Is not receiving funding to a school almost the same as being "rejected"?

[sp108]

Curious to know how not being able to secure funding in this field is received. Slightly concerned..

Edited December 30, 2015 by sp108

[Ben414]

3 hours ago, sp108 said:

Curious to know how not being able to secure funding in this field is received. Slightly concerned..

No, it's not like a PhD: a lot of people go unfunded.  However, that doesn't mean it's a good idea.  $100,000-$150,000 is a lot of money to be in debt for a career that is not known for paying well.

[ridofme]

The majority of people in this field go to grad school unfunded. Schools typically give 20-40% of students some kind of aid, but that could be 8k/year. There will be others who come in on outside fellowships (Pickering, Rangel, aid from foreign governments or foundations for international students). But most people either rely on the bank of mom & dad or massive student loans. 

 

[MaxwellAlum]

It's all about what you're willing to pay.  When I received an offer from a school that would have cost $120k to attend over two years, the acceptance letter offering $10k per year in funding I received felt like a rejection.  Accepted or not, I was not going to be able to attend based on my willingness to pay.  That said, wherever you do go it's not like you'll be an outcast or viewed as inferior because of you are not funded.  Lots of people do it, but the impact on them is financial, not academic or social.

[emilb34]

For professional master degrees, being unfunded is fairly common. As the other posters alluded to, some schools will give a few thousand in aid but most incoming students do not receive any. 

[PeterQuince]

On 12/30/2015 at 4:39 PM, sp108 said:

Curious to know how not being able to secure funding in this field is received. Slightly concerned..

Not receiving funding (or what you believe to be adequate funding) can certainly feel like a rejection, but it's not at all tantamount to an actual rejection nor is it necessarily commentary on your candidacy. Generous need-based scholarships can make the difference between attending and not attending, and merit-based scholarships certainly signify to you that the school is interested in you and to others that you have some academic or professional credibility, but not receiving either for a terminal master's degree does not mean much about your overall worth as a degree candidate or a professional in the field. Sizable merit scholarships are few and far between and most programs don't have the resources to offer generous merit or need-based aid beyond federal loans and work study packages.

If you're accepted to a good quality program that is a solid match for your long-term career goals, that is the right confirmation. Whether you decide it is affordable or not based on the aid they offer is at that point your decision. But the non-need-based aid offered can still be so separate from any general consideration of merit that it's worth celebrating if you get funding but not questioning your worth if you don't. I echo MaxwellAlum: people won't make you feel inferior because you're not funded. Most people don't know who is funded or to what level. The only indicators are if a school publicizes those with named awards or who else you see at your mandatory loan meetings.

Personal example: I applied to three MPA/MPP programs. My top choice offered me a ~75% tuition scholarship based on a fluke (I could check a box and they had an award for someone who could check that box; it wasn't merit-based and I would not have received any other aid besides the opportunity to take out loans). My second choice offered me full tuition, with the possibility of a stipend and health insurance if I ever served as a TA (others received the stipend and health insurance outright). My third choice -- by far the least competitive -- offered me nothing but loans. It felt good to get into all of them, aid or not.

[WhatAmIDoingNow]

For a masters, being unfunded is not a rejection. 

For a PhD, most programs will just reject you if there is no funding. If they don't fully fund you, you should not attend as they don't have enough resources for you in the first place. That is unless you have a unique circumstance, such as working for the university or bring your own funding. 

 

Each school has its own amount of funding, some have more funding than others. Once you find out what is provided, then weigh the total cost. State schools tend to have less funding than private, but private tend to have higher tuition than in-state tuition.