Given recent articles that have come out this month about the increase in student debt for those attending graduate school, we want to underscore one of the distinguishing features of our programs: We fully fund tuition and required fees for all of our students regardless of external aid and irrespective of where in the world one might be from or live. If you are accepted in to one of our programs, then you are eligible for financial support for tuition and required fees + a need-based living stipend.
New York Times, June 3, 2019 Biggest Offender in Outsize Debt: Graduate Schools, by Kevin Carey. The market for master’s degrees behaves in strange and erratic ways, new data reveals.
Inside Higher Ed, June 3, 2019 Six Figures in Debt for a Master’s Degree, by Andrew Kreighbaum.
In November 2018, in the lead up to our application deadline, we published the blog Funding your degree – Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
In it, we speak about our coverage of 100% of tuition and health fees for 100% of our students for the duration of the program at Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs, whether one, two or five years. Our financial support is not a loan, and it is not linked to a job or research. Our financial support is likewise available in equal measure to U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, international students, as well as undocumented and DACA students.
The School - and Princeton University, please see here, here, here or here - is committed to attracting and enrolling a vibrant and varied community of student scholars.
We believe this investment in our students today translates into - indeed necessitates that - our students invest in others tomorrow.
Because all students receive support - whether from the School or from outside agencies - we are a community that has been democratized. When you come to Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs, you need only to study and to engage in the scholarly pursuits that make sense for your professional development. Since students need not work, the community is tight-knit and able to take advantage of all on offer at the School and in Princeton.
Of course this means that we lean very heavily into our public service mission. Please see here. Or here.
And while our generous financial packages are not the only differentiating feature of our community, they do merit mention, certainly while there is an uptick in research around the upward trends in borrowing for graduate school.
This blog and indeed our messaging around our strong financial position is a tricky line to walk. We are aware that many more students will apply to our programs than we have spaces available. However, our strong financial support is a fact. And we want you to have as many facts as possible about our community and its strengths, and about the process of applying to graduate school.
We hope you will continue to check out our blog and should you feel this might be a good community for you, we hope you will apply. Take care.