Funding Opportunities

As a new or prospective graduate student, you might be wondering how to finance your SJSU education. Explore the variety of options available to graduate students for financing a graduate education at SJSU.

• Financial Aid: Grants and Loans

  • Financial aid is typically based on a student's financial need and is administered by our Financial Aid and Scholarship Office (FASO). You'll need to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application.

    Loans

    Educational Loans – administered by Financial Aid and Scholarships Office
    Emergency Loans – administered by the Bursar’s Office

    Grants

    State University Grant (SUG) – must have EFC ≤ $5000
    Educational Leadership Grant – Ed.D. students who are California residents only

• University Employment

  • University employment is typically based on qualifications to due the work and availability of funding. View job postings for SJSU students on Handshake.

    Here are some examples of job opportunities for graduate students:

    Teaching Associate (TA) positions

    Selected by departments based on their teaching need.
    Includes tuition remission (must submit form through UP).

    Instructional Student Assistant (ISA) positions

    Selected by departments based on their teaching need.

    Research Associate (RA) positions

    Selected by faculty based on extramural research funding.

    Work Study

    Administered by Financial Aid and Scholarships Office, regardless of whether the student is a citizen, permanent resident, or DACA recipient.

    Writing Tutor positions

    Contact the SJSU Writing Center to learn how to apply.

• Research Funding Opportunities

  • Check out research funding opportunities for SJSU graduate students.

CSU and SJSU Funding Opportunities

• Bertha Kalm Scholarship

  • The Bertha Kalm Scholarship will be awarded to students who have been nominated by their departments during their Spring semester of their first year of graduate school. This award is paid out at the beginning of the Fall semester of the following academic year.

• CSU Chancellor's Doctoral Incentive Program (CDIP)

  • The CSU Chancellor's Doctoral Incentive Program (CDIP) is designed to increase the pool of faculty candidates with the qualifications, motivation, and skill to teach the diverse student body in the CSU. The CDIP will lend participants who are full-time doctoral students up to $10,000 annually to a limit of $30,000 over a five-year period.

• CSU System-Wide Scholarships

  • A complete listing of California State University system-wide scholarships.

• California Pre-Doctoral Scholarship (Sally Casanova)

  • The California Pre-Doctoral Scholarship (a.k.a. Sally Casanova) scholarship program is designed for upper division or master's degree students with doctoral aspirations.

• Dr. Hector and Catalina Garcia Graduate Endowed Scholarship

  • The Dr. Hector and Catalina Garcia Graduate Endowed Scholarship will provide scholarships for graduate students with financial need and who have demonstrated commitment to the Hispanic community at large through community service, leadership, and activism.

• Global Spartan Scholarship

  • The inaugural Global Spartan Scholarship was created by ISSS in fall 2020 to recognize and provide financial support to our new and continuing, matriculated international students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Applicants for this scholarship must demonstrate academic excellence, leadership, commitment to globalization/international education and financial need.

• Graduate Equity Fellowship

  • The Graduate Equity Fellowship Program grants awards of $4,000 to graduate students enrolled at SJSU for the Fall/Spring academic year in which the call for applications is announced.

• Graduate Student Travel Awards

  • Any matriculated graduate student may apply for a Travel Award to collect data, present at a conference, or attend a conference. 

• Outstanding Thesis Award

  • Each college may nominate one thesis for the competition. The winner(s) (1 or 2) of the Outstanding Thesis Award will be recognized at the May Commencement ceremony for their college and receive a prize of $1000.

• SJSU HRI Aris Anagnos Graduate Student Scholarship for Human Rights Research

  • The SJSU HRI Aris Anagnos Graduate Student Scholarship is a scholarship of $3,000 for Human Rights Research each year.