Many departments and committees within the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences place restrictions on the extent of financial assistance they will provide. Some departments and committees offer funding for a set number of years in the program, while others offer financial assistance until a particular tuition requirement has been met. Ordinarily, students are eligible to apply for at least tuition support for four years. However, financial aid varies by student and by department. Students should always refer to their original and subsequent Notices of Financial Support.

Departmental funding restrictions do not affect a student’s ability to apply for Title IV funding (Federal Perkins Loans, Ford Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, GradPLUS Loans, and Federal Work-Study) or HELP loan funding.

Departments have established limits beyond which applications for assistance will not be considered. Unless specified otherwise in the original or subsequent Notice of Financial Support, the following represent departmental funding limits. Please note financial aid accepted upon entrance takes precedence. All applicants for departmental financial aid must meet eligibility requirements; please see departmental requirements for satisfactory progress.

Students who have been traveling scholars or on leave of absence should contact their financial aid officer to determine if they may still apply for financial aid past the time limitation. 

The following departments provide funding through reduced tuition, plus final year tuition, beginning with PhD candidates entering in 1999-2000:

The following departments provide funding through the reduced tuition requirement:
Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning
Health Policy
Political Economy and Government
Public Policy

The following departments provide funding subject to annual review of academic progress:
Biology, Molecular and Cellular
Biostatistics
Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Mathematics (program completion expected in four years)
Physics

The following departments provide funding through the sixth year:
Astronomy
Biology, Medical Sciences (subject to annual review of academic progress)
Biology, Organismic and Evolutionary
Biological Sciences in Dental Medicine
Biological Sciences in Public Health (subject to annual review of academic progress)
Biophysics

The following departments provide funding through the fifth year:
Business Economics
Engineering and Applied Sciences
Science, Technology and Management
Organizational Behavior

The following departments may provide funding through the fourth year:
Earth and Planetary Sciences (funding for fifth year and beyond, if necessary, considered on case-by-case basis)
Statistics (funding for fifth year and beyond, if necessary, considered on case-by-case basis)

The following departments may provide funding through the second year:
Regional Studies — East Asia
Regional Studies — Russia, East Europe, Central Asia