Fellowship FAQs

All applicants to Columbia's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are considered for university fellowship at the time of application for admission, provided the application is complete by the stated deadline. All continuing GSAS students must apply for renewal of their fellowship, or for fellowship consideration if they did not receive an award the prior year. Each individual department has procedures and deadlines for fellowship consideration. Contact your department in February for information concerning fellowship consideration.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers a wide variety of fellowships to students based on merit. These awards are made on both an annual and multi-year basis. Fellowships to Masters students most often include tuition support only.  Fellowships to doctoral students provide payment of tuition, health, and other fees, in addition to a stipend for living expenses. In the course of the doctoral program, support can also take the form of a teaching or research appointment which provides for tuition, health and other fees, and a salary. All fellowship decisions for applicants and continuing students are made by the departments. All fellows must apply annually for renewal of fellowships through the departments.

All doctoral students who are in their guaranteed funding years are automatically considered for teaching or research appointments. There is no separate application for these appointments. These awards are considered part of your university fellowship.  Doctoral students who are beyond their guaranteed funding years may find information regarding other teaching opportunities here.

Each fellow is required to submit evidence of at least one effort to obtain funding from an agency external to the university. Generally, applications to external foundations are due early in the fall semester for funding the next academic year. For more information, see the External Fellowships page.

The Office of Financial Aid will calculate the portion of your award that you will receive during the academic year (September through May) and base the top-off on that amount. You will also receive your customary GSAS summer stipend. For questions, contact the Office of Financial Aid at [email protected] or (212) 854-3808.

Students appointed to student officer of instruction or student officer of research positions receive their funds as semi-monthly payroll on the fifteenth and last day of the month.  Students who are not appointed and are receiving stipend support only will receive their funds as lump sum disbursements at the beginning of each semester.  GSAS strongly encourages all students to receive their funds via direct deposit.  Instructions for how to enroll in direct deposit are available here.

Certain amounts from scholarship/fellowship payments may not be taxable income to the student if it is used directly for "qualified expenses." Qualified expenses are defined by the IRS and include tuition and required fees (that were not covered by other aid and grants), and/or expenses for books, supplies, and equipment required of all students in the course.  Stipends and salaries, however, are subject to taxation and withholding.  For more information, please see the GSAS Tax Information for Students page.