Scholarships FAQ

How are requests for scholarships submitted?

You may request all awards through the Financial Aid Budget Template. This is provided to each program by the Graduate School. The financial aid budget is a spreadsheet academic programs use to communicate all award information for all graduate students. This spreadsheet also indicates that the program grants the Graduate School permission to act on its behalf by posting merit awards in Banner, processing service stipend payments in GMS and processing non-service stipend paperwork, charging the cost centers listed in the spreadsheet. Programs are required to use the spreadsheet for any and all awards to graduate students. This includes scholarship-only awards, stipend-only awards, combination scholarship + stipend awards, award updates, and awards to non-traditional students participating in the program (e.g. exchange students). The financial aid budget is the official record of all requests from the program to the Graduate School and is utilized for audit purposes. Please refer to the Awarding Scholarships and Stipends section of the Financial  Support section of the GradAdmin website for more information.

External Departments that wish to offer graduate students merit-based aid may submit the general General Financial Aid Budget Template.

What are the costs and fees the Graduate School will not cover?

The Graduate School will not provide funding for courses retaken (e.g. after having failed the course previously), courses from which a student withdraws, courses not required for the student’s degree, mandatory student fees, non-mandatory student fees and summer courses. Students are held responsible for these items. If the program desires, it may offer to use its own financial resources to cover these items for the student. However, the program is not required or expected to do so. Graduate School funds may not be used.

What are the funding requirements for Ph.D. students?

Ph.D. students must be enrolled full-time for the duration of their award. Ph.D. students receiving full Graduate School stipend must be provided a full scholarship for the duration of their stipend award. Scholarship awards must be communicated to the Graduate School Office via the Financial Aid Budget Template. External Departments that wish to offer graduate students merit-based aid may submit the general General Financial Aid Budget Template.

What are the funding requirements for Master’s students?

Master’s students must be enrolled at the level specified by their program. In other words, the scholarship amount cannot be greater than the cost of tuition although it may be less if the student is only receiving a partial award. Scholarship awards must be communicated to the Graduate School Office via the Financial Aid Budget Template. External Departments that wish to offer graduate students merit-based aid may submit the General Financial Aid Budget Template.

May students take refunds on scholarships?

STUDENTS MAY NOT TAKE REFUNDS ON SCHOLARSHIPS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. Scholarships are awarded to cover the tuition costs on a student’s account and cannot be used as payment for services or any other type of award. SHOULD A STUDENT DROP A COURSE FOR WHICH S/HE IS RECEIVING A SCHOLARSHIP, CONTACT THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IMMEDIATELY AND REQUEST A SCHOLARSHIP REDUCTION USING THE FINANCIAL AID BUDGET.

May a scholarship be adjusted to cover the remaining balance for a course dropped late in the semester?

No. After the add/drop period, courses that are dropped will still be charged a portion of the tuition amount as a penalty. Students will be responsible for this remaining balance.

Are scholarship funds awarded directly to students?

Scholarship payments are distributed directly to the Office of Student Accounts. Students may go to GUExperience to view scholarships. If you or your student suspect there is an error in funding, please contact the Graduate School financial aid team at gradfinaid@georgetown.edu We strongly encourage you review your students’ accounts frequently throughout the semester and have your students view their own accounts as well.

How does one verify students’ payments?

The best way to verify scholarship payments is to run the Non-Payroll Journal Transactions report in GMS.

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