D. and Master’s Programs and Full Funding Awards

How to Fully Fund Your PhD