Texas State announces major financial aid commitment to graduate students

Inside TXST

Jayme Blaschke | March 29, 2023

Texas State University has announced a new initiative that will make approximately $900,000 in fellowships available to new incoming master’s students beginning in fall 2023 and for each of the following four years.

The initiative more than doubles funding for fellowships currently available from The Graduate College and shows Texas State’s commitment to investing in graduate education.

“Many of our graduate students rely on financial support during the course of their studies,” said Andrea Golato, dean of The Graduate College. “Financial support in the form of a fellowship recognizes the potential and talent of our students, helps defray costs associated with graduate education, and better positions students to make the most of their educational experience at Texas State. Fellowships allow graduate students to focus on their studies, contribute to the university’s research and teaching missions, and positively impact their communities.” 

Qualifying master’s students who are selected for the fellowship will each receive between $1,000-$1,500 per semester for fall 2023, spring 2024, and summer 2024, resulting in a total fellowship amount of $3,000-$4,500 for the academic year. Students must have a complete application on file with The Graduate College to be considered for nomination as a top incoming student by their academic program.

Depending on the funding level, the fellowship provides one-third to one-half of tuition cost for six semester credit hours in programs not charging differential tuition. Receipt of a fellowship qualifies out-of-state students for in-state tuition.

Students selected as fellowship recipients must:

• enroll in a minimum of six graduate level hours counting toward their degree in both fall and spring semesters
• enroll in three graduate-level hours in the summer
• maintain good academic standing each semester
• make acceptable progress towards the degree
   

The new master’s fellowship program follows the January allocation of $6 million from university reserves to admit 50 new Ph.D. students for spring and summer 2023 in three doctoral programs: materials science, engineering and commercialization (MSEC); computer science; and aquatic resources and integrative biology. These programs were selected because of their data-supported, documented ability to scale up enrollment and graduate doctoral students in a relatively short period of time.

In February, Texas State committed an additional $2 million per year for fiscal years 2024-2026 to fund additional Ph.D. assistantships and tuition scholarships for students in all Texas State doctoral programs.

As more funds become available, Texas State plans to invest more in current and future Ph.D. programs.