FINANCIAL SUPPORT

LEUVEN

Applicants with low budgets are advised to request funding from appropriate donor agencies (national and international, governmental, non-governmental and private organizations). General information about possible sources of grants or scholarships from within the university itself and from other possible sources can be found on the following website: http://www.kuleuven.be/english/admission/postgradstud.htm.

To be fully informed, it is recommended to consult the UNESCO publication “Study abroad”. This is an international handbook of fellowships and education exchange, offering detailed information about organizations offering scholarships and loans. For most organizations the deadline for submission of grant application ranges between November 30 and January 31. In general the procedure for securing grant assistance takes about a year. Therefore, it is recommended to start the process for admission and grant application in good time.

The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven has a limited number of scholarships for qualified students. To apply, candidates should contact the Office for International Students and Scholars of K.U.Leuven (csb@dir.kuleuven.be) .  To be eligible for a grant, applicants must be from a developing country and not be older than 30 years of age.

Fellowships may also be available from international organizations (e.g. FAO, NATO, UNDP,  UNESCO, WHO, WMO) or from non-governmental agencies. Candidates from EC-countries can apply for a ‘sectoral grant’ from Division XII A-2 “Grants-action” of the Directorate General for Sciences Research and Development. Candidates from countries participating in the Convention of Rome (agreement with the European Community-EC) may apply for a grant of the European Development Fund. For information they should contact the EC-Delegation in their home country.

UNESCO fellowships are available only under the participation program and requests must be submitted through the National Commission for UNESCO in the home country and not by individuals.

To obtain a WMO fellowship, applicants should contact the WMO local representative of their country or the WMO regional officer. The same regulation is applicable for those pursuing a WHO fellowship.

Candidates from some NATO-countries may apply for a ‘basic fellowship’, awarded to individuals who have a first university degree and who wish to further their education by following a higher degree course. At the present time fellowships of this type are only offered by Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Exemptions from the standard fee are given by the University to international students who have certain scholarships, depending on the nature or the origin of the scholarship. More concrete information is available at the Registrar’s Office or at the Office for International Students and Scholars.

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PURDUE

Graduate Appointments. Approximately 60 percent of the degree-seeking graduate students receive some type of appointment each year. There are two kinds: (1) fellowships and traineeships requiring no service to the University; and (2) appointments that require the rendering of service.

Graduate Assistantships. Assistantships are available in instruction, research, academic counseling, or other activities directly supporting teaching and research, with most being half-time appointments. Assistantships carry an exemption of tuition and most fees and carry stipends and recommended academic load limits proportional to the time commitment of the appointment.

Graduate Counselorships. Part-time employment on the counseling staff of the residence halls is available to qualified students. In general, compensation for such employment amounts to room and board, exemption of tuition and most fees, and a small stipend. Counselors are limited to a maximum academic load limit of 16 credit hours, including both research and coursework, per semester (subject to further restriction at the discretion of the department in which the student is enrolled). Interested applicants should apply directly to the director of residence halls. Personal interviews are required before final selection.

Fellowships and Traineeships. Many outstanding graduate students hold fellowships or traineeships at Purdue University in programs sponsored by the university; by governmental agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, the National Air and Space Agency, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and of Education; and by institutions such as the Ford, Lilly, Mellon, and Rockefeller Foundations. Most of these awards are made on a competitive basis to eligible applicants or nominees, with scholarly potential and excellence being the criteria for selection of a student to receive an award. Usually an award supports a fellow in full-time study and research in an advanced degree program, and it normally provides for tuition and most fees in addition to a stipend.

Fellowships administered by the Graduate School usually are awarded by the middle of March and require that the recipient be admitted and nominated by the department to which the student has applied. Application materials should be submitted to the department as early as possible.

Application for some types of fellowships must be made directly to the sponsoring agency, and some agencies set deadlines as early as November. Program announcements from these agencies should be consulted for deadlines and application procedures.

Purdue Presidential Distinguished Fellowships. Purdue Presidential Distinguished Fellowships, which are coordinated through the Purdue University Graduate School, encourage graduate students who have demonstrated superior academic achievements and abilities to attend Purdue University. Each year, approximately 10 new Purdue Presidential Distinguished Fellowships are awarded to beginning graduate students. The tenure of the award is for two years.

Frederick N. Andrews Doctoral Fellowships/Assistantships. Each year the University awards 25 new doctoral fellowships/assistantships, which include a waiver of tuition and most fees in addition to a stipend. These fellowships/assistantships are allotted by the Graduate School to the various schools in the University, and the selection of fellows is made within each school. Students who wish to be considered for these fellowships/assistantships should apply to a department early. The tenure of the award is for two years.

Graduate Opportunities Doctoral and Master’s Fellowships/Assistantships. The University awards 20 new fellowships/assistantships each year to under-represented minority students entering or enrolled in doctoral and master’s programs. The tenure of these awards is for two years, after which time departmental support is expected to be available for timely completion of the degree. Each award provides a waiver of tuition and most fees in addition to a stipend and a dissertation or thesis allowance.

To be considered for a fellowship/assistantship, students must be admitted to Graduate School and be nominated by the department. A student’s application to Graduate School should be received by the department no later than February 1 or earlier, as required by individual departments. Nominations are made by departments, and offers of fellowships/assistantships are made by the middle of March. Selections for these awards are made by a committee appointed by the dean of the Graduate School.

Fees. All graduate teaching and research assistantships, Purdue University sponsored fellowships, and residence hall counselorships carry exemptions from University fees and tuition as indicated above. Students with these appointments also are entitled to purchase a student discount privilege to convocations and lectures and to acquire season athletic tickets at a staff discount.

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