Ph.D. Student Handbook

Ph.D. Financial Support

Financial support for all Ph.D. students is made available through a number of sources such as funds from the School, the Department, research grants of the faculty, and industrial sources, as well as from federal and foundation fellowships granted to the student.

A given faculty member plays the primary role in selecting a student for a research fellowship supported by his/her grant. The Graduate Group Chair formally makes all fellowship appointments. Full-time students are expected to work full time on research in the summer months. Should a dissertation advisor be unable to provide funding for a student’s stipend and tuition the Graduate Group Chair will work with the student to find another advisor to mentor the student, possibly associated with a change in research topic.

We encourage all students to apply for graduate training fellowships during their graduate studies. Some students apply for fellowships prior to matriculating to Penn and these fellowships provide students tremendous flexibility in choosing a lab for their research.

Any Ph.D. student who is awarded an extramural individual fellowship may qualify for a one-time $3,000 bonus in addition to their standard stipend.

Some of the most common sources for fellowships and PhD training support are provided here. Proposal writing workshops are
offered by the School annually.