Funding for MPP/MPA

[wonkish]

I believe specific MPP/MPA programs will enable me to develop valuable skills and professional connections in the field I want to enter. Yet, it seems difficult to predict the type of jobs (and corresponding salary) that will be available upon graduation. I am concerned about taking on too much debt considering that most programs come with a price tag of $30,000+/year (not to mention associated living expenses in NYC/Boston/DC).

I understand that some school's offer paid positions as TAs or research assistants that cover much of the tuition costs. How can you go about researching which schools/MPP programs offer paid positions such paid positions? Also how can you go about researching other forms of funding to pay for the degree? I know WWS offers pretty generous funding but have had trouble finding information about other programs. Any advice or recommendations about being proactive in getting funding and/or paying for MPP/MPA programs would be incredibly helpful!

[pushpin]

I wouldn't be scared away by the sticker price. Many applicants (including myself) have been offered generous awards by different programs.

As for researching, I really took advantage of a lot of the past posts in these forums, especially the results posts where posters shared their acceptances, rejections and awards. It might be a bit of a messy start but it will give you some idea of which schools like to throw money at applicants and which don't. Try not to get star-struck by the big name schools if money is a big concern for you and look at a variety of options.

I believe specific MPP/MPA programs will enable me to develop valuable skills and professional connections in the field I want to enter. Yet, it seems difficult to predict the type of jobs (and corresponding salary) that will be available upon graduation. I am concerned about taking on too much debt considering that most programs come with a price tag of $30,000+/year (not to mention associated living expenses in NYC/Boston/DC).

I understand that some school's offer paid positions as TAs or research assistants that cover much of the tuition costs. How can you go about researching which schools/MPP programs offer paid positions such paid positions? Also how can you go about researching other forms of funding to pay for the degree? I know WWS offers pretty generous funding but have had trouble finding information about other programs. Any advice or recommendations about being proactive in getting funding and/or paying for MPP/MPA programs would be incredibly helpful!

[wonkish]

Thanks for the advice - I'll start sifting through those old posts!

I wouldn't be scared away by the sticker price. Many applicants (including myself) have been offered generous awards by different programs.

As for researching, I really took advantage of a lot of the past posts in these forums, especially the results posts where posters shared their acceptances, rejections and awards. It might be a bit of a messy start but it will give you some idea of which schools like to throw money at applicants and which don't. Try not to get star-struck by the big name schools if money is a big concern for you and look at a variety of options.

[Dreams]

pushpin is spot on. Don't let fear of cost deter you from applying to a program you really want to attend. HKS, and even the notoriously stingy SIPA, have given out full tuition awards to students in the past. There is an amazing amount of information in the past posts. Good luck and keep us informed about where you are interested in applying to

[wonkish]

I plan to apply to SAIS, HKS, SIPA, GSPP, Fletcher, WWS and GPPI. I'm also interested in LSE's MPA in Public and Economic Policy but haven't heard much about the program. I've heard great things about GSPP (especially for policy analysis) but am concerned that their program seems primarily focused on domestic policy. Georgetown's MPP/IOMBA Dual Program looks perfect but I won't have enough time to put in the necessary work for a solid GMAT score this application cycle.

Looking through past posts has been really helpful but any additional advice would be greatly appreciated!

pushpin is spot on. Don't let fear of cost deter you from applying to a program you really want to attend. HKS, and even the notoriously stingy SIPA, have given out full tuition awards to students in the past. There is an amazing amount of information in the past posts. Good luck and keep us informed about where you are interested in applying to

[itsfridayfriday]

also consider that some of the larger research universities may have outside of department research assistanships -- the stanford IPS program has full tuition assistanships for econ + other subjects. so this means that you don't have to be at the top of your class in order to get a free education. not sure if other large unis would offer this as well, however.