Tuition & Financial Aid - University of Pittsburgh

Tuition and fees are set by the University and the official postings should be consulted for current information.

Financial Aid

The School of Public Health cannot guarantee funding to every student. However, almost all Pitt Public Health doctoral students and many master’s students receive some type of financial aid, whether in the form of full or partial scholarships, fellowships, student assistantships, student employment, or student loans.

Students who receive aid generally receive it through their department, and the amount of aid available varies among the programs. Departments may award graduate student research assistantships to international students.

In general, international students are not eligible for student loans, federal traineeships, or fellowships. International students may be eligible for selected scholarships or assistantships. (A significant number of our international doctoral students are supported by assistantships.)

Important: At the time of admission, international applicants who have not been offered financial aid are required to submit an affidavit, indicating that they have sufficient funds to cover their tuition and living expenses for the duration of the program. Visa documents are issued on the basis of these affidavits, and the expectation of self-support continues throughout the period of enrollment.

International students should always consult with the Office of International Services before applying for student employment.

Contacts for Financial Aid

Contact your Pitt Public Health Department Student Services Staff or academic advisor first with questions about student assistantships, scholarships, and hourly employment.

Contact your Pitt Public Health Department Student Services Staff or academic advisor.

Key Deadlines

Student loan applications are processed for Pitt Public Health students by the University’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid (OAFA; 412-624-7488). See complete instructions for applying for a student loan on the University’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid page.

Students are encouraged to submit loan application documents as soon as possible before the start of the term for which a loan is requested.

Types of Aid

Generally, applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Contact Office of Admissions and Financial Aid for information on loan options, availability, and to apply.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required for all students who wish to be considered for loans or Pitt Public Health aid. The University of Pittsburgh federal school code is 008815.

Institutions participating in Title IV Federal Student Aid programs must monitor satisfactory academic progress of students receiving any federal loans or other aid (e.g. scholarships).

To demonstrate satisfactory progress, students must maintain a 2.0 GPA and complete at least 67 percent of the total credits attempted at any point and must complete the degree with no more than 150 percent of the required credits. If progress is not met, students may be ineligible to receive loans or other aid. Students may appeal, in which case they will have one term to achieve the SAP standards. See Mike Dolinger in the Office of Student Affairs, 1100 Public Health, to submit an appeal of determination of no progress.

If you receive federal aid, you should read the entire SAP policy. In particular, FTDR registration is counted as 9 credits for the purposes of this law; retaking courses and receiving course grades of W, I, G, F, N (audit) and R all count towards the stated totals. Advanced standing credits also count toward the total number of credits taken. Also, carrying a large number of I, G, W, R, and F graded credits may potentially violate the 67 percent completion rule. Contact your instructor(s) about filing real grades on a term-by-term basis, where appropriate.

Grants and Scholarships

The University recalculates a student’s loan eligibility whenever additional financial aid appears in the student financial system. New aid may result in a reduction or total cancellation of loan eligibility, including an obligation to immediately repay all or part of a loan already disbursed. If you receive a scholarship, you may want to schedule a meeting with a loan counselor in the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid and ask for a recalculation of your loan eligibility.

University Aid

The University offers several scholarships throughout the year that are suitable for graduate students. These scholarships will be announced to departments and students will be invited to apply.

Pitt Alumni Association Graduate Scholarship
A one-time $5,000 scholarship awarded to graduate students who also completed their undergraduate degree at Pitt.

The George L. Carson Graduate Fellowship for Pitt Alumni
Awarded to a graduate student who was affiliated with a Pitt athletics program as an undergraduate. Applications will be available in February and are typically due May 1. Contact the Student Life and Compliance Office in the Athletics Department with questions.

Owens Fellowship
A needs-based fellowship (approximately $6,000 per year) that can be used for tuition, books, and living expenses. Copies of GRE scores or other standardized test scores may be required. Applications are available in early May. Login to my.pitt.edu and go to the PittFund$Me link, for applications and information.

Provost’s Dissertation Year Fellowship for Historically Underrepresented Doctoral Students
A needs- and merit-based grant for doctoral students intended to provide financial support and professional development for students who are considered Underrepresented Racial Minority (URM) in their field and whose racial/ethnic background contributes to the diversity of their program and field. Applicants must also be in the final year of their doctoral program, having completed all required coursework and working on their dissertation. Contact VPGodley@pitt.edu for more information.

K. Leroy Irvis Fellowships
Graduate schools receive one award each year to provide first-year support of an outstanding, full-time doctoral student who supports the University’s and school’s diversity mission. The Irvis Fellowship provides a stipend, tuition remission, and health insurance for the first year; the academic department provides the same level of support for years two and three. Nominations are made by departments.

Pitt Public Health Aid

Dean’s Endowed Doctoral Scholarship
For AY2024-25, two awards per department will be provided to doctoral students for professional or conference-related travel. Students are selected by their departments based on diversity, need, merit, and service.

Dr. Edgar and Lauraine Duncan Scholarship
For AY2024-25, one award per department will be provided to master’s students for professional or conference-related travel. Students are selected by their departments based on diversity, need, and merit.

Pitt Public Health Futures and Department Achievement Awards
Master’s applicants are considered for partial tuition awards during the admission review process and are notified of scholarships at the time of acceptance. Awards are based on full-time enrollment as a Pitt Public Health master’s degree student. Some exclusions apply. Please refer to note below.

AmeriCorps Awards
Pitt Public Health recognizes participation in the AmeriCorps. U.S. students who successfully complete at least one year of service with the AmeriCorps, and indicate this service in their SOPHAS application, are automatically considered for an increased Pitt Public Health Futures Award, pending confirmation of service.

Note: Genetic Counseling MS and MS/MPH and Multidisciplinary MPH applicants, as well as joint degree and accelerated applicants, are excluded from Pitt Public Health Futures, AmeriCorps, and Department Achievement Awards. In addition, students using Pitt educational benefits (e.g., full-time Pitt employees, their spouses, or their dependents) and students on athletic scholarships are not eligible for these awards.

Coverdell Fellows Program

The School of Public Health and the Center for Global Health are proud to announce a partnership with the Peace Corps Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program, which provides qualified Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) financial support towards a Master of Public Health (MPH) or Master of Science (MS) degree as well as experience working with local under-served communities. Coverdell Fellows receive a 40 percent tuition + fees scholarship for up to four academic terms of study.

Departmental Awards

Behavioral and Community Health Sciences

Carol McAllister Award
Based on need and merit, awards can be used for books, fees, stipends, or travel expenses.

Karen S. Peterson Memorial Research Award for Women’s Health
Assist with research or practice leading to improvement in women’s health.

Joseph and Brigida Ricci Scholarship
Needs-based support for an outstanding student.

Myrna Silverman Scholarship
Needs-based support for an outstanding doctoral student.

BCHS Research Support Fund
These funds are available for BCHS master’s and doctoral students to assist with the costs of conducting research toward the MPH, DrPH, or PhD degrees. MPH students must have formed their committees and obtained IRB approval in order to be eligible. Doctoral students must have passed their Overview and have IRB approval in order to be eligible.

Biostatistics

Harvey Co Chien Endowed Scholarship Fund
Needs-based tuition awarded to outstanding accepted full-time MS applicants.

Biostatistics School of Public Health Scholarship
Tuition support awarded to a School of Public Health Biostatistics student or students.

Biostatistics Department Achievement Award
Tuition support awarded to outstanding accepted full-time Biostatistics MS applicants.

Department of Biostatistics Endowment Fund
Resource support including travel and registration for academic and professional conferences.

Epidemiology

Arlene W. Caggiula Student Award in Nutrition
Tuition funds for continuing master’s and doctoral program Epidemiology students focusing in the area of nutritional epidemiology, a nutrition-related component of chronic disease, a nutrition-related component of aging, or the evaluation of the epidemiology of a nutrition-related disorder.

Katherine Detre Scholarship
Tuition awards for promising accepted doctoral applicants or continuing doctoral students who demonstrate high levels of scholarship and commitment to public health. Established to supplement graduate student support in the Epidemiology Data Center (EDC). Student applications are not solicited, since an EDC faculty committee selects the award recipient.

Lewis H. Kuller Scholarship Award
Tuition support for eligible accepted PhD applicants, new PhD students, or continuing, active PhD students based upon merit or need. Student applications are not solicited, since recipients are selected by a faculty committee. Funds are awarded through a Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) appointment providing a monthly stipend, 100% tuition coverage, and health insurance coverage.

Evelyn H. Wei Memorial Fund
Financial assistance for Epidemiology students in good academic standing seeking travel funding to attend approved scientific meetings or events. Primary consideration is given to students planning travel to the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA), although other travel requests will be considered. Travel expenses may include on-site or virtual event registration fees or poster preparation expenses.

Evelyn H. Wei Scholarship Award in Epidemiology
Tuition assistance for Epidemiology students studying at any level in the Department of Epidemiology. Continuing, active master’s and doctoral program students in good academic standing are eligible. Scholarships are based on potential contribution to public health, with emphasis on scholarship, leadership, and service.

Health Policy and Management

The Dawn Gideon Scholarship for MHA Students
Scholarship assistance for an MHA student whose talents lean towards creative problem solving and an understanding of the value all individuals being to the process.

Nathan Hershey Endowment in Health Administration
An annual award to a full-time student enrolled in the MHA program. Secondary criteria shall include need.

HPM Friends and Alumni Scholarship Fund
Tuition support to students within the Department of Health Policy and Management.

Hunter Group Health Policy and Management Student Scholarship Award
This endowed fund provides tuition assistance for students in the Department of Health Policy and Management.

Thomas and Judy Priselac Endowed Fund for Healthcare Leadership
Provides support for MHA students participating in selected professional and leadership development activities nationally, including professional association conferences, academic team competitions, professional networking, and other health management career path opportunities.

Surma Scholarship for Long-Term Healthcare Administration in Policy and Aging
This endowed fund provides support to Pitt Public Health students who are Pennsylvania residents and have demonstrated interest in long-term healthcare administration or policies.

Human Genetics

George Qi Wang Memorial Student Assistance Fund in Pharmacogenetics
Tuition support for students pursuing research studies in pharmacogenetics; open to students in any of the Schools of the Health Sciences or Arts and Sciences.

Robert Ferrell Student Resource Fund
Provides support for books, lab fees, travel or other educational expenses for students in the Department of Human Genetics at Pitt Public Health. Shall be administered by the Chair of the Department of Human Genetics.

C. C. & Clara Li Endowed Scholarship
The endowment is used to support tuition, travel, or other educational expenses for Human Genetic students studying at any level. It may also be used to help promising current students attend a scientific meeting to present their research. The award is offered to an incoming student.

Infectious Diseases and Microbiology

Other Financial Support - Resources for Research and Professional Development

William T. Green Jr. Award in Public Health Studies - Awarded in Fall and Spring Terms
A $750 award to support research and special projects for currently enrolled Pitt Public Health students. Funds can be used for direct research costs, books, travel, or professional memberships. Applications will be available at pitt.scholarshipuniverse.com several weeks before the fall deadline of early December and spring deadline of early April.

Health Justice Scholars
The Health Justice Scholars Program supports the development of Pitt Public Health scholars who have interests and/or projects in health equity and justice. Each scholar will receive a maximum stipend of $1000 for the year with an average time commitment of 2-4 hours per week. Applications are typically due in mid-September.

Travel Awards for Conferences and International Study

Pitt Public Health Support

University Support

Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS)

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education with the intent of promoting the study of a modern, European foreign language within a cultural, scientific, or historical framework. Fellowships are awarded annually for summer and academic year study. Submit an application to Pitt Public Health, and we will then select nominees and forward them to the University Center for International Studies.

Graduate and Professional Student Government

Grant support for travel to academic and professional conferences. Applicants are eligible for one grant per fiscal year (July 1- June 30), and funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

Nationality Rooms Scholarships

These scholarships reflect decades of work honoring education through cultural exchange. After the Nationality Rooms were built in Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning, committees stayed together to raise funds enabling eligible Pitt students to study abroad, thereby experiencing another culture in depth. There are several different awards available.

University Center for International Study Scholarships

The Pitt Study Abroad Office offers a central listing of the range of scholarship possibilities available to help defray the cost of a study abroad program. Scholarships are managed by academic departments and schools such as the Center for Global Health or the College of General Studies.

Women’s Studies Student Research Fund

Awards of up to $1,000 to support travel expenses, secretarial costs, research materials, or other direct costs for research related to the study of women, gender, and/or sexuality.

EXTERNAL SUPPORT

The following external sources also provide travel support for conferences and international study:

Fulbright Fellowship Program

Grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistantships. During their program, Fulbrighters will meet, work, live with, and learn from the people of a host country, sharing daily experiences.

Fulbright Hays

George Mitchell Scholarship

National scholarship for students interested in pursuing one year of graduate work in an institution of higher education in Ireland or Northern Ireland.

International Education Financial Aid

Information on financial aid for U.S. and international students wishing to study abroad.

External Funding Opportunities

Student Assistantships

Graduate student assistants, graduate student researchers, teaching assistants, and teaching fellows are students who receive support in return for specified duties while gaining teaching, teaching-related, or research experience under the guidance of a faculty mentor.

Whenever available, assistantships and traineeships are awarded by the departments. There are no assistantships available through the Office of Student Affairs or the Dean’s Office. Students may receive an assistantship from any department in the University, but there is no central listing of assistantships available.

Traineeships

A traineeship is money from a training grant allocated to students to support advanced study in a specified field. A traineeship may provide full or partial tuition and/or living expenses. Usually, there is no service requirement. Several departments have traineeships available for students in particular concentrations.

Assistantships

An assistantship provides a full or partial tuition scholarship, a stipend, and individual health insurance coverage in exchange for performance of specified duties, usually in support of a faculty member’s research project. Assistantship appointments can be full or part-time. Each department may award a limited number of student assistantships, usually to doctoral students. Students may also be awarded an assistantship by another University department. There is no central listing of University assistantships.

Teaching Assistants

A teaching assistant (TA) is a student who holds a teaching or teaching-related appointment made within the University regulations pertaining to teaching assistants. No teaching assistant shall be employed to teach post baccalaureate courses.

Teaching Fellows

A teaching fellow (TF) is the same as a teaching assistant except that the teaching fellow is more educationally advanced or experienced, typically holding the equivalent of a master’s degree. TFs should not be assigned to teach graduate courses. Exceptions may be made only in rare cases where in the individual shows clear evidence of outstanding skills in specialized areas and when the individual is directly supervised by faculty.

Eligibility

Students must be appointed through Pitt Public Health and must be enrolled at Pitt Public Health.

Effort

Full-time GSRs are expected to devote twenty hours per week to the research project they are assisting. GSRs may be required to devote more hours if the research pertains to their thesis or dissertation. Time expenditure of part-time GSRs is proportional to this standard of twenty hours (i.e. half-time GSRs must devote ten hours per week to their research project, and more if the research pertains to their thesis).

TAs and GSAs have the same obligation of twenty hours a week. However, their assignments will differ from a GSR and will not likely relate directly to their research interests.

Appointments

GSR, GSA, and TA appointments may be made annually for one to no more than three terms at a time (one academic year). Renewals are subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funding.

Evaluation

At least once each year, the faculty supervisor must provide a written evaluation of a GSR/TA/GSA’s performance to the student and to the department. A suggested evaluation form is available from the department administrator, who should request the evaluation in the spring term. A copy of the completed evaluation should be provided to the department administrator.

Stipend

The monthly stipend amount is set by the department within a range established by the University. Monthly stipend payments for part-time GSR positions will be proportional to this standard. The University does not set a different stipend level for TA and GSA positions. Learn more about stipends.

Tuition Scholarships

Full-time GSR/GSA/TAs are eligible to receive full tuition scholarships to cover up to and including 15 credits per term. Part-time positions are eligible for partial tuition scholarships in accord with their appointments, i.e., a half appointment receives a scholarship for six credits and a quarter appointment covers three credits per term.

Health Insurance

GSRs, GSAs, and TAs are provided individual coverage under the UPMC Health Plan for graduate students. Family coverage is available at an additional cost to the student.

Student Employment

General Requirements/Eligibility

In order to be employed throughout the academic year, student employees must have proof of enrollment for at least three (3) credits in an on-going course of study/program at the University of Pittsburgh, such as a validated invoice or term certification. There is no credit requirement during the summer term, provided the student met the enrollment qualification in the spring term.

A student position cannot be changed automatically to a staff position and students cannot be moved automatically into a vacant regular staff position.

Students are covered by Worker’s Compensation and liability insurance but are not eligible to participate in the other fringe benefits established for faculty and staff, including unemployment compensation.

Incoming Students

Incoming freshmen/transfer/graduate students who have proof of registration for the upcoming fall term may be hired for employment during the summer term prior to the beginning of the academic year/fall term.

Certificate Programs

Individuals who are enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh in all certificate programs do not qualify for student employment.

Paid Position Limitations

To be eligible for student employment at the University, students cannot hold both a student worker role and any other assignment in another employment category, such as a certificate trainee position or All-Temps assignment.

Graduate Students Registered for Dissertation/Thesis Credits

During the academic year, graduate students primarily registered for dissertation/thesis credits are not eligible for student employment positions outside of their academic department. Dissertation/thesis students are not enrolled in and do not attend actual courses, and preference must be given to students taking at least three (3) credits of actual coursework. Graduate students holding assistantships throughout the academic year may be paid as student employees by their department during the summer term. Individuals not meeting the above mentioned requirement may still work through the University, but will be paid as temporary workers through All-Temps or through Faculty Records.

Non-Pitt Students

Student employment exists to provide University of Pittsburgh students employment opportunities while attending school. As a result, non-Pitt students are ineligible for student employment at Pitt. Applicants that do not qualify for student employment may still be hired as temporary workers through All-Temps.

Students who drop out of school at the University of Pittsburgh are not eligible for student employment and must be terminated immediately. Students may also have work privileges suspended by the University’s Student Conduct office, if actions warrant.

Student employment is not able to offer assistance to children of faculty or staff who are not registered students at the University of Pittsburgh

Students who attend the University through the academic year (fall and/or spring terms) as special students (take courses at the University of Pittsburgh but have them transferred back to their own college/university) are eligible for student employment. Students who attend another college/university through the academic year and take courses at the University of Pittsburgh during the summer term only are not eligible for student employment.

Permitted Number of Working Hours

Regular Academic Year (Fall and Spring Terms)

Eligible students may work no more than 20 hours per week during the active academic year (fall and spring terms). Student Employment tracks hours worked to ensure compliance.

Summer Term, Winter Recess, Spring Recess

Students may work 40 hours per week during the summer term, and during winter and spring recess, as well as during summer break. Student Employment tracks hours worked to ensure compliance.

Permitted Hours with Multiple University Jobs

Generally, student workers are permitted to have more than one (1) job within the University at the same time granted that all jobs fall under the Student Employment category. This includes work-study positions, insofar as the student has sufficient work-study funds. Students with multiple assignments must still comply with the cumulative 20 hours per week limit during the academic year and 40 hours per week during recess and summer term. It is the student’s responsibility to coordinate their schedules with all supervisors so as to not exceed the hour limit, and failure to do so could result in reduction to one assignment.