Funding for USA PhD programmes for overseas students

[NDW]

I am a Sri Lankan national and I recently finished my 4-year Bachelors specializing in Statistics. I am looking for a scholarship for a PhD in Statistics/Biostatistics. Do all the PhD programmes by default fully fund the overseas students in USA (or in other countries)? Or do I have to specifically check that with the university before I apply? Thanks

[Severina]

It's common in many programs for all PhD students to get funding, but you should never assume (about anything, especially something involving money) that what applies to one program applies to them all.  So check with the websites or ask the department directly for any programs in which you are interested.

[farflung]

In my experience, the vast majority of US PhD programs award graduate funding based on resources and merit, not citizenship. So, you should receive the same basic opportunities for funding (at least through the university itself) as all American students do. 

[localfdr]

Indeed, at most universities you will receive the same funding as all American students, should you get accepted. At some departments there might less available funded positions for internationals though. For example, in some biostatistics programs the domestic candidates are funded by the NIH, while the graduate school pays for the internationals.

[TakeruK]

Most US PhD programs that fully fund their students will not fund students on a "two-tiered" system based on citizenship. That is, if they offer a funding package to US students, most programs will also offer the same funding level to international students.

However, the amount of money it costs the school to fully fund a student does vary on citizenship. At schools where there are different tuition rates for in-state residents vs. non-residents, American students will be cheaper because they generally will pay in-state rates after first year, while international students have to pay the full cost. This is more often true at public schools. So, although both the international student and the American student will take home the same stipend, the "overhead" costs incurred by the department can be significantly greater for the international student.

That said, the department's solution to the funding difference is not to fund international students less. Instead, they would generally accept fewer international students. This makes international student admissions a lot more competitive and in this sense, admission (and thus funding) is awarded on merit, but citizenship will play a factor too. 

In your case though, you should check each school's funding website to see what the funding is. I think this is appropriate advice for every applicant, not just international students. I'd consider this part of the research you do when looking for what schools to apply to. You don't have to explicitly ask if you will be funded as an international student. If they do not fund international students, they might say it here, so check for that. Otherwise, you can wait until you get an offer letter and see what it says for funding.

[TakeruK]

Oh also, this is only true for in-University funding sources.

For external awards, such as the NSF GRFP etc. almost all opportunities are limited to citizens only, so we cannot apply for these big external awards. Our best chance is to apply through our home country, if they allow you to take the money to another country. There may be one or two fellowships that might allow for non-international students though, so keep an eye out!

[NDW]

16 hours ago, Severina said:

It's common in many programs for all PhD students to get funding, but you should never assume (about anything, especially something involving money) that what applies to one program applies to them all.  So check with the websites or ask the department directly for any programs in which you are interested.

Thanks a lot! And congrats on UC-Berkeley! That's kind of my dream school. But I'm not sure whether my GPA is up to their standards. Could you please let me know more about your GPA/GRE/TOEFL scores if you don't mind? Thanks

[NDW]

16 hours ago, farflung said:

In my experience, the vast majority of US PhD programs award graduate funding based on resources and merit, not citizenship. So, you should receive the same basic opportunities for funding (at least through the university itself) as all American students do. 

Thank you!

[NDW]

15 hours ago, localfdr said:

Indeed, at most universities you will receive the same funding as all American students, should you get accepted. At some departments there might less available funded positions for internationals though. For example, in some biostatistics programs the domestic candidates are funded by the NIH, while the graduate school pays for the internationals.

Thanks for the info!

 

[NDW]

15 hours ago, TakeruK said:

Oh also, this is only true for in-University funding sources.

For external awards, such as the NSF GRFP etc. almost all opportunities are limited to citizens only, so we cannot apply for these big external awards. Our best chance is to apply through our home country, if they allow you to take the money to another country. There may be one or two fellowships that might allow for non-international students though, so keep an eye out!

Thanks a lot for the very detailed reply! I am trying to check this factor before I start applying. Because the application procedure sure costs a lot. Most of the programs I prefer are offered in US universities (according to the amount of research I did) and I need a programme that provides fully funding at least during the first year.. Anyhow, thanks again!