Scholarships for International PhD students in US

[payel1986]

Hi,

I've applied for chemistry PhD in Fall 2015 to ten US universities. I would like to know if except of ~ 1500$ monthly scholarship provided by the university itself, there is the options to avail any additional scholarship at the national/international levels for the foreign grad students in the US. I find it will be difficult to meet my expenditure and send some money back home with such a little amount of ~1500-1600@. I badly need some additional stipends to support my parents in India. Anybody suggest please!

[biisis]

This is a really broad question, and answering it depends a lot on your individual circumstances.The viability of that $1500 a month really does depend on what sort of city you're living in, and how frugal you can live. Similarly, internal grants will differ from school to school, though there are definitely larger, competitive awards on a national level in the sciences.

 

I think you'd have better luck getting a precise answer if you check in with your university's student awards/grants office, who will be able to match you with awards that you are eligible to receive/compete for. There are many grants out there. If you're still in the admissions cycle, check in with the graduate program directors that are trying to recruit you- mention your financial pressures and let them know that you're looking for additional funding sources. They may be able to direct you to some. It's also a good idea to ask to chat with current students, in order to get an accurate picture of the cost of living. 

[St Andrews Lynx]

In general, it is hard for international students to get their hands on competitive scholarships in the USA (most of the fellowships and awards I've seen are advertised 'For US Citizens & Green Card holders only'. The Fulbright Award is the biggest exception, but it is also the most competitive. The best option is to look for awards and scholarships offered by the Department/university (rather than national ones), since they are usually open to all. The Indian government might offer some scholarships for its citizens to pursue study abroad, I imagine?

 

A lot of Chemistry PhD programs at good schools offer stipends in the region of $20-30K per year. This information can either be found on the school website or by looking through old GradCafe forum posts (where stipend is quite regularly discussed). It depends on the cost of living, but if you are careful with your money, you can get by quite easily on a PhD stipend and still have some cash left over. Once you get to the university you may well find opportunities for tutoring, ad hoc TA work (in my Dept there are regular calls for extra exam graders, lab stockroom assistance, etc all paid reasonably per hour) and other ways to earn a little bit more on the side. 

[Maxtini]

You might also want to consider going to European Universities~ they consider PhD student as worker and you can get more money "working" with them.
The ETH-Zurich for example provide 70,300 CHF (73,000 USD) salary for the first year full time employment and up to 80.320 CHF (83,000 USD) for third year.

But don't expect any student-like privilege/treatment since you'll be considered as a full time professional employee.

Edited November 18, 2014 by Maxtini

[St Andrews Lynx]

You might also want to consider going to European Universities~ they consider PhD student as worker and you can get more money "working" with them.

The ETH-Zurich for example provide 70,300 CHF (73,000 USD) salary for the first year full time employment and up to 80.320 CHF (83,000 USD) for third year.

...Although be aware that the cost of living is often higher in Europe than the USA - Zurich is one of the most expensive cities in the world, and the salary for PhD students reflects that. 

[Cookie]

You might be able to save up money if you pick a school in an area with cheaper cost of living. For a midwest bumfuck kind of place like my school, Chem students get paid roughly $1800 after tax and a one-bed one-bath rent is only $600. I know some peers who are supporting their families back home. Dont pick places like UCLA when the stipend-cost of living is low.

Unfortunately, you cant count on external fellowships for intl students. They are so rare and competitive... Also, PhD students are not supposed to make banks and generally our stipends cant support more than ourselves :/

[payel1986]

Thank you guys for your wonderful suggestions..first I will have to click somewhere, then comes the thought of selection. This is just the nail-biting time.