Funding Assistance

PEACE CORP & AMERICORP ALUMNI

RPCVs and AmeriCorps alumni bring an exciting mix of practical experience to our graduate programs. If you are looking to bridge your practical experience with theory, IDCE could be the right place for you. Applicants must provide some form of verification of service at the time of the application in order to waive the application fee. IDCE offers tuition remission opportunities for RPCVs and AmeriCorps alumni. This past year, IDCE awarded:

• a 100% full tuition remission Fellowship for a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer
• a 100% full tuition remission Fellowship for an AmeriCorp alum

We additionally awarded partial tuition fellowships (valued between 35-75%) for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and AmeriCorp alumni.

IDCE FELLOWS

IDCE Fellows are an important circle of scholars within the IDCE community. Fellows are outstanding in their search for thoughtful, realistic, and innovative approaches to international development, advancing social change, building community, and promoting environmental sustainability. In light of your past achievements, present interests, and future goals, IDCE invites you to be part of this important group for Fall 2008.

IDCE fellows play a critical role in bridging all four IDCE graduate programs: (1) International Development and Social Change, (2) Community Development and Planning, (3) Geographic Information Sciences for Development and Environment, and (4) Environmental Science and Policy. As part of their responsibilities, IDCE Fellows agree to:

• mentor IDCE undergraduate and graduate students at Clark with advice on research, internships, and other academic pursuits,

• coordinate a series of speakers or film presentations to address issues pertinent to IDCE students,

• and facilitate IDCE-wide community engagement in other creative ways.

COMPTON FELLOWSHIPS

Two IDCE students were awarded Environment and Sustainable Development Fellowships from the Compton Foundation. The award enables each student to carry out a research project on a theme related to integrating environmental management and sustainable development. There are four available fellowships for the incoming class (valued at $10,000 each). The primary goals of the Compton Graduate Fellowship Program are to increase and enhance professional capacity in developing countries in the fields of peace and security, population and reproductive health, and environment and sustainability; and to promote research-based linkages between these three fields. IDCE uses the Compton Fellowships to support early to mid-career professionals from sub-Saharan Africa, Mexico, and Central America. In order to accomplish these goals, the Foundation supports nine graduate programs, including IDCE, which have achieved excellence, offer an interdisciplinary curriculum, and have a record of attracting students committed to returning to their home regions to conduct their research and pursue their careers. For more information, visit our Compton ESD page.

IDCE Fellowships

I. IDCE Fellowships
IDCE offers some full and several partial merit-based tuition fellowships. IDCE Fellowship recipients have demonstrated leadership in their work experience and have excellent academic qualifications. Merit-based IDCE Fellowships are awarded students irrespective of nationality.

Peace Corps/World Teach Alum Fellowships:  At least one full tuition-free competitive fellowship for Peace Corps/World Teach alums applying to IDCE graduate programs. There is no separate application for the fellowship. To be considered please check the appropriate box on the IDCE application form.

AmeriCorps/Teach for America Fellowships:  At least one full tuition-free competitive fellowship for recent AmeriCorps/Teach for America alums applying to IDCE graduate programs. There is no separate application for the fellowship. To be considered please check the appropriate box on the IDCE application form.

Merit-based IDCE Fellowships: These generally range between 75 percent to 100 percent of tuition and are awarded to outstanding applicants.

Harry and Elizabeth Schwarz Award: The Harry and Elizabeth Schwarz Award is awarded alternately to a second-year IDSC international student who has demonstrated promise in implementing sustainable solutions to problems of development and to a U.S. national in the ES&P Program who has demonstrated potential for improving domestic environment.

Teaching and Research Assistantships (TA/RA positions)
There are a limited number of teaching and research assistantships available each semester. These are announced to current students via email during the first week of classes each semester. Positions are applied for by emailing a resume and cover letter detailing the applicant's relevant experience to the IDCE Office. It is not possible to apply in advance for any TA or RA position. Hours of work required and salary offered are determined by the University.

External Fellowships and Grants

Fellowships and Scholarships for related course of study for US citizens and permanent residents

Scholarship Information for U.S. Students

Scholarships and Resources for GIS Students
USDA NASS Graduate Scholarship Program: Several scholarships are being sponsored by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). This program is designed to recruit Asian Pacific Americans to work for the USDA after completion of graduate course work in particular disciplines, and will be administered under the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP). Geographic Information Systems/Remote Sensing is an eligible field of study.

American Association of University Women: Educational Foundation Fellowships and Grants
AmeriCorps
Beinecke Scholarship Program
EPA Minority Academic Institutions (MAI) Fellowships for Graduate Environmental Study, U.S. Environmental Protection   Agency, Office of Research and Development
Japan Inter-American Development Bank Scholarship Program
The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans
The Gates Millennium Scholars
UNESCO
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate Graduate Fellowships for Beginning and First-Year Graduate Students

Fellowships and Scholarships for related course of study for international students

Scholarship Information for International Students

US Network for Education Information

Advanced Training for Leadership and Skills (ATLAS)
Aga Khan Foundation
AMIDEAST Foundation
American Association of University Women: International Fellowships
Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program
Fulbright
International Research & Exchange Board
Leo S. Rowe Pan American Fund
Namibian Government Scholarship & Training Program (NGST)
Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships
PEO Sisterhood
Soros Supplementary Grants Program
The E8 Scholarship Program
The Inter-American Bank Scholarships
The Ford Foundation
UNESCO

Apply early! For international students, there are more funding opportunities if you apply when you are working or living in your home country.

Fellowships/Scholarships Online Databases

Wired Scholar.com
College Board.com
Collegenet.com
Community of Science, Inc.
Edu Pass
FastWeb Scholarship Search
FastAid.com
Fellowships at Gradschool.com
Financial Aid for Foreign Nationals studying in the United States
International Financial Aid and College Scholarship Search
Kachinatech
Princeton Review
Scholarship Resources Network

Loans

Clark University's Office of Financial Assistance provides need-based assistance in the form of student loans for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Clark requests that applicants complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the renewal FAFSA, as well as the Clark Application for Financial Aid. The application is available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov and at Clark Office of Financial Assistance Clark University does not offer Clark financial assistance to international students. 

At Clark, we believe that selecting a lender is all about choice. However, many of our families ask us for guidance about the types of financing options available and suggestions for which lenders to consider when selecting a lender. Each year Clark University follows a formal review process which involves requesting information from lenders on a variety of criteria, such as lender stability, interest rates, borrower benefits, and customer service. Based on lender responses, we determine which lenders will offer competitive interest rates, favorable borrower benefits, and have the ability to provide our families with excellent customer service. In order to monitor these criteria, along with lender stability, we continue to assess lender performance throughout the year and encourage our families to provide us with feedback regarding their experiences with any lender.

For the 2008-2009 year, Clark University has been assured by the following lenders of their continued participation in the Federal Family Education Loan Programs (Stafford and PLUS), private educational loan programs, and offerings of competitive interest rates and borrower benefits for our student and parent borrowers:

Chase Education Finance

Citizens Bank

Wachovia

By selecting the Suggested Lenders link below, you will be able to view some basic information on the financing options offered by each of these lenders. We suggest that you contact these lenders, or any others that you wish to research, to learn more about the options they offer and the benefits associated with each program to determine which best fits your own objectives. Once again, we remind you that selecting a lender is your choice. The Office of Financial Assistance at Clark University will process a loan application from any lender and will continue to be of assistance to you no matter which lender you select. American Student Assistance (ASA) is the Loan Guaranty Agency with which Clark University works. Therefore, if students and parents have another preference for a Guaranty Agency you will need to notify the office regarding your preference.

2008-2009 Suggested Lender Contact Information

Questions you may wish to ask as you do your research:

• What, if any, up front benefits do you offer for your student, parent, and private educational loan programs?
• Are there fees associated with any of your loan programs? If so, what are they?
• Are there any interest rate deductions offered to the borrower once repayment begins?
• What are the requirements to obtain these benefits? Once obtained, can these benefits be lost? Can they be regained?
• What is your definition of a late payment?
• What is the interest rate on your Private Educational Loan program? If not a fixed rate, is there a cap on the rate?
• Is there a co-signer requirement for you Private Educational Loan program?
• Who is the servicer for your loan programs?
• Do you sell any of your loans?
• How do I apply?

You may wish to read the following warnings about scam loans: www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/scholarship/index.html and www.finaid.org/scholarships/scams.phtml.

Graduate Tuition and Other Fees

Tuition Costs for Academic Year 2007-2008

Cost varies each year. For Fall 2007, tuition fee per course is $4,075. Tuition costs are likely to increase by 5% every year as determined by the Graduate School.

Other Fees

Graduation Fee: $100

Payable at the time the thesis or dissertation is submitted to IDCE. Extra bound copies of theses and dissertations are $9.

Nonresident Fee: $400

Payable Aug. 1 and Dec. 1: $200 per semester. All degree candidates who are not formally enrolled in coursework must pay the nonresident fee each semester until the final copy of the thesis or dissertation is approved. If these fees are not paid by the close of the fiscal year, the student will be dropped from the program. (Fees double after three years.)

Helpful Hints for Funding

If you're even considering graduate school, start looking for funding now! The most important advice IDCE can provide is that students, especially international students, should be searching and applying for funding at the same time they are researching and applying to graduate programs. Often by the time acceptance letters are sent (by Clark or any other academic institution), application deadlines for grant and other funding programs have passed. Apply to as many sources of funding for which you are qualified.

More than 80 percent of IDCE students do receive some form of need-based partial financial aid toward tuition. Tuition fellowships do not cover living expenses, which amounts approximately $1,000 a month. Students receiving tuition fellowships need to identify additional sources of funds to cover their living expenses.

International applicants are encouraged to inquire about financial support from NGOs and government funding agencies.

Students at IDCE fund their education using a combination of sources including grants, fellowships and loans. IDCE provides merit-based support through tuition fellowships and Research and Teaching Assistantships. Students have also received external grants through agencies including Fulbright, Association of American University Women, E7 and the Ford Foundation. A complementary source has been subsidized education loans.

Disclaimer: This website contains references and links to other Internet sites. Please note that IDCE and Clark University are not associated with these websites and does not endorse or vouch for the accuracy of any of the information contained in such websites.