Invest with confidence. Graduate education is an investment in your future. At Illinois, we understand this and prepare our students for the highest level of success.
Explore Funding Options
At Illinois, many graduate students fund their education through a combination of sources including grants, fellowships, scholarships, assistantships, tuition waivers and loans. Your expenses will depend on where you’re from, what you’re studying and your lifestyle. Use our cost calculators to estimate how much you’ll pay each year.
cost.illinois.edu
go.grad.illinois.edu/cu-living
Financial Aid
In order to receive financial aid, you need to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is available to everyone regardless of financial need.
Apply using our school code of 001775 at: fafsa.ed.gov
External Fellowships
Search the most extensive and current database of graduate-level funding opportunities in the country. Our Fellowship Finder database has 1,200+ funding opportunities.
grad.illinois.edu/fellowship-finder
Assistantships/Employment
Many graduate programs offer teaching, research, preprofessional or administrative assistantships to help defray the cost of a graduate degree.
Internal Fellowships
The Graduate College awards more than 3 million dollars annually in competitive fellowships, including travel and dissertation completion funding. We offer funding opportunities at all stages of your graduate career.
Contact the Director of Graduate Study in your program to ask about funding opportunities.
Are you considering furthering your education but unsure of how to navigate the financial side of graduate school? Whether you are furthering your educational journey or a mid-career professional exploring new opportunities, don’t let uncertainty about finances hold you back from pursuing your next step.
GradSense is a website designed to help you make an informed financial decision about graduate school by breaking down key decisions. Does grad school fit with your goals? What’s the cost and value? And what funding sources are available?
Developed by the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, DC, GradSense provides tools to help you assess the cost vs. value of a graduate degree, funding options and strategies, and managing your finances throughout school.