Funding your degree: How to find grants and scholarships after you have been accepted into SIPA

Funding your degree can feel overwhelming. Before diving into this article, I would suggest reading Funding Options and Strategies for Prospective SIPA Students, as it will provide you a good overview of what to expect - especially if you are only in the beginning stages of applying to SIPA. This blog helps with specific tools and tips to help you throughout your SIPA journey.

For all Columbia Students:

1. iGrad, a scholarship search tool, is your best friend: 

   One of the first tools that you can use to research ways to fund your degree is iGrad. This site provides you with interactive financial education and wellness tools, scholarship information, student loan management options, plus webinars, to help you on the path to financial wellness. The most important part of this tool is the list of external scholarships. We recommend to set 30 mins in your week and apply to one of these scholarships. Generally, you need an essay, recommendation, transcript and resume. Some are really easy, all you need is
   your resume and you would be able to receive $500 of scholarship money. Create your account today with your Columbia email address, and it's all free!

2. Summer Internship Funding: 

   Each year, SIPA provides a limited number of competitive internship stipends to qualifying students to partially supplement the costs of unpaid or low-paying summer internships. For example, these are good funding opportunities for students working for the United Nations, as those internships often do not pay.

   
   Unfortunately, unpaid internships exist, especially in the public sector. However, SIPA does offer stipends that can help alleviate the financial burden. Last summer, I received the Named Stipend for my unpaid summer internship. The application process entailed a recommendation letter, transcript, and personal statement. It was not a complicated process and I finished it in a short period of time because I noticed this scholarship option last minute.

   
   If you are interested in working an unpaid internship, I highly recommend securing the internship
   early so that you can apply for these scholarships.

3. External Funding: 

   Many SIPA students receive aid from outside sources such as charitable or professional organizations, their employers, philanthropic groups, or government agencies. This section includes a comprehensive searchable database of such resources and links to scholarship search engines.

4. Second-year Assistantships: 

   During your second term, SIPA will release assistantship applications. SIPA Assistantships are only available to second-year students in the full-time two-year degree programs. Compensation for Assistantships is in the form of salary, which is potentially taxable income The positions available are Teaching Assistant, Reader, Program Assistant, Student
   Assistant, and Research Assistant.

   
   Students are hired on the basis of their ability to perform the duties of the positions, which may include teaching, research, computing support, or other tasks such as event planning. 

   When taking your courses at SIPA, make note of which classes have TA’s or Readers, as they will be searching for TA’s and Readers. Then, go to your professors office hours and get to know them. Also, let them know you are looking for a position early so that they can know that you are interested.

    

For International Students:

As an international student, I understand that the process of gaining additional funding feels more tough, challenging and scary. During the school year, students can only work a maximum of 20 hours per week and. While you can work on campus during your first year, you need to complete two full-time semesters to start working off campus.

F-1 and J-1 students must obtain authorization from the Columbia International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO) to undertake an off-campus U.S.-based internship that is a degree requirement. For F-1 students, this authorization is Curricular Practical Training (CPT); for J-1 students this authorization is Academic Training (AT). 

In addition, SIPA's Career Advancement Center (CAC) strongly recommends that F-1 and J-1 international students and exchange visitors receive the proper authorization from the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) for any internship done off-campus during their program of study, regardless if it is unpaid/uncompensated or paid/compensated, because of changes in immigration agencies' interpretation of unauthorized work and its impact on your future immigration plans.

For more information about financial aid for international students, check out this link.

For Domestic Students:

After applying for all of the SIPA and external funding you can, and also carefully examine your own budget and spending habits to see if you can minimize student loan debt. You might find some useful information about budgeting and money management at the iGrad website or on SIPA’s Student Loans & Federal Aid page.

For any additional questions, please check out our frequently asked questions page. Or, contact us at [email protected].