Financial Aid Resources for Graduate Students

For information and details about administrative, programmatic and research assistantships, visit our graduate assistantships page or call graduate admissions at 518-564-4723. All assistantships have a February 15 application deadline for the fall semester.

The Melissa Lahtinen Penfield Memorial Graduate Foundation Fellowship is awarded annually to new or returning full-time graduate students at SUNY Plattsburgh. An annual award of $1,000 (for tuition and fees) will be given to two recipients each year. The students must be in a master’s program in education and priority will be given to MST students.

The 2023 deadline is March 10, 2023.

Melissa Lahtinen Penfield Memorial Fellowship Application 

Questions? Contact the Office of the Dean of Education, Health, and Human Services at 518-564-3066.

Graduates of New York state public or private colleges who participated in the EOP, SEEK, or HEOP programs as undergraduates are eligible for a graduate grant. Student must be matriculated in a master’s degree program and earning their first graduate degree; graduate certificate programs are not eligible. Amounts vary with available funds.

U.S. citizens or permanent residents who will contribute to the diversity of the student body are eligible to apply for Graduate Diversity Fellowships by Feb. 15. The fellowships are available to new applicants to SUNY Plattsburgh’s graduate programs. Full-time enrollment (12 credits) is required. Stipend amounts are determined by the campus and depend on annual funding from New York state.

The Masters-in-Education Teacher Incentive Scholarship Program provides eligible students with a full-tuition scholarship towards a master’s degree.  This program is administered by NYS HESC.  Learn more about the NYS Masters-in-Education Teacher Incentive Scholarship Program.

The NASP-ERT Minority Scholarship Program (NASP-ERT MSP) was established in 1995 to support the graduate training of minority students pursuing careers in school psychology. The program seeks to lower financial barriers to training and to highlight the accomplishments of promising future professionals. The program annually awards scholarships of $5,000 each to selected scholars. The award is announced at the NASP Annual Convention following the scholarship deadline. 

Learn more about the NASP Minority Scholarship Program & apply

Veterans Tuition Awards (VTA) are awards for full-time study and part-time study for eligible veterans matriculated in an approved graduate program.  NYS HESC administers the VTA program.  Learn more about VTA. 

Your federal need will be determined on the basis of the income and asset information you provide on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Choose SUNY Plattsburgh as a college choice (college code 002849) to ensure that your federal application data will be transmitted to our office. File the FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1 of the year prior to the start of your enrollment. See How to Apply for details. Please respond promptly to requests for additional information or clarification concerning your aid application and be prepared to submit a tax return transcript if requested by our office.

Based on your FAFSA, your eligibility will be calculated for a federal Direct Loan, federal TEACH Grant, and federal Work-Study.

Matriculated graduate students attending at least half time may apply for assistance through the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan Program. The maximum annual unsubsidized loan is $20,500 with a fixed interest rate of 5.28%. There is also an origination/guarantee fee of 1.057% that is deducted at the time of disbursement.

The unsubsidized loan starts to accrue interest after payment to your account. While in college, you can elect to pay the interest on an unsubsidized loan or have it added to the principal. Repayment on the unsubsidized loan starts no sooner than six months after you graduate or fall below half-time status. There is a standard 10-year re-payment period and other re-payment options. Visit our loans page for more information on Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans.

Get more information about Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant (TEACH) is a federal grant for matriculated graduate students who intend to teach in public or private elementary or secondary schools that serve students from low-income families. Graduate students who meet the eligibility criteria can receive up to $4,000 per year, but no more than $8,000 in total. In exchange, recipients must agree to serve as a full-time teacher in a high-need field that serves low-income students. A recipient must teach a majority of classes within the high-need field for at least four academic years within eight calendar years of completing their program of study. If a recipient fails to fulfill the service obligation, the grant will convert to an unsubsidized loan and the recipient must repay the money with back interest. For more information, go to StudentAid.gov.

Go to StudentAid.gov for more information

Work-study may be awarded to matriculated graduate students with financial need attending on at least a half-time basis. The wage rate currently is $14.20 per hour. If you are awarded work-study, it will be included on your financial aid summary. In early August, we start to provide instruction on how to apply for a job. These instructions include the terms and conditions for employment.

Learn about work-study & student jobs

The Graduate PLUS Loan may be available to matriculated graduate students attending on at least a half-time basis. In order to establish eligibility, you must first apply for the annual loan maximum under the Direct Unsubsidized Loan. Additionally, a credit review is required to determine that you do not have an adverse credit history. If you have adverse credit, the option exists to apply with an endorser who has a positive credit history. The interest rate is fixed at 6.28%. PLUS loans have an origination/guarantee fee of 4.228% that is deducted at the time of disbursement. Repayment is deferred until six months after you graduate or fall below half-time status. If interested, you must complete a PLUS Loan Application and a Master Promissory Note (MPN).